The rush of the morning. Find a seat on the tube, shove your headphones in and listen to ‘Strange Weekend’. People, places rush by and the pace increases with each passing moment. Slowly you disengage, head falling down until...

“I’m not interested in dreams for themselves” explains Mauro Remiddi. “I’m more interested in the moment in the morning when you wake up - there is sometimes those few seconds where you actually don’t remember where you are or even your name or things like that. Your memory shuts down for a second. Moments when you are not asleep but you are not awake either. That fine line! The middle line. That’s what I’m interested in.”

Now recording under the name Porcelain Raft, Mauro Remiddi has enjoyed a lengthy musical adolescence. Travelling around the world, his career has moved from Gypsy folk to classical, all the time refining his own outlook, his own approach. “I think it took a long time for me to find my own voice in a way. Not that I’ve found it. But I think I’m on the right track” he reveals at one point. “It took me a lot of time to discover music, to discover new things. Also, I was so obsessed with recording my own things that rarely I would actually discover things and be this kind of music lover. I’ve always been obsessed with what I’m doing so I would just listen to actually what I was recording and really hone in on it. It took me a long time to discover things which would affect me somehow and develop a sound.”

Travelling to Brooklyn, Mauro Remiddi didn’t know what he would record but he knew that he would record something. Setting up his kit, the musician soon found that his neighbours didn’t quite appreciate an Italian ex-pat finding his musical voice during unsociable hours. “My first songs are very intimate somehow – not because I really wanted it to be like that but because actually I had to be soft. I couldn’t really sing properly – everything was dictated by the room which is exactly the point of what I’m doing. So I thought, let’s not straight away go to a studio let’s make it a little bit more flexible so I can play until late, I can play the guitar and drums really late and nobody will say anything but it’s just me, basically. It was a step forward from the bedroom. This thing with the bedroom – I don’t think it’s like a choice, you work with what you have in front of you.”

Whether chosen or dictated by their surroundings, the results are remarkable. Porcelain Raft’s debut album ‘Strange Weekend’ feels very deliberate, very assured – unlike so many records labelled as ‘dream pop’ this is an idea finding a sound, rather than a sound groping for a reason to exist. Truly deserving of the term ‘dream pop’, Porcelain Raft is literally inspired by dreams, of the passage of the self into the unconscious mind. Ironically, Mauro Remiddi used direct visual references during the writing process, building up each song as a mosaic of pictures. “I’ve always been moved more by images than by sounds, since when I started playing music when I was ten with my piano” he says. “But when I was ten I had this piano which had a panel at the front, so you can see the strings. It was an upright piano so you can see the strings. When I was ten I would play and just look at these strings and see the hammers. It was more like a visual approach to an instrument”.

“When I had my band, it was fun but I stopped it – I wanted to move on. I was kind of feeling empty, I had something in my head but I didn’t know what it was. I searched through these images, these collages and it was like I had lit a fire” he continues. “I started again making music. It helped me to create in my head a sound as if somehow I was having to translate collages into sounds. I would say 'this image, if this was a script let’s make a soundtrack for it'. All these images I collected, it was like a script for a movie. I was looking at it and creating a soundtrack, a soundscape. It was more to do with sounds, honestly.”

Pure sound, like pure light - filtered, without blemish. At one point Mauro Remiddi compares his music to colour, explaining that he is searching for white tones. “I’ll give you an example: once I went to see an exhibition and I enter in this room and there was like super loud techno music and there was a piece of art. This room was completely white, so there was neon light and everything was super white. There was something there that really struck me, because all of us used to listen to techno music in dark clubs with strobes, everybody fucked up.. dancing.. so it was really weird to hear that music in a space which was antiseptic, white, clean. I thought, this is the context. As soon as you change the context of a music it changes it meaning, it’s landscape and it changes its colour as well. So this white colour is probably something to do with the spaces you are around. Everything you put in this white space becomes a different object. If you look now at the front of your desk there will be so many objects – if you just take one of those, put it in an empty room, completely white that object has another meaning straight away. So when I see white that’s what I see.”

Heavily improvised, ‘Porcelain Raft’ has an unerring fragility. Composed in a spur of the moment rush, Mauro Remiddi faces the unedifying task of attempting to piece the album back together in a live context – something he apparently relishes. “You record these songs – which are not formed, because when I composed them, recorded them, they just came out. They didn’t have time to develop. When do they develop? They develop in the live show” he states. “What you see in the record is just like a snapshot of a moment of the day that song was made. Just that moment. The live shows are like “let’s look at this and let’s play with this and let’s jam with this” – it’s like a work in progress going on between the record and the live shows.”

Unless You Speak From Your Heart from Porcelain Raft on Vimeo.

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'Strange Weekend' is out now.

RM Hubbert crafts music which is at once both intimately familiar and unquestionably strange.

Eshewing lyrics, his guitar playing takes the place of the human voice. Opening himself up to a wealth of new influences, RM Hubbert recently gathered together a crew of collaborators to focus on a fresh album.

'Thirteen Lost & Found' is out now on Chemikal Underground, benefiting from the voices of Emma Pollock, Alasdair Roberts and more. Alex Kapranos oversaw some aspects of the recording, inviting the cast down to his home in the Borders.

A wonderful release, 'Thirteen Lost & Found' is a sumptuous, gorgeous listen but carries with it an emotional weight which plunges into the deepest of black seas.

ClashMusic sent out a number of questions to those involved, attempting to piece together just how this record came into being. Here's what filtered back to us...

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John Ferguson
Hubby is someone whom I have been a huge admirer of musically since his time with El Hombre Trajeado. We used to share bills with them from time to time and I have always been struck by his imaginatively melodic and emotive guitar playing. The music he made with El Hombre and his 'First and Last' album never suffered from the absence of vocals as the substance and style of his playing communicates and resonates with the audience/listener more than adequately. His solo music is brave, very emotional, evocative, melodic...one thing it is not is musical wallpaper.

How did the collaboration occur?
Hubby asked me and I said yes! We got together to work it out in a rehearsal room and in his flat - his flat proving more conducive to the process. Probably something to do with having natural light, a supply of coffee, a dog kicking about, dim sum to eat and so on.

I've recorded with Jamie Savage before and value his attention to detail and also his creative suggestions. I'd never worked with Alex Kapranos before but he too was very easy to work with. Good chat, encouragingly responsive and, like Jamie, highly attentive.

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Shane Connolly

How familiar were you with RM Hubbert's music before you began the project?
As familiar as a draft to a draft excluder

What does his music mean to you?
Not sure... Making music with him means a lot.

How did the collaboration occur?
He asked me and I said aye.

What was the atmosphere in the studio like?
We wrote the piece in my living room and the atmoshphere was all living roomy.

Is the collaboration something you would consider again?
Oh go on then.

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Aidan Moffat
I'm a big fan of the first record ('First & Last') and I'd seen him play loads of times before. He was pretty difficult to avoid; he always seemed to playing somewhere whenever I went out!

What does his music mean to you?
That's a difficult question to answer because I know that all the songs have certain meanings and inspirations to Hubby, but of course with largely instrumental music these meanings probably won't tally with those of the listener. I just find it incredibly beautiful with a hint of sadness; the meanings change depending on where I am and how I feel. That said, when you see him live and he introduces a piece and explains the motivation behind it, it always seems to work and gives you a fresh perspective.

How did the collaboration occur?
He asked! And I said yes immediately.

What was the atmosphere in the studio like?
I was only there for about three hours but it was great. We'd already recorded a demo so we were very prepared and it didn't take long to get a good live take. Then Alex managed to coax some harmonies out of me, which I was very impressed with. I've tried things like that before and never got it right, but Alex seemed to know exactly what to say to trick me into doing something I thought was impossible.

Our song turned out great, I'm very happy with it, and I've got no reason to think another one would be any different. He need only ask.

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Alasdair Roberts
I'd seen Hubby's previous band El Hombre Trajeado play back in the day - oh, ten, fifteen years ago or so. We used to live in the same street in the west end of Glasgow but I was a bit intimidated by him. I got to know him personally a lot more recently and discovered that
he was intimidated by me too. We bonded over mutual social ineptitude. I've heard him play and observed his solo music develop numerous times over the past few years. We also shared a flat briefly so I got to hear the work in progress.

Hubby's music is true art: personal, thoughtful, subtle, passionate. It's a real window into the man's soul and an intermeshing of all his influences, musical and otherwise. As a guitarist myself, the flamenco element appeals to me a lot, and my respect for Hubby's knowledge of and love for that musical form.

Hubby asked me to be involved. I sent him the demo of the song I had in mind, 'The False Bride', an old Scottish folk song I learned from my father Alan. Then we met in my kitchen to work on it together. Hubby came up with a guitar figure which complements the vocal well, I believe. I had a day off on tour so I went to Alex's studio in the Borders for a night to do the recording, which we nailed in a few takes.

It was a beautiful spring day - or was it summer? The session was very relaxed with a lot of warmth and camaraderie - most of the musicians there have known each other and crossed paths in Glasgow and beyond for years. Alex cooked a delicious stew; everyone chatted and reminisced over red wine. There was another band around, two young men from London whose names I forget, but a pleasant time was had in their company also.

Well, of course I'd consider collaborating again. I'd be interested in actually writing something totally new together at some point in the future as opposed to presenting Hubby with an old traditional song to arrange, although I am very fond of that song and am very happy with Hubby's treatment of it.

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Alex Kapranos
I've known Hubby's music since we were both in our teens, so this is the third decade. I loved First and Last, it was so honest and emotionally expressive. Hubby was always a great guitarist, but I'd never heard him, or anyone else for that matter, play like this.

What does his music mean to you?
It expresses part of me that can't express itself.

How did the collaboration occur?
Hubby was staying at my house. We were catching up, necking whisky, playing guitar by the fire. It was cosy. We were either going to do this or get off with each other.

What was the atmosphere in the studio like?
About 90% humidity. I live in the wettest village in Scotland.

Other than that, I found it very easy. Hubby and all the collaborators were open and quick to work with. There was no fannying around. The way I record, I'm in the room with the performers, rather than in a control room most of the time, so there were some real hair-on-the-neck moments, as it was all live. Being in the room with Emma or Ali with Hubby was such a privilege.

Is the collaboration something you would consider again?
Sure.

- - -

Emma Pollock
It's wonderful to appreciate how a single instrument can sound so huge in its effect when played with the skill that Hubby possesses. There's also something so refreshing about there being no lyric - so much of popular music is always sold as being as much about the lyric as the music leaving very little room for instrumental music to be heard in its own right and not as an accompaniment to film or advert. The fact this album has been welcomed by so many people is testament to the sad fact that the range of genre choices offered to us by a lot of popular media is really very limited and when we hear music as beautiful and stripped back as this, particularly live, it completely stops us in our tracks.

Hubby came round to the house a good few times and we sat together and just played about with some ideas. I've never really written a song like that before and it was pretty scary, but wonderful to have the opportunity to sing alongside such a lovely instrument.

We recorded at Alex's home studio and it was mostly completely live apart from some minor additional overdubs. It was quite an intense song to record but I do like that actually as it gives the whole affair a heady atmosphere. We did the vocal overdubs in a glass conservatory which had loads of plants in it and as it was right in the middle of the summer it smelled amazing. The room had great natural reverb and I was singing quite far from the mic to get a really ethereal sound. Hubby and I also recorded a song with Alasdair Roberts - a cover of an old traditional Italian song. That was completely live with all of us doing our thing in the one room around a few mics. That was quite unforgettable and again extremely intense. Alasdair and I were singing in Italian, with me not entirely sure of the translation of the words, but it sounded terrific. Looking forward to a chance to play that live.

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'Thirteen Lost & Found' is out now.

A shining ball of light” - Ryan Hunn’s nom-de-guerre translates well into understanding his amorphous and mutant music. It’s also riddled with mystery. “Nobody knows where the name came from,” he frowns, “not even me…” What we do know is that as Illum Sphere he’s helping reinstall Manchester’s dance supermacy with his dark, emotional and often awkward music. Spinning alongside cohort Jonny Dub at their Hoya:Hoya night and associated label, expect to hear the electric sounds of Mancunian contemporaries Lone, Krystal Klear and Indigo rub shoulders with their inspirational catalyst Dabrye.

Few producers tether the nebulous strands of modern bass in such a surprising and penetrating fashion. His influences are wide (“really new grime to really really old Turkish psych”) and his productions are equally disparate, a variance that powers our fasciantion with hismsuic. “I am terrible at making one genre,” he confesses. “If I was a sick house producer that made amazing house then I’d just stick to that. But Illum Sphere as a concept or a body of work has a theme: it’s not genre specific, but you could call it ‘moody’.”

With releases on Pinch's Tectonic records, Fat City, and remixes for the monolithic Radiohead, the producer has recently seen the plaudits return as he expects re-rubs from Om Unit, Ikonika, Kidkaknievil and his hero Tadd Mullinix.

Ryan describes his music production as a “coping mechanism” for his darker moments. “I am not a nine-to-five producer, I can go a month without making anything. There’s a part of my personality that a lot of people have, and when I get into that mindset I don’t want to be around people. So instead of exposing that massive flaw of my personality to all the people that I love, I may as well lock myself away and make stuff. And that’s when I make my best music. Music is a reaction for me.”

Words by Matthew Bennett
Photo by Samuel John Butt

Where: Manchester
What: Mutated electronics
Get 3 songs: ‘Codex’ (Radiohead remix), ‘Psycho’, ‘Dreamstealin’’
Unique fact: Illum Sphere wrote his best track ‘Psycho’ after five days of insomnia.

WOAH. February already? It only seems a few days since we were all glum about taking down those Yuletide decorations for another year… Well, in some cases it actually was a few days, which is possibly a lesson in arsing yourself to Actually Do Stuff. Those new year resolutions about being POSITIVE, PROACTIVE and PRODUCTIVE are evidently falling by the same wayside they disappeared down last year. The only possible solution is to ensure that our gig schedules are as full as possible for the next few weeks. And given how skint we’ve all been throughout January, it’s about time we indulged ourselves, right?

The fine folks at Harvest Sun kick off the month by bringing Canadian songstress Lindi Ortega to Leaf (1st), before hosting a free show for Patterns and their shoegazey bliss – all the way from the other end of the East Lancs Road (Mello Mello, 10th). In fact the HS promoters are as delightfully busy as ever, with a lengthy list of gigs that include High Places’ sumptuous electronic pop (Shipping Forecast, 14th), The War On Drugs’ artfully spaced-out melodicism (Kazimier, 23rd) and Fanfarlo’s folked-up elegance (Static Gallery, 25th). But wait, there’s more! We’ve not touched on their March schedule, when we’ll be completely spoiled by the grand melancholy of Cass McCombs (Leaf, 7th), splendiferous C86 stylings from Veronica Falls (Leaf, 8th) and Diagrams’ warped psych-tronica (Static Gallery, 16th). How could we possibly have any more to do?

Well, we could check in on the EVOL schedule for a start.They’er similarly busy in February, but some of their highlights include Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s day-glo indie party (O2 Academy, 3rd), We Were Promised Jetpack’ rabble-rousing racket (Shipping Forecast, 7th) and a dose of unmissable, shimmering post-electro, courtesy of Glasgow’s own Errors (Kazimier, 11th). If you’re the sort of person who likes top tips, you may also be tempted by visits from some of 2012’s hopefully-gonnabes when Django Django (Shipping Forecast, 21st) and Spector (22nd) drop by for a visit. Of course, you may well just want to save yourself for March when the O2 Academy is graced by performances from grand designers Wild Beasts (17th) and the eternally-endearing Los Campesinos! (27th).

Feeling a little dizzy with this packed schedule? There’s more to come, you know. No-one ever said this proactive thing was gonna be easy, although it certainly is fun. Yam Yam Punk celebrate a year of awesome DIY shows by bringing Cornish gruff types Bangers and Leeds legends The Dauntless Elite to Basement 20 (Feb 12th), and you’d be a damned fool to miss it. Fast-forwarding to March again, everybody’s friends at EDiLS Recordings have a great show lined up for Northampton’s Zola, whose Kinsella-styled odds’n’angles hit Mello Mello on the 10th. Behind The Wall Of Sleep, meanwhile, bring monumentally loud psych-rockers White Hills to the Kazimier on the 23rd, with support from local spacerock heroes Mugstar. Can it get much better than this? That’s a rhetorical question, which coincidentally saves us from providing an answer just in case better stuff actually does happen. We’re clever like that, see.

The only thing left to mention is that the O2 Academy will be screening Libertines documentary ‘There Are No Innocent Bystanders’ on March 22nd. This news will doubtless excite fans of twatty-hatted, unspectacular landfill indie everywhere, whilst making everyone else feel slightly more aware of the cold weather, their own mortality and the pointlessness of existence. Or ‘a bit glum’, in other words. But y’know… each to their own. In any case, there’s plenty to do and see over the next couple of months, so you’ve no excuse for staying home (that’s what we’re telling ourselves anyway). Now excuse us, we have a lounging date with a nice comfy sofa. Gah, this ‘doing stuff’ malarkey is trickier than it looks.

Words by Will Fitzpatrick

Every DJ has one.

A night when everything that can possibly go wrong does - and it does so in spectacular fashion. ClashMusic brings you DJ Disasters, featuring some of the most respected figures in the dance world reminiscing about those moments when it all went badly wrong.

Real name James Jacob, multi-talented producer Jakwob dominated 2011 - earning himself a residency on Mista Jam's Radio 1Xtra show with his Daily Does of Dubstep in the process.

Now signed to Mercury, Jakwob is set to release his new single 'Electrify' on February 27th. Tipped to make the final breakthrough into the mainstream, the producer's path to success hasn't always been easy, as ClashMusic finds out...

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Apart from the standard not having eaten / nearly fainting / suffering from major jetlag before a gig, I’ve never really had a real ‘disaster’ and hope that I never do.

For the sake of this feature, I’m going to tell you about the bizarre experience I had at a certain festival in a certain UK city in 2010 (I’ll protect their modesty). There were loads of great gigs going on all over the city and it seemed like it was going to be a pretty cool night. I arrived at the venue with a bunch of friends and we had a few drinks in the bar downstairs. I was taken upstairs to check out the huge room I’d be playing in later – it was empty but they assured me it’d completely fill up.

I came back an hour later to find literally about eight people wandering around the room. One of the promoters came up to me like “uh, yeah, you’re on now…”. Awesome. Having played to 1500 people in Bristol the previous night, and expecting Dot-To-Dot to be big, it was a bit gutting to say the least. I headed across the room, and, bearing in mind that the only people in the room were under eighteen, I got them all to come and sit down in front of the DJ booth school-assembly style, and we had ‘story time with Jakwob’.

After a bit of a chat, I soon had them all closing their eyes and spinning around the room to some liquid drum and bass.

After the initial shock of having to play to a virtually empty room with absolutely no vibe, it ended up being (though admittedly a little weird), really different and fun. In the end I wasn’t even that bothered how the night turned out – I felt sorry for the promoters though!

Jakwob - Electrify

- - -

Jakwob is set to release new single 'Electrify' on February 27th.

Returning this year are familiar faces armed with a new collection of songs. Looking ahead, here are a selection of those to be most excited about.

MAJOR LAZER

“Now that people know what Major Lazer is we can skip a lot of the ground work,” beams the globe-trotting chameleonic don of dance Diplo, who makes up one-half of neo-dancehall outfit Major Lazer alongside fidget-house producer Switch. The dynamic duo dropped debut ‘Guns Don’t Kill People - Lazers Do’ in mid-2009, a storming collaborative frenzy that fused authentic Jamaican riddims with modern bass-heavy hip-hop. Its successor, the Philadelphian explains, is set to pick up where they left off, and improve their model. “There’s plenty of obligatory club stuff but beyond that we wanted to make records that people really can love and ones that can last forever. We are doing a lot of songs about positivity as well, because that’s just the tip we are on,” he says, “plus plenty of ass shaking ones too.”

Vybz Kartel, T.O.K. and Santigold all return to contribute vocals, while Lykke Li, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, Snoop Dogg, Bruno Mars and Pharrell all make an appearance this time around.

Three songs will be released this month as a taste of what’s to come. “It’s gonna be confusing at first,” Diplo says, flagging up the musical deviation ahead, “but they cover exactly what we are about with this album.”

PAUL WELLER

When the former punk icon turned fifty back in 2008, he marked his half-century with ‘22 Dreams’ - an eclectic and progressive double album that explored jazz, poetry, electronica, and other exotic strains. Its breadth was countered two years later by ‘Wake Up The Nation’, a reactionary album of restless and insistent songs, fired by Weller’s burning desire to incite and provoke fresh voices in music. Following such a disparate yet impressive pairing will be ‘Sonik Kicks’, due on March 26th, which, its author makes clear, doesn’t compare to anything he’s done before. “‘Sonik Kicks’ is brand new music for the 21st Century,” he gruffly claims.

Apparently unaffected by the glowing response to its predecessor (‘Wake Up The Nation’ was nominated for the Mercury Music Award), Weller does suggest the music on his eleventh solo album will be “what the title suggests”; certainly taster track ‘Around The Lake’ (available on paulweller.com) offers shimmering Horrors-like psychedelia, spiky riffs, and a snarling attitude. With guest turns from Noel Gallagher and Graham Coxon on guitar, we are promised an expressive and adventurous record that’s set to mix “pop art punch with soulful communication”, and “dub with razor-sharp melodies with clear-eyed forest-folk”. Intriguing.

The week before release, Weller will be performing ‘Sonik Kicks’ in its entirety at The Roundhouse in London. Explaining his reasons for doing so, Weller says: “Because I’m bored with the whole nostalgia trip everyone seems to be on at the moment. I want to present something fresh and new to people. And I also think the new album is strong enough to showcase like this. But above all, it is a statement to try and encourage people to get their heads out of yesterday and back into tomorrow. No pun intended!”

SPIRITUALIZED

Similarly dissatisfied with artists peddling their past glories is Jason Pierce. Subsequent to his recreating their 1997 opus ‘Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating In Space’ for 2009’s Don’t Look Back festival, he found himself questioning the popularity of nostalgia. “I just thought, ‘Why is everybody looking back? Why is everybody going ten years back to find classic albums?’ I didn’t want to make a classic album, but I wanted to make something that was epic and was now.”

The result is the visionary space rock band’s seventh album which, Pierce reveals, was designed to be a pop album. “I write pop songs, whether I like it or not - ‘Walking With Jesus’ is a pop song, ‘Soul On Fire’ - and I’m always kind of embarrassed by them; I feel like the way to move forward in music is leftfield, avant-garde, trying to make new steps, and yet a lot of the stuff that I love most were these lost gems.” He namechecks The Ronettes, Captain Beefheart, Suicide and The Beach Boys as influences. “I wanted to embrace that this time, and not try and drag the tunes I like into the leftfield.”

Expected in March, ‘Sweet Heart Sweet Light’ was recorded in London, Reykjavic and Los Angeles, and features “beautiful and sassy” female backing vocals, a nod to Leonard Cohen and Ray Charles. It was premiered at a surprise appearance at the Royal Albert Hall, where a string and horn section plus a twenty-strong choir fought for room on the stage, and where the songs’ could reach their true hymnic heights.

“It sounds stupidly romantic, but it’s kind of like a thank you,” Jason says, of an album indebted to the pop music and artists that have continued to inspire him.“ This has been so important to me.”

THE SHINS

Over a decade into their existence, America’s sparkling indie troupe still only have three albums under their belt. It’s been exactly five years since their last, the incredible ‘Wincing The Night Away’, which was a decidedly hazier and more mature development from 2003’s ‘Chutes Too Narrow’. Considering James Mercer’s tendency to experiment and evolve, he is hopeful The Shins’ fourth outing will still appeal to their fans. “I certainly hope so,” he enthuses. “There are some changes to the palette but it’s still me.”

In the interim between Shins work, Mercer has been busy working with uber-producer Danger Mouse (known to James as Brian Burton) as Broken Bells, and together delivered an album of slick, melodic pop. Clearly, it’s a union that has served Mercer well going forward. “I think I’ve gained some confidence from the work I’ve done lately,” he admits. “Brian is such a great supporter of The Shins and I’ve learned a lot working with him. So it’s more my attitude about what I do and how I go about it that’s changed.”

Recorded in Portland and LA, and produced by Greg Kurstin, the as-yet-untitled album is The Shins’ first on Columbia, having left Sub Pop, and will no doubt be as celebrated and dazzling as we’ve come to expect from The Shins. Therefore, with 2012’s schedule set to be packed and popular, Mercer has just one wish for the year ahead: “I hope to get through all the touring and support for this record with my liver intact.”

JOHN CALE

Signing to Domino Records in 2011 has proven to be hugely beneficial to fans of John Cale’s innovative deliverings. Being on an indie label, he says, is “pretty much essential” when you’re constantly riding the razor’s edge of avant-garde. “They hear all sorts most days and it increases your comfort level knowing that. They don’t know what they’ll get with me and they’re fine with it!”

A founding member of The Velvet Underground, Cale has forged a career as an unpredictable talent. His previous album, ‘blackAcetate’, was dark and claustrophic, where growling rock knocked heads with forays into electro soul and techno. More recently, last year’s ‘Extra Playful’ digital EP was Cale doing abrasive pop. Comparing his last album with his latest, John reveals the apparent differences. “The points of origin for the songs have shifted - not just keyboard-based but viola, bass and guitar-based ideas to begin with, then some which are noise-based.” And was ‘Extra Playful’, his first release on Domino, a sign of things to come? “‘Extra Playful’ is a conveyance of attitude - don’t take it so damn seriously, will ya?!”

Despite recent dalliances with like minds and collaborations in art and film, the new album looks to be strictly an in-house effort. “Being my first album in a while I wanted to make sure it was a strong individual effort that was a showcase for my band and my own personal style of playing,” John states. He is, however, excited about the artists who can follow his example and deliver the unexpected this year. “There are a number of new bands that apart from their fresh energy also show that awkward musical styles wear very easily on the ears - there are always unnerving new genres popping up but within rock and roll this persistent characteristic is always a sign of longevity.”

PRIMAL SCREAM

Work has begun on the decadent rockers’ tenth album, with Bobby Gillespie and guitarist Andrew Innes beavering away between live dates with Irish producer David Holmes. It will be their first since 1997’s ‘Vanishing Point’ not to feature bassist Mani, who has gloriously retreated back to the confines of The Stone Roses indefinitely. His leaving shouldn’t impact the new music greatly, says Gillespie, as he was never involved in writing the songs. “The songs are always written by Andrew and me. And no disrespect to Mani, but he’s a bass player, a great bass player. It won’t have any affect on the song writing.”

With a genesis stretching back to late-2009, the songs being worked on benefitted from the Scream’s tour of ‘Screamadelica’ through 2010 and 2011. “I think we took a lot of satisfaction from how well the band played. It was just a great vibe within the band, getting a lot of love from the audience and around the world. It was an accomplishment. If we were a football team we would have won the league champions, as they were consistently good performances.”

Bobby is also buoyed by the ripple effect from the political rackets that charged summer 2011. One rant on the ideologies of the Conservative party later, and the wiry frontman is enthused on the effect the government will have on young people and music. “This year is gonna fucking kick off,” he grins. “And the year after, and the year after...”

With twenty tracks in the can already, and another session this month to capitalise on Bobby’s revived vigour, Primal Scream’s “modern psychedelic” record will drop later this year.

THE BUG

Exploding out of bass bins around the world, The Bug’s third LP ‘London Zoo’ cleared up with critics and sleazy bass monkeys alike in 2008. Kevin Martin’s low frequencies seethe with discontent. And with 2012 looking like a ripe year for change, channelled anger and seismic cultural shifts, The Bug is poised to deliver a restless soundtrack for many micro revolutions.

“Both globally and personally 2011 has been a heavy motherfucker of a year,” says the producer. “The cracks of capitalism are showing clearer than ever, and the world is in a state of absolute flux, so yeah, there’s so much food for thought at present. To me the challenge is always to navigate the chaos and find some sort of safe path. And I have always felt the best music or art works as a catalyst for exorcising emotional friction and global upheaval. I can definitely say my new album is an absolute sign of the times, and all the intensity therein.”

Expect raw power and lyrics blurred to distortion with MC Daddy Freddy, one of the fastest spitters around. “The album is rapidly becoming a fucked up collision of violence, sex and madness,” rounds off Martin, as we look forward to his bass quake at the barricades.

STILL TO COME...

Officially there is no news on whether The Stone Roses will be producing anything physical in 2012, but having just signed to Universal last month (and Columbia in the US), it looks like the reformed Manchester legends may yet surprise us...

Stadiums will be prepped and cleaned ahead of new releases from The Killers, Madonna and Green Day...

Girl power will be out in fine force, as La Roux, Little Boots, Marina And The Diamonds, Santigold and the lovely Lissie all return to prove their worth with a second album, while Estelle, Bat For Lashes and Martha Wainwright all have something up their sleeves too...

A Johnny Marr-less Cribs will surface in 2012, as ex-Supergrass man Gaz Coombes and ex-Sonic Youth dude Lee Ranaldo both go solo...

Over in the dance world Hot Chip, Coldcut, Dirty Projectors, Orbital and Hudson Mohawke will no doubt be creating ripples with their electronic fare, while Phoenix will be on hand to slip some slick guitars into the mix...

Having wowed the Americans, Mumford And Sons will be quick to follow their debut, while Biffy Clyro will be intent on removing any memories of Matt Cardle...

Finally, a new record is due from Keane. You have been warned...

Words by Simon Harper

Rapture and Verse powers through the go-slows of January blues with a no particular order hotchpotch to dive into headfirst. Let’s go snorkelling, starting with much touted grime to primetime candidate Dot Rotten, steaming through with ‘Are You Not Entertained’. It sounds a bit like ‘Chip-Diddy-Chip’ but not as, well, sappy, over a classic hip-hop drum break and Rotten with a flow that will set many a laundrette alight. Loads of support all round for this one, and watch Dot put this in the pipe of rock-rap naysayers.

Speech Debelle makes her Big Dada comeback: you can’t argue with the timing of her reintroduction with femcees hot property right now, but the Londoner has points to prove. ‘Freedom of Speech’ is the follow-up to Mercury prize winner ‘Speech Therapy’ that proved more millstone than milestone, but combining ever more a flow between C-Mone and Bahamadia, it’s a confidently understated follow-up for long late nights, more than making up for lost time.

Childish Gambino, whose name, as you might think, is a result of playing with an online Wu-Tang name generator (and a wee bit more interesting than real name Donald Glover), already has the ultimate feather in his cap: starring in Tracy Jordan’s ‘Werewolf Bar mitzvah’ in 30 Rock. Delivering a Lupe Fiasco/Drake-style tone of confession, some are claiming he “represents the future of hip-hop”. An inflated prediction perhaps, but ‘All That Shine’ is a cool and smoothed out, slightly paranoid Californian soul on ice from the Comedy Central stand-up. And while we’re dealing with shall we say, slightly eccentric mobster handles while keeping out in the heaviness of the rap wilds, Fatal Lucciauno drops some proper Seattle gangster slickness for ‘Big Bro’, with the vibe of Raekwon meets The Game as someone who’ll always be watching you. Ahead of a free Jake One-paired EP, go check the freestyle.

Tying in with Clash’s recent Stones Throw feature, the befuddling Dudley Perkins in his Declaime guise shows he’s still a smart cookie where the joke is on everyone else. Back in tow with Georgia Anne Muldrow on production, Declaime runs rings around a queasy, twizzly, innocuously addictive beat under another alias Dr Shrooman for ‘Ship’s Doctor’, taken from the pair’s latest LP ‘Self-Study’. Plus it’s the best example of eating fruit when on the mic since LL Cool J’s ‘Doin’ It’. Also be on the lookout from your preferred mp3 emporium for a Stones Throw 2012 preview mix from J Rocc. Edging towards the left, Boston’s BeFP (keeping it initialised, he’s one half of rap-duo BFPSP) has an instrumental mini-album doing the rounds on the worldwide web, that going by sneak preview ‘The Bridge’ should be full of electro-bitten beats and glitchy hemispheres, and making complicated wire-crossing sound cosy and calm in ‘A World of My Own’.

On the rumour mill, the hawkers of hearsay have got Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell hatching an LP together this year, and that an NWA biopic could be on the way, with the intriguing selling point being that the leads are to be played by the offspring of the world’s most dangerous group. More mongering of gossip has regular jailbird and canine campaigner DMX on the verge of unrevealing two album’s worth of previously unheard material, as well as spearhead a Ruff Ryders reunion tour – Swizz Beats and Drag-On already on the tour bus, so rumours say. Shiny oversized denim and quad bikes with ridiculous hydraulics, welcome back.

Turntable legend QBert and beatbox top boy Reeps One are bringing their ‘Bass Bizarre’ tour worldwide, including stops in Birmingham, Manchester and London this month. Get to bassbizarre.com for more on a potentially eye and ear popping revolution in hip-hop essentials. More direct drive damage has Jabba tha Kut getting his fingers working to Olympian levels of stealth and skill with the Chess Move Cartel - chessmovecartel.com - for ‘Intricate Moves Volume 1’.

For some homegrown experience, Paradise the Prolific from esteemed UK collective 57th Dynasty is scouring cyberspace, and Demon Boyz’ Million Dan is plying his trade with breaks troublemakers DeeKline and Ed Solo on a spot of summer D&B. Five-track freeness from truth-seeker Genesis Elijah, ‘Painkillers and Pilkington’ – not quote what ‘An Idiot Abroad’ will do to a rational man, though Gervais does pop in – is good gristle to educate yourself with, superbly ripping up Lana Del Rey’s ‘Video Games’ as he goes with help from the right honourable Pastor Dutchie. Jimmy Screech’s ‘Yard Food 2’ is a snappy mixtape refining the shared dancehall lilt of Roots Manuva with some up and at ‘em bangers, accomplished mic-strikes and The Odd Couple theme tune to fill yer boots and belly with.

In concluding this month’s mixed bag, the Gangrene sophomore was as tough a chin as anticipated , ‘Vodka and Ayahuacsa’ backed by a clever yet unsettling YouTube campaign in the run-up and proving a deliciously toxic cocktail to knock back over and over. Take heed of forthcoming newness from Pos and Dave of De La Soul (verdict, better than you may think, and the concept album isn’t dead) and the welcome return of DJ Format (verdict, doing what he does best). Rounding off, some UK nitty gritty from Rax, E.gle, Mrvl and Danny Graft beats those Americans at their own game, while the perpetual Hieroglyphics crew have Pep Love showing that the show must go on with some easiness on the ear.

Words by Matt Oliver

For many artists, there comes a point where reckless abandon, youthful exuberance and the noble art of writing a catchy pop song all fail to satisfy the artistic impulse. Traditionally, this should coincide with a newfound fascination with one or more of the following: acoustic guitars, gradiose arrangements, wistful balladry… you know the drill. It’s usually referred to as ‘maturing’ – supposedly the point at which a mere musician becomes a fully-fledged artist, and subsequently drops the idiosyncrasies that made them so exciting in the first place. In other words, it’s where the fun stops.

That’s why it’s best to catch ‘em young. Take 19 year old Dylan Baldi, for instance. As recently as a year ago, his lo-fi Cloud Nothings project tossed elements of the Buzzcocks, the Ramones and the Wipers into a bag full of tartrazine-rich hooks, concocting a sumptuous speedball of sugar, melody and suburban life. But after rounding up some pals to take his bedroom punk on the road, our young hero decided that perfectly imperfect pop wasn’t enough. It was time to get nasty. And noisy. And with the Steve Albini-recorded sophomore effort ‘Attack On Memory’, that’s exactly what they’ve done. Full of sandpaper-raw screams and adrenalising clatter, it recalls the rough-edged melodicism and miasmic self-loathing of ‘In Utero’, as well as countless other indie rock classics . It’s bloody fantastic. Am I laying it on a bit thick here? Ok, let’s cut to the chase.

Even from the other end of a phone line, it’s pretty clear Dylan’s a nice guy. So what could possibly motivate him to make something so audibly aggressive?

“Now we’re a full band, the way we play the old songs live is aggressive,” he explains. “We wanted to make songs that were more fitting with that.”

So you don’t try to nurture those feelings of aggression?

“Not really.”

You’ve said yourself that they’re ‘pretty depressing’ songs…

“They weren’t meant to be. It was only when we’d finished and I listened back to them that I realised, ‘oh, these are really depressing!’”

Spin called the album ‘the most Albini thing Albini has recorded this decade’.

“Haha! That’s pretty funny.”

According to your recent interview with Pitchfork, Steve spent most of the recording time playing Facebook scrabble, and that he ‘probably doesn't feel that his name should be attached to [your] music in any way’. How was your relationship with him

“It was great actually. The interview you’re talking about suggests there was a problem, but that wasn’t the case at all.”

Well, that’s one bit of scurrilous tittle-tattle we can put to bed then. Some of the record sounds an awful lot like Nirvana. Are they important to you?

“Umm, not really. I can see how it might sound like that, but I don’t really listen to them.”

Pfft, so much for insight, eh? There are other tracks that are reminiscent of Spoon.

“The utensil?”

Haha. Umm, no. The band, you tinker.

“That’s interesting… the first song was actually written on the piano when I was listening to a lot of Spoon. It’s kinda nice that you’d notice that.”

Aw, shucks.

***

It’s clear that the Cloud Nothings head honcho is more than a little cautious about getting his fingers burned tonight – he’s extremely cheerful and very polite, but very concerned about how he’ll come across. With that in mind, your humble hack decides small talk is the answer. If we’re going to understand anything more about this ace new record, we’ll have to get to know Dylan a bit better…

Do you read your own press?

“Not really.”

Why not?

“I just try not to let it influence me. And it’s weird reading about myself.”

Have you ever googled yourself?

“What?!?”

You know… have you ever searched for yourself on Google?

Dylan pauses momentarily, then chuckles.

Well?

“Um... Yeh.”

You’re not giving anything away, you sly dog. Ok then, different tactic required. Last time you visited Europe, you toured with Les Savy Fav. How was that?

“Oh yeh, it was great – a real learning experience.”

Oh good! Any interesting stories you’d care to share with us?

“Uhh… no.”

Honestly?

“Haha, no.”

This is getting is nowhere. Right, back to the album. Your lyrics are very angsty without giving much away about the source of the angst. Are you self-conscious about writing lyrics?

“I’m not very interested in being a band that has great lyrics – I’m much more interested in sounding good.”

Has living in Cleveland had any influence on your writing?

“Yeh. Probably from having nothing to do.”

Fair enough. What have you been listening to lately?

“A lot of Wipers… Television… older stuff, I guess.”

This is the first album you’ve recorded as a band rather than on your own. Are you more comfortable with the full band now?

“Yeh, definitely. It’s just more fun. Things like the middle section on the second track [the nine-minute skronk-athon ‘Wasted Days’] would not have happened if it was just me, because I wouldn’t have any interest in recording it.”

Would you ever want to revisit the more earnest, less belligerent sounds of your earlier work?

“Right now? Not really. But a year from now I might really want to. Who knows?”

So is this the sound of Cloud Nothings growing up, or just heading somewhere else?

“Uhhh... Heading somewhere else.”

Right. And where else is this journey going to take you?

“Well, we’re coming back to Europe in May, and then hopefully work on getting another record out by the end of the year.”

Jolly good. That seems as sensible a time as any to draw a line under our time with Dylan Baldi. It’s impossible to dislike someone so affable, and also pretty easy to understand why a young musician might be a little guarded. But maybe – just maybe – he’s trying to cling onto those germs of youth so that Cloud Nothings never need fall prey to the dangers of ‘maturity’ and...

What? Too much?

Sorry, I guess I really can lay it on a bit thick sometimes.

'Attack On Memory' is out now.

Words by Will Fitzpatrick
Photo Credit: Ryan Manning

If the melodic swoons and adhesive-like hooks of early-Nineties R&B could be seductively transposed into our current musical landscape, Two Inch Punch could very well be the ‘lovestep’ version of any new jack swing artist at that most impressive of times.

“I guess Toni Tony Tone were a big influence,” the producer explains. “Raphael Saadiq kept it moving. He made cheesy lyrics and melodies still sound cool and his bass playing is next level.”

Ben Ash’s T.I.P moniker was born towards the latter end of last year; a name connected more closely to two-inch tape analogue audio recordings rather than a nod towards Bruce Lee.

As his Soundcloud account eloquently sums up, it was his healthy upbringing of soul and vocal harmony groups that planted the seed for the lush electronica he now makes that looks likely to seriously coerce the musical flow of 2012. His mother was a fan of Keith Sweat and Otis Redding in the house and his dad played session guitar on tour and on records for classics like Jimmy Ruffin, The Pioneers, Desmond Dekker and Jimmy Cliff. It’s this that exudes in his music, “in terms of melody, song structure, heartfelt delivery and those boss chord progressions.”

He admits “a lot of electronic music is the extreme opposite to that, really technical and well produced but often lacks real soul.”

His arresting debut EP, ‘Love You Up’, was unleashed at the close of October 2011 with plaudits flying in from every direction for his summery approach to extreme vocal bending and rhythmic play. And quite rightly so.

A sunken hearts rework of Birdy’s ‘People Help The People’ also got lips moving due to some impressive harmonic layers that will make the heart miss a few and a guitar section that soothes better than Beechams.

Words by Emily Anderton
Photo by Samuel John Butt

Where: London
What: Love-induced electronica
Get 3 songs: ‘Love You Up’, ‘Breaking Hearts’, ‘Up In Your Mix’
Unique fact: His parents nearly called him Otis but his uncle Alec said, “I’m not having my nephew named after a lift.”

Two of Scotland’s proudest moments lay back to back. After Clash had battled through the globally renowned and rebranded bluster of ‘Hurricane Bawbag’ to interview Errors, we found the nation on a roll.

Steev Livingstone, one third of Glasgow melodic noise band Errors regales his band peer Simon Ward with a massive contemporary advance in science. “I actually watched a programme the other day where they were polishing shites!” he delights. “You know that Myth Busters programme? They were trying to bust the myth that you couldn’t polish a shite! I think they busted it.” Underachievers everywhere may now rejoice!

We’re sat in a pub in Glasgow with the pair pretending we aren’t drinking lager at midday. Simon and Steev are earnestly discussing their new album, and how just how good Simon has gotten at polishing the musical nuggets his pal brought him during the recent creation of their third album, ‘Have Some Faith In Magic’.

“I record things badly, but that’s my kind of aesthetic,” points Steev. “He tidies it up.” Simon nods dutifully before returning to the previous point: “Did they use varnish? And did they actually get it pure shiiiny?” he drawls.

Errors are all about the detail. ‘Have Some Faith In Magic’ is their third carefully assembled offering of hooky electronics, driving drums and carved melodies. This band that started so awkwardly in 2004 now are coherently making weird-as-fuck pop music without real words. Hailing from the digital hinterland of Glasgow means their sincere electronics mingle with an excellent live scene, long weekends of parties and eyelashes full of daily rain.

But Steev quickly and perhaps over-eagerly quashes any notion of this album being about Glasgow per-se. “No. It was just written here,” he replies clearly unimpressed with the question. “After the ceiling of our Bridgeton studio ceiling collapsed everything was waterlogged,” picks up Simon, “so we moved into my house to finish the recording.” Steev nods in approval at the memory: “It was way more relaxed. His flatmate would come in every now and then with loads of Irn Bru and biscuits. Its basically the sound track to us all watching Catchphrase and drinking Irn Bru.”

In domestic bliss, alongside other member James Hamilton they set about replacing keyboard hooks with distorted vocals. Following the blueprint set by the Cocteau Twins and later Panda Bear and Atlas Sound their elaborations used words for sounds rather their societal meanings, thus painting a melodic collage of emotion.

But deep within this process though lay a dark addiction. “We got pretty addicted to scratch cards,” sighs Simon. “At one point we’d got up to £50. So we bought twenty-five £2 scratch cards. The guy was saying to us, ‘Buy fifty lines on the Lottery and you’ll get more money’, but we wouldn’t listen to him,” adding despondently: “We lost the lot.”

Things are sounding more and more fucking Scottish, lads. Throw in detuned keyboards, drums inspired by marches and a track that sounds like it’s got bagpipes on it and the boys begin to acquiesce. “The girl who is directing our video this weekend,” confides Steev, “she’s got a white witch called Kevin in it. He’s the official protector of the Loch Ness Monster and it turns out he’s blessing our album. So maybe it is a bit Scottish, aye.”

From the rising melancholia of ‘The Knock’ to the cerebral punch of ‘Holus-Bolus’ and this musical collaborations sounds a mile away from the same nineteen-year-olds that brought us the art school huff and puff of ‘Mr. Milk’. Whether you believe in magic or not you’d be hard pressed not to be impressed by Errors transformation in to truly unique conjurors of sound.

Words by Matthew Bennett
Photo by Ross Mclean

The GZA. Hip Hop icon, chess lover and Kung Fu nut. 'The Genius' is many things but most importantly he's a true original. Inspiring an army of fans and artists over the past two decades The GZA as both a founding member of Wu Tang Clan and as a respected solo artist in his own right has truly changed the game.

Practicing his rhymes in the various boroughs of New York as a youth, GZA and cousins RZA and Ol' Dirty Bastard brought gritty tales of the streets to their music not to showboat but simply to talk about the life they knew. In a time when gangsta rap tried to sell violence (and records) through lyrics the Clan and its members struck a chord of truth and menace that unsettled many of their imitators.

With another sequel to his iconic 'Liquid Swords' L.P shelved for an all new collection of material GZA's hitting the road for a select few live shows. Clash caught up with the man to discuss, Martial Arts, Writing and Bill Murray. Bring Da Ruckas.

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First and foremost, how are you today? 
I'm great, thanks.

You've put Liquid Swords 2 on the shelve for a while, how is work on the all new LP going? 
It’s very exciting. I'm deeply inspired and my pen is on fire.

Would you say your prefer the studio setting or performing live? 
They’re completely different experiences with completely different goals so it doesn't make sense to compare them. The studio is for creating, the stage is for performing those creations.

How do you find the crowds in the UK as opposed to Stateside? 
The UK crowds can be more enthusiastic than the US crowds because they don't have the same volume of hip hop shows as audiences do in the States. The UK has supported me since the beginning and I'm always happy to be back.

What influences your writing nowadays? 
I draw inspiration from so many different sources but as of lately because of my visit with all the amazing minds at MIT, I am largely inspired by science--marine biology, genetics, quantum physics.

Which current artists do you feel are helping progress hip hop as a genre? 
I'm in writing mode right now so I haven't been listening to much current stuff but I'm confident that there are always artists out there pushing the boundaries and being disruptive, which is what any artform needs to remain vital and relevant.

You're often credited with being the most 'cerebral member' of Wu Tang. Do you feel a lot of the old wit and intelligence that could be found in the genre has died out in the mainstream? 
Firstly, all my brothers are cerebral, iIjust happened to get the title of the Genius over 20 years ago from ODB (RIP) and RZA but I never actually wanted it. I don't think wit and intelligence are missing from the mainstream, there are a number of artists who have both qualities. However, I do find the subject matter has gotten very narrow but that can't be blamed on the artists, that's more about what the industry has chosen to supply and therefore what the audience has chosen to demand.

How was your experience giving a lecture at Harvard? How did you go about preparing for it as opposed to readying yourself for a performance? 
Lecturing at Harvard was a little nerve-wracking but exhilarating. To be able to deliver my first lecture at one of the world's greatest learning institutions was an honor and a privilege. When Iperform a show the material is already written but going into my first lecture I had to start Tabula Rasa. I look forward to doing it again at many different universities and colleges.

You've used a lot of Kung Fu and Eastern themes in both your solo work and with Wu Tang. With Liquid Swords sampling the film 'Shogun Assassin', do you have any clear favorite martial arts movie? 
It’s impossible to narrow down to one but the first one that comes to mind is "Five Deadly Venoms," a classic. And obviously I have a soft spot for "Shogun Assassin" considering the role it played on "Liquid Swords."

Many will remember your appearance in independent picture 'Coffee & Cigarettes'. How was it working with Jim Jarmusch and Bill Murray alongside RZA? 
That was an amazing experience--it was fun and funny and inspiring. We ad-libbed a lot of that segment which was like freestyling.

You've been in the game for a long time now. If you could go back and give a young Gary Grice some advice what would it be? 
Stay In school. 

How does GZA spend his time when away from music? 
I spend time with my family, play chess, read, watch TV networks like National Geographic, Discovery, and the History Channel.

Finally, any release date for a new Wu Tang album? 
None yet.

Words by Sam Walker-Smart

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GZA is set to play the following shows:

January
27 Sheffield O2 Academy 2
28 Oxford O2 Academy 2
29 Liverpool O2 Academy 2
30 Bournemouth The Old Firestation
31 Islington O2 Academy

Click here to buy tickets for GZA!

Few voices have come close to defining what it feels like to be young, to be British and to be locked in the recession.

But Ghostpoet has. Debut album 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam' matched graceful production to his effortless flow - laid back without losing sight of his aims, the rapper had a conscience which went beyond the norm.

Nominated for the Mercury Music Prize, 'Peanut Butter Blues & Melancholy Jam' was an album born out of experience. Sitting down with Ghostpoet - real name Obaro Ejimiwe, fact fans - ClashMusic probed the lyricist about his literary tastes and discovered a little of the man behind the rhymes.

- - -

What is your favourite book and why?
I think my favourite book is ‘Papillon’ by Henri Charrière. My manager is French, he’ll probably destroy me for the pronunciation. It’s kind of a true story – if you’re not aware of the book – about a guy who is sentenced to a penal colony back in the day.. about the 1800s. It’s the story of his escape –or his escape attempts, really – during this period of time on the penal colony. It was based in French Guanea I think, could be wrong. I’ve read that quite a few times and I like it a lot and I don’t know there’s something about the constant hunger and pursuit of freedom. Fighting for what he believes is right. It’s a book and there’s also a film of it. It’s a very visual book, it’s the kind of book that the first time I read it I was very much able to come up with the images he was describing in the book, and when you have that it’s always a good thing.

What other authors do you like?
I couldn’t really tell you in terms of authors – I like different styles of books. I like biography type books, I like a lot of self-help style books. I couldn’t say I had a favourite author. Although back in the day it would have been Mr Roald Dahl! I liked a lot of Roald Dahl books. I loved Lord Of The Rings as well, I was really into that when I was a kid. I loved all that kind of stuff.

Did you read a lot when you were a kid?
Yeah! I did love the library. I liked a lot of those fantasy books, I liked Lord Of The Rings – anything that involved fantasy. I was really into it. I loved that, as well as Tintin, Asterix – I found those really interesting, for some strange reason. It was a combination of that. I liked the library. I suppose I didn’t have the opportunity to go out and do a lot of activities so the library was my haven. My haven away from home.

Did you begin writing as a child?
I didn’t write any stories. I was writing lyrics from probably around 13.. 13 / 14. For no particular reason, it just felt like the right thing to do. I maybe once tried to write some kind of story, short story but it just wasn’t for me. The writing bug. In terms of books and such like it just didn’t occur to me.

It’s either in you or it isn’t.
I agree. I agree. My hat goes off to novelists and writers because it takes a lot of patience to be able to write a book. Obviously there’s a beginning, middle, end but it’s a case of developing characters, developing a story, a world. I try to do that in my music but it’s a completely different realm. It’s something I highly respect.

Were those early lyrics designed to be poems, or were you already taking inspiration from hip hop?
I guess because back in those days hip hop was the first music I was exposed to. It was definitely trying to emulate the American hip hop music scene or style, the lyrical style. Poetry? Poetry was never my thing. When I was exposed to that at secondary school it was never something that I got into. Maybe it was because the poetry that I was exposed to back in those days was – for me – very traditional and very of a time that I couldn’t understand or comprehend. It never really soaked into the system, so to speak. I guess in the very early days it was the lyrical fodder, so to speak.

Did you connect hip hop lyrics to poetry?
I would say so, I would say that. I listen to so little hip hop nowadays that I could never say I am an expert. I would say that there’s a theme, a connection. They’re both very description styles of writing – or at least, they can be. They can both involve rhyme – or not. There’s definitely a connection between the two. Some argue for, some argue against. I would say there’s a definite connection.

Who were the MCs who inspired a 13 year old Ghostpoet?
People like Nas, Mos Def, Salib Kweli, Notorious BIG, I guess. I guess those people really. I like descriptive writing, I’ve always been into descriptive writing. Once I got into other styles of music – especially indie.. I really got into Patti Smith. I loved how descriptive she was in her music!

Have you read 'Just Kids'?
No! Someone literally yesterday made me aware of it. I was like “oh, I’ve never read this!” I’m really looking forward to getting a hold of that. Yeah, I really want to get that book. Good to see that she’s writing!

Do you read book reviews?
No. I don’t. I kind of discover books via recommendations from friends. Back in the day, Coventry used to have this book shop, this independent book shop. It was on my route to work every day so I used to pop in and have a look in the window – whatever was in the window and looked interesting I would go in and grab. Book reviews are great, y’know, but I would rather tread my own path.

Do you tend to re-read books?
It depends on the book, really. ‘Papillon’ I’ve read four or five times. Yesterday I was thinking about reading it again! Certain books I will just read again and again and again. I leave it for a time and then go back to it. I may just read it once because that’s all I need to read – something like a self help book, new knowledge. And then I’ll try and put that knowledge into practise.

Have you ever identified with the central character of a book?
Probably when I was a kid... ‘The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole’! (laughs) I guess some of them, but not really. I guess some books you can kind of.. not create an image of yourself but you can see parts of yourself in there –depending on the book. I guess as a kid books – like music –shape your personality depending on what you read. I think maybe books along the way definitely helped shape my ideas in life and the way I go about things but I couldn’t say I identify with one particular character.

Do you read one book at a time?
One book at a time. I tried that a couple of times, having multiple books going on at the same time, and if I’m reading in a word hungry mood then I can do it but I like to take my time over one book at a time and really soak it all in. Me, personally, I have to have enough time to be in the right mood to be reading more than one book. It’s very much a skim read kind of thing. I’d rather focus on one particular book and take it from there.

Is there an author or a poet you would like to collaborate with?
Well.. I wouldn’t say he was a traditional writer in a sense but I really love the work of Steve McQueen. He’s a film maker, but he writes his scripts I believe. He writes the stories that he makes into films. I love what I’ve seen – I loved ‘Hunger’ and I’m really intrigued by ‘Shame’. I know that he’s signed up to do the biopic of Fela Kuti. I’m really interested by his work. I don’t think I would ever collaborate with a traditional writer or poet but a film maker who writes, along the lines of Mr Steve McQueen, would be very interesting.

And finally...How do you think literature achieves timelessness?
It’s a bit early for those kind of questions innit?! (laughs)

I guess because it’s still very much a fabric of life. Until we get to a time when everything has become digitised and we need iPads for work, for school, for play it always remains part of the fabric of life. Wherever you live, wherever your situation. It’s always been a form of knowledge, a form of fantasy, a form of escapism, a form of igniting your imagination. As long as people still believe in that, literature will remain timeless.

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Ghostpoet is set to play the following shows:

February
13 Cambridge The Junction
14 Norwich The Waterfront
15 London KOKO
17 Leicester Sumo
18 Manchester Sound Control
19 Liverpool Mojo (CANCELLED)
20 Guildford University of Surrey
21 Nottingham Rescue Rooms
22 Dublin Whelan's
23 Sheffield DQ
24 Glasgow SWG3
25 Lancaster Central Library
27 Newcastle Cluny
28 Wrexham Central Station

Click here to buy tickets for Ghostpoet!

In the modern, digital age, when there are more bands vying for your attention than ever before, something a little out of the ordinary needs to be done in order to endure. Nowadays, every move of Lady Gaga or Rihanna is meticulously planned and choreographed, but it hasn’t always been this way. Clash looks back over some of the most notable attempts at increasing sales, featuring some artists who can thank one moment of inspiration for almost their entire career, to some who must still be wishing they’d just returned to the drawing board.

BEST

Robert Johnson sells his soul

Bluesman Robert Johnson is widely regarded as one of the most influential guitarists of the 20th Century, with his landmark recordings of the late 1930s inspiring an entire generation. When Johnson’s guitar playing ability went from distinctly average to phenomenal in a suspiciously short space of time, questions were asked. The popular myth that’s prevailed is that Johnson wanted to be a great blues guitarist so badly, he indulged in a Faustian pact; going to the crossroads and selling his soul to the Devil. There’s no proof that Johnson ever commented on the story, so it appears that the discovery of his recordings years after his early passing (he died of poisoning at the age of twenty-seven) led to this urban legend. It can’t have hurt his sales or his image one bit - the first example of a gimmick in popular music, and it wasn’t even created by the man himself.

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The career of GG Allin

If your birth name is “Jesus Christ”, it’s unlikely you’re going to live a normal life; GG Allin’s was anything but. His brutal hardcore punk gained a devoted fanbase, but it was mainly thanks to his terrifying live shows where he would regularly take the stage covered in his own blood and excreta. In an ongoing quest to make his performances more and more extreme, he’d take laxatives before gigs and regularly proclaim that he’d commit suicide on stage. Frequently arrested on various charges, Allin died of a heroin overdose in 1993 after a typical show that ended with him walking the streets of Manhattan naked. Not a gimmick to everyone’s tastes, but it’s undeniable that GG’s image was the making of him and his entire career.

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The relentless self-promotion of KISS

If you never perform out of costume and are rarely seen without thick layers of face paint, it’s fair to say you’re a well-established brand. In the 1980s, KISS were rock and rollers that were particularly popular with kids, due to their cartoonish nature. Each of the four members had different facial designs and as a result, they were possibly the first band since The Beatles who had such distinct identities. Never ones to pass up a chance to make a quick buck, the KISS marketing effort went into overdrive with everything from the usual (T-shirts and badges) to the extreme (coffins and pinball machines) going on sale with the famous logo. Think of KISS and you may think of four goons with daft drawings on their face, but those four goons have shown a great deal of marketing savvy which has seen them earn preposterous amounts

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Slash’s image

But if we’re talking rock n’ roll images, has there ever been anyone who was known purely by their look so much as Slash? Guns N’ Roses burst onto the scene almost twenty-five years ago, yet Slash still appears exactly the same. Almost a caricature these days, Slash is a long top hat, a mass of tangled curls, a cigarette nonchalantly between the lips and as little face visible as possible. It shows how much his gimmick was valued when Axl Rose attempted to replace him in GN’R with Buckethead, a preposterous no-mark who played with an empty KFC bucket perched atop his head. A generation later, and Slash is still instantly recognisable and since Velvet Revolver albums began to stay glued to the shelves, it’s Slash’s image that is his main selling point.

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Radiohead’s honesty box

Throughout the early part of the 21st Century, record companies blustered and stalled about digital, seemingly unsure of how best to implement it in their business models or turn it into profit. Radiohead were one step ahead of the game, however, announcing in late 2007 that their forthcoming album, ‘In Rainbows’, would be made available online, with fans able to pay whatever they believed to be the correct amount. A third of downloaders took the album completely gratis but the ensuing hype and publicity led to ‘In Rainbows’ being the most profitable album of Radiohead’s career. It also resulted in the Oxfordshire five-piece being regarded as pioneers in the world of technology and marketing, as well as music.

WORST

Michael Jackson floats himself down the Thames

He used to be the biggest star on the planet but in the years preceding the release of greatest hits/new album package, ‘HIStory’, Jackson’s career was in tatters. He was cleared of any accusation of sexual abuse towards children but rumours persisted and he was dubbed “Wacko Jacko” by the tabloids. So, what better way to show how normal you are than by floating a ten-metre steel and fibreglass statue of yourself down the River Thames? ‘HIStory’ sold by the shedful, but the newer material was poorly received and Jackson’s days as a tastemaker and force in modern music were forever behind him.

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Duffy takes the Diet Coke dollar

After scoring the biggest-selling UK album of 2008 with ‘Rockferry’, Duffy launched her comeback with a bizarre Diet Coke advert, in which she delays the encore of her own show by inexplicably riding a bike through a supermarket while murdering a Sammy Davis Jr. track. The fall-out from the commercial was almost instantaneous; Duffy went from being the UK’s biggest female artist to sulkily threatening to quit the music industry after second album, ‘Endlessly’, sold 90% fewer copies than its predecessor. Adele said, thank you very much, stepped into the space vacated by Duffy, and the rest is history.

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INXS audition a singer via TV

What do bands do after the tragically early death of one of their number? Especially bands where that member was the frontman and focal point. Well, if you’re INXS, you decide to desecrate your legacy by auditioning a replacement singer on a TV reality show. CBS series Rock Star: INXS ran for three months in summer 2005, with viewers able to vote for their favourite contestant on a weekly basis. The three contestants with the lowest vote tally would then perform an INXS song for the band themselves before the group decided who left the show. INXS made their comeback - including a new studio album - with new singer J.D. Fortune shortly after the completion of the show, but never again hit the heights of their Michael Hutchence-led heyday, before finally parting ways with Fortune earlier this year.

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The battle of Britpop

In the beginning, when Select magazine coined the term, Britpop was good, and it captured the imagination of music fans across the UK. But as its popularity grew and it began to exert more of an influence on mainstream culture, it suddenly became inescapable. Tony Blair rode into No.10 on the wave of ‘Cool Britannia’, a new wave of ‘ladettes’ were forever in the tabloids and - the nadir of it all - the (carefully engineered) Blur vs. Oasis chart battle was featured on the Nine O’Clock News. Blur won the battle, Oasis won the war, but everybody else lost. Britpop disappeared in a self-congratulatory haze of lager, cocaine and bloated albums, only to be revived by second-rate indie landfill bands in the last decade.

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Preston goes on Big Brother

Difficult to believe now, but there was a time when The Ordinary Boys were the next big thing in UK rock. Their debut album, ‘Over The Counter Culture’, was a fiercely opinionated record which rekindled the spirit of The Jam and took vicious pot-shots at the small-minded and the humdrum. Therefore, eyebrows were raised when frontman, Preston, turned up in the annual reality TV tedium-fest. Some hoped it was some kind of elaborate plan to bring down celebrity culture from the inside. But no, upon leaving the show, Preston embarked upon an ill-fated relationship with glamour model, Chantelle Houghton, The Ordinary Boys fizzled out, and Preston was left on the scrapheap. So keen to join the ranks of those which he once so vehemently opposed and lampooned, Preston got found out as one of them in the end.

Words by Joe Rivers

Hip hop was never really stagnant.

Sure, there were reports that rap music had gone off the boil around the Millennium but out at the fringes, out at the edge the genre was still producing new talent who couldn't be placed in any one box.

Take Jneiro Jarel. The producer and MC is responsible for some of the best straight up hip hop to emerge over the past decade, with his Willie Isz project paying homage to Southern rap.

Yet the producer has also crafted an album using Brazilian samples ('Fauna'), recorded in Africa and embraced electronic sounds. For years a lone, solitary figure on the fringes of hip hop the rise of Low End Theory has given Jneiro Jarel renewed support.

Fresh from working with Damon Albarn on the DRC Music project, ClashMusic caught up with Jneiro Jarel to chat about his career to date.

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You went to Congo with Damon Albarn, how was that?
It was a great experience. I’ve been to Africa before but I’ve never been to the Congo. When I arrived there, I mean they warn you before you go that it gets kinda crazy out there when it comes to poverty and war and all that. Man, when I was there it was really cool because you get to see life in a whole other way. There’s no street signs, there’s no speed limits.. it’s a whole new lane! I was like ‘wow!’ It was amazing how you could see people playing instruments using stuff they made, stuff they created. Like, milk cartons.. cigarettes. It was really cool to see people live and make things, getting by by using what’s around them – not having money necessarily but just using what’s around them to get by.

It sounds really inspirational. Do you find the need to move beyond Western pop culture?
I always like to use indigenous type of sounds, so to speak. For instance, I’m a lover of nature also and I like to bring awareness to the destruction that we bring to the Earth. I’m actually trying to get involved with Oxfam, to help them with some other things, to help better the world the best way I can, y’know? Anyway, as far as.. For instance ‘Fauna’ obviously has a lot of Brazilian influence, I just love percussive sounds and what better place to get those sounds from? I just love it.

Jneiro Jarel - Fauna

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Do you feel a kinship with the Low End Theory scene?
Y’know obviously I’m been doing this kind of stuff for a very long time but there was no scene for that type of sound, I guess. It was more like I was just doing something and along with Dabrye, J Dilla, Madlib and other producers that were forward thinking hip hop producers they were doing things that.. we obviously borrowed some inspiration from electronic music in some of our samples, some of our approach to how we worked on tracks. But there wasn’t necessarily a scene for it. We didn’t fit in with traditional hip hop because we was the more weirder of the genre. So when they started the whole Low End thing, and all these young kids came up – Flying Lotus, all them used to hit me up on MySpace back in the day. I ended up befriending those guys. Samiyam, all those guys out in LA. A few other people moved to LA so all of a sudden you had these people meeting on the internet who were into the Doctor Who Dat sounds, the Madlib – forward thinking, electronic hip hop music.

Yeah, this scene just burst out of that and it was really great for me because Flying Lotus helped me out a lot in that sense, he opened the door more for me because when they started that scene out there that gave people some concentration into that sound. So these young guys, who were into forward thinking hip hop or whatever they made it their thing. So after that they showed me so much love that I came, I moved to LA. They always invited me to do Low End Theory and it’s been a real, cool thing. It’s nice to be embraced by LA in that way, the electronic scene.

Do you still see yourself as being a hip hop artist? What is it that keeps those elements together?
I definitely think it’s a feeling, a spirit. Coming up on hip hop: the hip hop that I always was drawn to was boundaryless – there were no boundaries. Like for instance – Public Enemy, that was forward thinking at the time. Ultramagnetics. I come from the old school too, when it comes to hip hop. Ultramagnetics, Public Enemy, Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets. Ishmael is a good example, from Shabazz Palaces. A good friend of mine he’s another peer that I respect on the level of coming from something and being like a flower that just keeps going and changing into different colours throughout his life and it never stays the same. That’s how I look at music. At the time, I don’t believe in titles but I do come from hip hop. The root is hip hop. I love all music, I don’t really believe in boundaries – I don’t want to just make one thing. It’s about the feeling and if the feeling comes across in a certain way then so be it.

Willie Isz - The Grussle

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Could you make another straight up hip hop album again?
Definitely. Oh, for sure. I definitely could go back to doing something like that. One thing is that obviously a lot of my friends.. I do a lot of more instrumental albums becomes I feel that you don’t always have to speak. Fortunately I’ve blessed with the capabilities to produce music without words that people still appreciate. I kinda like stripping in that side of my production. When I collaborate with MCs or vocalists I like it to be an artist that pushes me also, not just someone that’s an everyday rapper or an everyday whatever. I like someone that’s not scared to push boundaries. I hope one day to do an album with my man Ishmael from Shabazz Palaces, I think that me and him have a lot in common. It’s not impossible, we always talk about doing some things. I really want to push forward to do something like that at some point. Maybe if he reads this in this article then it will inspire him!

He can try. The Shabazz Palaces album is incredible.
Very unique. Incredible. That’s what I’m saying about hip hop.. It’s like with De La Soul’s ‘3 Feet High & Rising’ y’know what I mean? I like records like that. That’s the kind of albums that attract me – it could have come out ten years ago or ten minutes ago. That feeling is timeless – it’s timeless music, and I think Shabazz definitely captured that. That’s from a hip hop / rap perspective. On a production level, I’m excited about music right now I think it’s a good time for music. I think more people are being exposed to experimental music and it’s becoming a thing where it’s almost a blessing and a curse. I made a comment recently about music becoming very popular, as far as the type of music that I produce and certain other people produce. Like dubstep. I love dubstep, I’ve been listening to dubstep for many years and obviously in Europe and the UK it’s old school to you guys. You guys invented it, and then it came up to the United States and got a little.. not as deep to me! I don’t know if you agree with that, but that’s how I feel.

It’s kind of a blessing and a curse, I kind of like that. You have people like Skrillex that are really big, doing that electronic thing. There are others, dubstep guys that hate him. It’s a blessing and a curse. You should be happy that electronic music is big, that our thing is getting exposure but then you’ve got purists that don’t love it. It’s hard to please everybody I guess.

Which dubstep producers inspire you?
Fortunately I had the privilege to meet Mala, he’s one of the early guys. My girlfriend at the time, she introduced me to him. I met Skream and Benga. It was cool. Those are the guys that I appreciated. There were some young guys that I was into for a while. Joker. I’m definitely.. I’ve got a lot of dubstep, hip hop mixtapes. I’m definitely aware of that scene and I can appreciate their music.

Do you believe that hip hop has a universal feeling?
Yeah. OK put it like this: I feel like it’s from the soul so it doesn’t really matter where I go. For instance, I went out to Kenya.. I totally respect that. Going to different places, y’know what I mean? Appreciating the culture. It’s almost like a conversation. I would like to travel the world at one point, to seek out the indigenous people and just live with them. Have some of the money come back to them. I’m more of a very unselfish thinker, I’m trying to get worldwide. I don’t know how to explain it. I’m not really in this to be the biggest producer in the world, with the best this and the biggest that.. My attitude is more about – if I have it then I like to share it. I can get with people that I love and if they share the challenge also then I like to bring the light to that. My goal is to go to different places and to help out, to make a connection through my music, through what I do. That’s really my goal. I want to make that goal happen, definitely.

So what's your focus on right now?
Now, I’m kind of just talking amongst a couple of producers and artists, I’m trying to get my lane together right now. I’m definitely going to do more stuff with Dave Sitek. Definitely. We spoke about doing some more stuff so I can speak about that. Some other stuff I won’t speak about, it’s pretty cool. I’m excited about it. That’s pretty much that. I just recently did a Lex compilation, Complex..if people want to hear some new stuff.

That’s the track with DOOM?
Yep. Me and DOOM did a collaboration. I did a Doctor Who Dat track on there. So keep your ears to the street, there’s gonna be a lot more things happening in 2012.
 
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Catch up with Jneiro Jarel HERE.

Although January may nearly be over and spring is (kinda) on the horizon, there’s plenty of the year left to discover some great Welsh talent. Here are my 10 of the best Welsh artists for you to be keeping your beady little eyes and ears on over the next 11 months.

Ifan Dafydd - Putting on an Ifan Dafydd track without any prior information, you would be forgiven for thinking it was a new James Blake number. With plenty of layers, heavily processed vocals and fading organ sounds, there is no denying that there are similarities. However, when have similarities ever put anyone off anything? Ifan Dafydd is creating glitchy, atmospheric music with a definite groove. His debut EP, Treehouse is due out in February (not long now!) and a great place to start your Ifan Dafydd journey is with track, Treehouse, an easy-listening psuedo-soul number with organs dying and odd harmonies a plenty. Having had DJ support from the likes of Sinden, Jamie XX and Giles Peterson, 2012 should be a good year for this one.

Ifan Dafydd - Treehouse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK-HpevfAHA

Islet - Islet (pictured) are a mysterious little quartet from Cardiff. Not wanting to give away too much of themselves, the band’s social media campaign consisted of a handmade fanzine called The Isness. They’re a bit of a chameleon act, with some songs sounding like they are by completely different bands. There’s some beat-heavy post-rock, there’s some Los Campesinos! moments and there’s even a sprinkling of Secret Machines. An intense live spectacle, this enigmatic group are causing a stir among the Welsh hills with their tribal beats and chanted vocals.

Islet - This Fortune http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywUT-Z43lT8

Kutosis - Another band delivering that little bit extra to their fans, Kutosis’ first release, We Are the Animal, You Are the City was a limited edition CD featuring a pull-out poster of fan-submitted artwork. Not only that, each of the 10 tracks on their album is accompanied by a video produced by a local filmmaker. Punk, rock, pop and a smattering of Bowie all rolled into one neat little package, Kutosis are a bit of a noisy bunch. They’ve got some really great, anthemic choruses. Their single, Shadows is a great place to start.

Kutosis - Shadows http://soundcloud.com/kutosis/sets/shadows-skin-aa-single/

Sam Airey - A lovely folky singer songwriter from Anglesey but now based in Leeds. Sam is mixture of artists such as Fionn Regan, Bon Iver, Iron and Wine and Nick Drake - he basically epitomises everything that is popular in the world of folk at the moment. With a beautiful, effortless voice containing just a hint of huskiness, Sam Airey’s music soothes and calms. The Blackout, a single released in summer last year is a lovely, simple song with a great melody.

Sam Airey - The Blackout http://soundcloud.com/samairey/the-blackout

Houdini Dax - You Belong To Dax Darling gets my vote for the best album name on the list. Signed by See Monkey Do Monkey after being contacted by them on MySpace, the band are obviously impressing behind the scenes. They’re extremely catchy, with a vintage sound to their music reminiscent of Arctic Monkeys between Humbug and Favourite Worst Nightmare. The heavy use of tom-toms and almost lazy sounding vocals produce something which is actually quite sexy to listen to. Give The Trend a listen for a great, rocky number.

Houdini Dax - The Trend http://soundcloud.com/seemonkeydomonkey/houdini-dax-the-trend

Town - This Newport based bunch are clear lovers of the iconic British bands, with the same attitude of bands like The Jam and The Clash. Their debut EP, Original Design, describes the joys and pains of being a young’un in Britain today. The vocal delivery is a no nonsense, forceful affair that echoes Tom Clarke of The Enemy, while some of their guitar work sounds pop-rocky like The Wombats.

Town - Teenage Sky http://soundcloud.com/ollierussian/town-teenage-sky

Georgia Ruth Williams - Aberystwyth born and Cambridge educated, Georgia Ruth Williams is a talented harpist with a beautiful folk voice that has some great little nuances to it. Her bluesy-folky harp songwriting is really interesting and unusual, she also writes for piano and guitar. There’s not really anyone comparable to her in today’s music scene and it remains unclear if a blues-folk harpist could break into the mainstream. However, Georgia Ruth has some great tunes and it helps that she’s pretty gorgeous too.

Georgia Ruth Williams - Ocean http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWSLIHKzpCg

Joseph and David - This pair currently divide their time between their Cardiff and Leeds hometowns and are best friends who deliver passionate, melancholic folk. The lead track from their EP, Falling Wood is epic and intense. Beginning with a quiet, calm vocal, the track continues to build, fall and rebuild to a heart-wrenching climax. Fans of Benjamin Francis Leftwich, Bon Iver, Devendra Banhart and James Vincent McMorrow, step this way.

Joseph and David - Falling Wood http://soundcloud.com/josephanddavid/joseph-david-falling-wood

Friends Electric - Friends Electric want to make people dance, and dance they shall make people do. They have got euphoric beats, they have catchy pop riffs and they have exciting, twinkling synth lines all over the place. A few years ago they swapped their guitars for some synthesisers and they haven’t looked back since. Currently rising through the remix ranks, giving Ellie Goulding and Kelis the Friends Electric treatment, they’re getting a solid dance following. Friends Electric are just really, damn catchy.

Friends Electric - Puzzle Pieces http://soundcloud.com/friendselectricmusic/friends-electric-puzzle-piece...

Cut Ribbons - Cut Ribbons are a five piece descending from popular Welsh tourist destination, Llanelli. Towards the end of last year the band released single, White Horses on the Kissability label (a joint venture between Transgressive records and Jen Long (BBC Wales/BBC Radio 1). The band have a great mix of boy/girl vocals accompanied by pounding drums and driving guitar lines. The track, Walking On Wires sounds like it could have been released by the band they clearly take some inspiration from, The Joy Formidable. Cut Ribbons have the capability of appealing to the same audience, and having the success as them in 2012.

Cut Ribbons - Walking On Wires http://soundcloud.com/cutribbons/cut-ribbons-walking-on-wires

Words by Rachael Hogg

The mixtape has run parallel to hip-hop in going from DIY demonstration to impress your mates with to dollar signed-addition to an artist’s arsenal. It’s a culture probably not taking into consideration the discipline of taping your favourite songs off the Top 40 countdown on a Sunday afternoon, to be presented to the object of your affection in the playground the next day. But it has become indispensible for prepping new material or taking a few pot shots at adversaries over familiar or random sounds. Or even better, over the beat owned by the target you’re running your mouth at – insert your own battle/foolhardy emcee here.

Regardless of falling physical sales and digital this that and the other, Paul White, someone who knows a thing or two about beats and hook-ups, thinks the mixtape is still essential currency when it comes to creating a buzz, whether it be that instant explosion of an unknown suddenly ripping a mic on their own terms over the latest hot or time-honoured instrumental, chopping up styles in unorthodox fashion so it becomes under the counter, off the cuff golddust, or simply keeping your name out there by dusting down a few gems you’ve been holding back on. Not forgetting the chance to prat about with skits, concepts and creative license that a full length LP doesn’t always afford. “I think it’s the perfect way for someone to get their own completely individual kind of approach out there, to express themselves, where they can really show their own creativity and let their personality shine through it.”

Podcasts may be overtaking the flagging DJ mix concept, although White thinks mixtapes benefit from an ambivalent, similar-but-not relationship. “A mixtape is different...mixtapes came from back when people were doing it in their bedrooms. I think it’s just really individual. I mean podcasts are an extension of that I suppose nowadays, ways of people getting their own mixes and showing what they can do, getting it out there. Back in the day from when we used dub tapes, nowadays people can just download it, sending it around to everybody, so it’s kind of an extension yet kind of the same thing.”

White names Kankick as a personal favourite ‘tape tailor, while admitting that he “never had the patience to hoard tapes – I don’t have a load”, and enthusiastically talks about his own mixtape introduction. “A Tony Touch mixtape a friend gave me, a dude who came back from the States once and gave me this amazing tape...ridiculous, stuff like Group Home and Cypress Hill. There’s still some stuff on it where I don’t know what it is. Amazing.”

While mixtapes have settled in the role of album precursor – an adaptable street-served aperitif before the stricter LP sitting – the divide and definition between the two should always be clearly marked. “They should be different. The way I started was to try to make an album in a beat tape format anyway really, but now that I’ve gone on it’s nice to have a separation. I think it’s nice to treat your beat tapes and mixtapes in one way and an album in another, It’s another chance to show something else and create maybe a more definite or clear journey or the expression of a certain something. It’s just a good chance for you to try different things, in as many expressive ways as possible. Yeah, treat ‘em different I say.” To its credit the do-it-yourself ethic has been upheld by any aspiring rhymer having access to a CD burner and a photocopier (essential items in grime’s look-at-me portfolio), though a danger has materialised of mixtapes being too much of an easy way in, a quick rep-builder without the proper ground work being done. “I hope people don’t get lazy with them, it’s a definite art and it should be treated as seriously as an album I’d say. Everything you do and put out there should be 100% from your heart. They’re just as important.”

Rapping With Paul White by Paul White

Mixtape culture has also created a quandary that has befallen the greatest of hypes and hopefuls; where those that are absolutely hot over other people’s beats suffer from a mental block when it comes to fitting into an album formula, winning the battle yet losing the war. “If you do one you should be able to do the other” White says not unreasonably. “I think you should explore it all, go into putting mixtapes together with all your own stuff, then put an album together. I’m not sure why some can’t convert; maybe it’s just confidence, maybe they get stuck, perhaps people get bored of the thought of a big album, going around but never getting to finish something that you get caught up in because it’s such a massive thing. Don’t get too precious about it, or anything you do; if you’re into your music, just trust in yourself. If you can do a mixtape you can do a pretty decent album”.

When White’s not steadily building up his own back catalogue or getting the likes of Guilty Simpson to orchestrate transatlantic dope, he’s a beat tape fiend pledging allegiance to the Jay Dilla/Madlib school of short sharp sonic shocks. “To me with beat tapes...that’s my favourite thing to do personally. Getting really creative, where I can make little mini albums exactly how I want them, really put every bit of influence in there.” He still buys into the divide that keeps albums at arm’s length, and cannot emphasise enough how a mixtape is a window of opportunity, for both recorder and recipient. “You can do anything, there are no rules – you can put little clips of records you like, really experiment, put your wild stuff in there that you’ve been trying...It’s that chance for up and coming different projects becoming an exciting thing for the listener who gets a little glance into a few things that you’re trying at that moment. Sneak previews give the chance to really show what you can do.”

So two artforms, requiring two different set of skills. Mixtapes may act as a form of social networking, artists making guest appearances over instant messenger when accapellas won’t do, but White enjoys the physical aspect of sharing his sounds around, “making stuff just for your friends, where you give it to a few people and they give it to a few of their friends and so on and so on. It all helps.” Modern listening preferences may escalate while traditional methods dissipate, but White is sure the mixtape is here to stay. “I think there’ll always be people who find it individual and personal to them, as something they can knock up quick while potentially creating hook ups with other artists. With podcasts alongside, it’ll probably rise up and take on slightly different forms and help people, but I think it’ll continue for sure.”

Finally Mr White, were you the kind of person who would make mixtapes for friends, girlfriends or your own personal use? “Just for myself! I wasn’t confident enough back in the day to share them; I’ve still got old stuff from back in the day hidden away of mine that no-one’s heard.”

Words by Matt Oliver

Few record labels existing today carry with them the sort of weight that means they only need to utter the name of a new signing and you are already safe in the assumption that their album will be yours imminently.

Sub Pop – and specifically their recent foray into hip hop – certainly falls under that category. The Seattle-based label, made famous for its Grunge associations has now followed up the success it had with Shabazz Palaces (its first hip hop release) with another group – THEESatisfaction. The duo (Stasia and Cat) have been steadily developing the name and buzz around them with a stream of mixtapes (seven in total) and an appearance on the opening two tracks of Black Up. We called the pair to find out more.

When did you start making music?
Cat: We had been friends for a while and were both members of a neo soul group but decided that we liked making music more together. We left the group in 2007 to start working on our own stuff.

Did you want to carry on making that kind of music or move away from it?
Stasia: We definitely have some of the way vibes but a lot of things happened to us – I went on a trip to Cape Town and we had both graduated from college. So dealing with the transition of those events as well as real life had a big influence on our sound.

Cat: There was six people in the group so a lot of personalities. Now it’s just us two vibing off each other, different things and creating new sounds. It helps that we’re best friends too and always hanging out.

Do you listen to the same stuff?
Cat: Yes and no. We’ve introduced each other to a lot of new things. I didn’t know about a lot of early 90s hip hop because growing up in Hawaii, I just didn’t have access to a lot of that stuff. I knew about Tribe and Digable Planets but I didn’t know about other groups. When I first met Stasia and started hanging out she was already into a lot of groups like Wu-Tang and Snoop Dogg and she showed me about a lot of music that I didn’t know about and I feel like I did the same for her.

Stasia: Cat was very well versed in jazz. I’d only been aware of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Coltrane but she introduced me to Horace Silver, Dr. Buzzard and all kinds of musicians who are influenced by jazz in some way.

Would you say that that’s fed into the group?
Cat: Definitely, all of those artists are a huge influence.

How would you describe your sound?
Cat: We don’t really ‘go’ for anything. We make music to comfort ourselves as a creative release, be it from work, school or anything that’s going on in the world. It’s always been fun for us but has never been targeted down. It’s expressing how we feel in audio form.

How do you approach your writing?
Stasia: Writing is another release. Sometimes we write together, sometimes separately, although when we do write on our own we’ll bring it together at some point. I feel like we’re on the same page when we do write. We don’t necessarily write about the same topics but they’ll correlate or play with each other.

Could you recommend anyone to us that you’re listening to now?
Cat: We’ve been listening to Danny Brown from Detroit, The Internet which is Syd Tha Kid from Odd Future, people from Seattle like Seanotes and Chocolate Chuck and then any soul, hip hop, Jazz and obviously Shabazz Palaces.

How are you feeling about following Shabazz Palaces onto Sub Pop?
Cat: It's a huge honour, it obviously has the associations with Seattle and we've always listened to a lot of groups who were on the label like Nirvana, Soundgarden, Fleet Foxes - the list goes on and on. It's a real privilege to be part of that and their really good people, the staff have a real energy and vibe. It's nice to have them as part of our family. We're still learning and they've been very supportive throughout the whole process.

Stasia: They've got a great ear for music and the fact that we could be part of their legacy is crazy. We still have a lot to do but we'll be putting out our first album - although it will be our eighth release – in the Spring.

- - -

Shabazz Palaces are set to release their debut album (proper) 'awE naturalE' on April 9th.

Words by Sam Ballard

“Here come the girls! I think 2012 will be a massive year for us. Personally speaking, 2011 was about finding my sound and developing what I do - I’ve worked with loads of great producers like Redlight, Benny Page, MoJam, Craze N Hoax, Mikey J and Future Cut. But more generally, we’ve all been grinding for a few years, establishing our fan bases and are coming into our own - we’re no longer ‘female MCs’: we stand next to the guys as great rappers. It’s taken a while, but we’ve all established ourselves with the DJs and bloggers for our talent.

So, who to look out for next year? Estelle: she’s coming back with a new album and it’s got some great guests like Rick Ross and Big Sean on it. She really has been a trailblazer for us all in terms of showing how far you can go with hard work. Ms. Dynamite: someone I looked up to growing up, and she’s still got it; ‘Neva Soft’ was one of my favourite tracks this year. Lioness: she’s sick, mad lyrical, really varied in what she does from grime to soulful house! Lady Leshurr: she’s from Birmingham and has a mad skippy flow - think Nicki Minaj or Busta Rhymes: super fast with great wordplay. Baby Blue: Blue’s been around a while and is really starting to come through now. Check her track with Jacob Plant. A Dot: she’s a proper spitter, brought up on hip-hop with mad lyrical content. Roxxan: another Brum MC who’s got great wordplay.

So, as you can see, the ‘scene’ is really healthy right now. All of us are here for our skills and we can hang with the boys lyrically. We’ve all worked on tracks together and it’s nice to see everyone supporting and helping each other.”

Read more predictions in Clash's Social Forecast for 2012.

Craig Finn is the front man for epic Brooklyn rockers The Hold Steady. This month, however, sees the release of his debut solo album.

Bob Mould is an alt.rock hero. From the rousing punk of Hüsker Dü, the visceral power of Sugar, and his solo work, he is a champion of noise.

Just weeks after he took part in a tribute concert to Bob, which also included performances from Ryan Adams, Dave Grohl, Spoon and No Age, Craig requested to speak to his musical idol in the hope of gleaming advice on growing older and going solo. Priding ourselves on making wishes come true, Clash connected the pair in conversation.

CRAIG:
We were honoured to be able to take part in a tribute to Bob that happened at the Disney Theatre a few weeks back. The first two bands I got into when I was growing up were The Replacements and Hüsker Dü and some of my earliest live experiences were those bands. I turned forty this year, and thinking about that tribute really looked back on a lifetime of music. It’s sometimes hard to imagine aging gracefully in rock and roll, and I think that Bob, for being a lifelong artist and an adult, there’s something really interesting about how he’s navigated his career.

BOB:
Thanks for the kind words! It’s funny, when I got to thirty-eight I started to really reconsider what I was doing. And it wasn’t so much in the context of “I hope I die before I get old” or, you know, that classic rock and roll mentality. I had other reasons for reconsidering what I was doing. I don’t think it’s that difficult, really; once I wrapped my head around the notion that if I could keep my faculties and my physical abilities and the spirit of what I was doing intact, yeah it wasn’t going to look exactly like when I was nineteen. I think there’s a way to sort of embrace that early angst and shape it into something else that you can keep presenting to an audience who, oddly enough, gets old with you.

CRAIG:
Yeah, that is the thing, I mean, your audience does grow. I’m really impressed with songwriters - someone like Springsteen - who can write for adults too. It’s not just about driving a convertible with the wind blowing in your hair. And that is exciting to me about rock and roll. There is exciting things that happen even at this age. But I’m wondering, Bob, about volume. The actual loudness of what you do, did you ever get tired of that or feel like backing down? I know you’ve done quieter music, but is that something that brings fatigue?

BOB:
Umm, yeah it does. I mean there’s obvious things that happen. I mean, the volume begets a certain kind of aggression. When I’m on a stage and it’s super, super loud and it’s tearing people’s heads off, that’s the stage that has been set. And to be able to sustain that every day for decades, I don’t know how good that is for one’s health. I know for my hearing, I’ve got tinnitus on the left side, I sort of deal with it. That gets a little unnerving and it makes me wonder do I want to keep playing loud all the time.

CRAIG:
I made this solo record - I’m actually in Austin right now rehearsing the band for some shows around it. It’s a quieter record and it really rejuvenated me to go back and play loud with The Hold Steady. Taking a little break and doing something creative at a different volume I think really sort of renewed me. Because I find the crushing volume to be really fatiguing, or very tiring.

BOB:
Do you find now if you’re playing in a quieter setting and you’re aware of all that extra space, does that affect the way you look at your words or look at your performance or look at the content?

CRAIG:
Yeah. With the solo thing especially I feel like I’m driving with the vocals, where I’m used to running alongside or screaming over. Which is nice, but I don’t know that I think one way is nicer than the other. It’s nice to exercise a different muscle and get some perspective on it. To scratch that itch, if you will.

BOB:
Most definitely, yeah, having different tools and different colours to work with. I know when I stepped away from always loud rock band, and started doing solo shows or DJing or whatever, that it gave me a greater appreciation of the loud when I went back to it.

CRAIG:
Yeah, I think that’s where I’m at now. I really have fun with the loud, but maybe through exploring some other things. The other thing I was thinking about, it seems like from reading your book that maybe you’re feeling there might be contentment in your life that you’ve been searching for. I’m wondering if when you find contentness and you get to a good place whether it’s harder to write?

BOB:
Oh my God! That’s totally the loaded question. It’s like, ‘Oh no, Bob’s happy, and his work’s going to go shit!’ If that happens and I have a happier longer life, so be it. I somehow doubt that any kind of contentedness is permanent. I don’t know if that’s what life really is. I think life is a series of struggles to get to certain places and when we get there and we find ourselves content I maintain there’s always something bubbling under, because none of this is permanent. Nothing is permanent. Personally I think I’m able to recognise when I’m content and I’m able to be in the moment and enjoy it more. Whereas twenty-five/thirty years ago any kind of happiness was something that needed to be destroyed because it was a way to make new things happen. And that is great when you’re young! It’s always a chase, for me; it’s always a chase for perfection, it’s always a chase for the best idea. As soon as you think you have it you start to think of a new one that’s even better and that never goes away. That’s what I want to be thinking about the moment that I die. I don’t want to be thinking about being happy, I want to think about what could be next.

Craig’s solo album, ‘Clear Heart Full Eyes’ is released 23rd January on Full Time Hobby.

Signing up for the Stones Throw newsletter promises you “No Junk. Just good stuff”. A neat summary of what has always been the way of the indefatigable California label that recently passed the milestone of 15 years of being more than just a cult hero. Home to all your favourite hip-hop purists, song-writing weirdos, artists that time forgot, rule-breakers and the occasional one-off pop star (Aloe Blacc...or is that Duck Sauce’s A-Trak?), there’s no better time to salute a treasured international monument in the face of digital upgrades and the ever lessening value of what hip-hop means.

In an interview linked with Stones Throw’s 100th release back in 2004, Chris Manak, aka label leader bridging b-boy and businessman, vinyl hunter (back then he had a vinyl collection of 10,000 and counting – “I’ve been buying records since 1979, like every weekend”), bespoke turntablist and all round ear to the ground Peanut Butter Wolf, was sounding more like a cliché-spouting footballer, clocking up an achievement by taking each day as it comes and one release at a time. When arguably the label’s most prominent associate, the trigger-happy Madlib (described in the past by Manak as “irreplaceable”), is in your ranks prepping what seems to be new material or a different alter ego every other week, it makes a mockery of slow and steady really being able to win the race, though less so when its competition (take your pick from Rawkus, Fondle Em, etc) have all long since gone to the dogs.

What is also a simple-but-true Stones Throw motto is that good music is good music. “I get excited about playing stuff out that sounds good, even though people have never heard of it - they’ll still respond to it”, he is quoted in the same interview. Whether it be achingly hip, becomes achingly hip as a result of Manak’s intervention, or rediscovered because it didn’t fit first time around, PBW has created a roster moving away from its diehard hip-hop and dipping into the exotic and alternative, both echoing and disagreeing with the Wolf’s admission of a love-hate relationship with modern music. James Pants, Gary Wilson, Mayer Hawthorne, Georgia Ann Muldrow, Dudley Perkins, Dam-Funk and Koushik are the faces and voices of Stones Throw’s dedication to giving everyone a chance. The label’s regular showcasing of funk rollicks old and new hammers home its valuing of the beat as king, as well as showing itself as a sucker for a lovingly presented reissue, occasionally in conjunction with subsidiary Now-Again and with outings such as The Third Unheard (Connecticut Hip-Hop) and PBW’s Minimal Wave Tapes. The Stones Throw fanbase is one that Manak has put down to “taking pride in knowing something other people don’t know”.

Despite its flourishing array of eccentrics and altering agendas, you always think of Stones Throw bringing hip-hop heat. Home to some of hip-hop’s most cultish acts, Jay Dilla, MF Doom, the omnipresent Madlib and Percee P have all helped create a benchmark by which other rap independents are judged. And it was Peanut Butter Wolf’s own hip-hop enterprise with the late Charizma, a classic he’s-the-DJ-I’m-the-rapper partnership with even more classic production values and attitude, that set Stones Throw rolling and out of spare time hobby into celebrated pioneer.

You only have to read Peanut Butter Wolf’s personal biography to appreciate that he’s as hard-nosed as any major label executive decision maker. His website mission statement is penned in no uncertain terms: “I don't put out what I think the people will like, I put out what I like. This has worked for me so far, and if it stops working for me, it will be the end of Stones Throw as a label.”

Words by Matt Oliver