UNDER KONSTRUKTION INTERVIEW

DJ FE

Under Konstruktion formed in 2008 and came after Felix Caceres aka DJ Fe’s previous project which was more Experimental-Noise based. Born out of the frustration at the music scene in his native Seville, or lack thereof, Caceres’ music has been constantly evolving. His previous musical endeavours were merely a stepping stone to Under Konstruktion and helped Caceres define his current sound. I caught up with Caceres to get the lowdown on Under Konstruktion and his recent success with debut release the Square EP…

Square EP is out now via Noctambular

http://soundcloud.com/underkonstruktion

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Under-Konstruktion-Dj-Fe/218400318172320

http://www.facebook.com/noctambular

READ THE INTERVIEW WITH UNDER KONSTRUKTION ON IDOLMAG.CO.UK

http://idolmag.co.uk/music-interview/under-konstruktion-interview

Feb 27. 1 Notes.

NNEKA SOUL IS HEAVY ALBUM REVIEW

nneka

Nneka is a Hip-Hop/Soul singer of Nigerian and German descent, who sings in both English and Igbo - which is the native language of the Igbo people, mainly based in south-eastern Nigeria. With such an interesting cultural background I was really excited to hear her material and pleasantly surprised.

Self styled Afro-German warrior princess Nneka however is no newcomer to the music scene, with ‘Soul Is Heavy’ being her third album. Her debut album ‘Victim of Truth’ released in 2007 received high praise from the British press, with The Sunday Times branding the release “As good as The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill”. Fast forward to 2011 and such influences can still be heard on ‘Soul is Heavy’ and Nneka looks set for further world domination…

‘Soul is Heavy’ is released on 27th February 2012

The first single ‘My Home’ is released on 20th February 2012

Read the rest of my review on IDOLMAG.CO.UK;

http://idolmag.co.uk/music-review/nneka-soul-heavy-album-review

Feb 27. 0 Notes.

IDOL’S TOP 5: MUSIC TRACKS

Hear my top 5 tracks for IDOLMAG.CO.UK

Featuring;

BEAT AND THE PULSE by AUSTRA

Newcomers Austra, led by Toronto born singer/songwriter Katie Stelmanis, look set to rise in 2012. They join the wave of the Goth/80’s, dark tinged Electro revival that is currently picking up pace within the realms of music and fashion. Musically, the revival of late has been led by Zola Jesus and Bat For Lashes before them and if you are a fan of both, then I am sure you will also come to love Austra. Another similarity between Jesus and Stelmanis is that they are both classically trained singers and vocally, are not unlike one another. However, I believe there is room on the block for both of them if they continue to make such memorable and intoxicating music.

Check out the erotic and electric video for Beat And The Pulse taken from the Beat And The Pulse EP.

CRYSTAL VISIONS by AUTOMATIC WRITING

Automatic Writing are 2011’s best kept secret and one that I am glad I was made privy to, as they won’t be secret for long. IDOL reviewed Automatic Writing live a few months back and were very impressed by the electronic brother duo outfit. They now return with a new video for favourite track; Crystal Visions. The last few months have seen the brothers raise their profile by playing shows around London. The track was also recently played on Tom Robinsons BBC 6 Music Show which marked Automatic Writings radio debut. These rising stars look set to rise even further, after being nominated for MTV’s Brand New For 2012 competition, which showcased the best of the best in unsigned UK music acts at the moment.

Check out the breakthrough track that has been receiving a lot of attention.

AND also videos from S.C.U.M, David Lynch and Boy Friend…

Hear my other picks on IDOLMAG.CO.UK;

http://idolmag.co.uk/blog/idols-top-5-music-tracks-7

Feb 27. 0 Notes.

INTROVERTS, LIVE AT THE BUFFALO BAR ON 28/01/2012

INTROVERTS

London based Post-Punk revivalists; Introverts cut an impressive debut performance at The Buffalo Bar in Highbury and Islington this past weekend. After following the bands progress for the past year and watching their repertoire grow with tracks, this was one gig I had been anticipating for quite some time.

Currently a two-piece, comprising Dean Randall on vocals and guitar and Isabel Aguiar on bass, yet behind the scenes the set up is quite different. It is Aguiar who writes the core of the music in her home studio and Randall who provides the lyrics and vocals, with both taking on production duties. This symbiotic set up has seen the duo produce some potent and promising material, which would either soar in the live setting or come crashing down around them.

Read the rest of my review on idolmag.co.uk;

http://idolmag.co.uk/blog/introverts-live-buffalo-bar-28012012

Feb 27. 0 Notes.

My Ruin ~ A Southern Revelation Review

Legendary vanguard metallers My Ruin see out the year with the digital only release of their 7th studio album, as a free download via www.myruin.net. This tour de force of an album, fittingly titled A Southern Revelation boasts 10 tracks of unapologetic, straight-up, revelatory rock-and-roll with a punk rock, fuck you vibe.

Last year’s Ghosts and Good Stories was a landmark for the married rock duo, Tairrie B Murphy and Mick Murphy, which marked over a decade for the band and as a couple making some of the most potent metal in recent times. A Southern Revelation earmarks a new era for the band. Taking their DIY ethos one step further, by cutting out the bullshit business that goes hand in hand with the music industry and releasing the music direct to the fans.

So far this seems to have been a great move. The band have been garnering great feedback on the album, with a 5 K review in Kerrang Magazine! I think that speaks for itself on the quality and integrity of the music, which was never questionable in my mind. The band have also been receiving donations from an ever loyal fanbase in support of this brave move. Could this be the shape of things to come? Tairrie herself hinted at this on a facebook update and maybe it is the best way in the ever changing world of the music industry. Record labels no longer seem relevant.

The winter of 2011 sees the band revived with a renewed sense of hope and optimism for the future and the ever present survival instinct intact. The release of A Southern Revelation closes the door on a tumultuous era in the bands history. In which, Tairrie and Mick questioned their future as My Ruin. This was explored on last years Ghosts and Good Stories, in the song Long Dark Night. The song itself hinting at the possibility of My Ruin potentially disbanding. Admiringly this didn’t happen.

Then came the debacle with Tiefdruck Musik, the label to which My Ruin were signed and who sabotaged the release of Ghosts and Good Stories. Yet as Tairrie reveals on Reckoning, you can’t keep My Ruin down for long;

“Woke up today and saw our life flash right before our eyes

Left for dead but once again from ashes we will rise

The truth will set us free and when it does make no mistake

We’ve died a million times and we’re too strong for you to break “ ~ Reckoning by My Ruin

The band have a new line up with which they are touring the UK and France in January 2012. This latest revelation in the bands history, sees them release a killer record which holds no punches. A Southern Revelation stands up to the rest of the now vast My Ruin back catalogue. Seven studio albums, numerous live albums, DVDs, and EP’s in 10 years, is an impressive body of work for any band. Even more so for a DIY band such as My Ruin.

The opening track Tennessee Elegy sees a continuation of the graft and hard-work that goes into their craft and a progression for the band in regards to their own unique sound. Taking things up a notch yet again, the band seem to get heavier with each release. Something which more often than not is generally the opposite for most bands today, not here though. My Ruin is not your cookies and milk, sanitized kind of band. They will never pussy out. The sound is huge on Tennessee Elegy, with its razor sharp guitars chugging along like some beast possessed courtesy of the genius that is Mick Murphy, also helped along with the tight rhythm section. Let it be noted that Mick played ALL instruments on the record.

As ever, Tairrie’s distinctive vocal style continues to grow and gets better with time. The scream queen is still at the top of her game and in her own league when it comes to the sincere vocal delivery. It is quite unlike any other metal vocalist male or female out there today. Also, evident is the fact that Tairrie still has a few tricks up her sleeve when it comes to the delivery, phrasing and pacing of the VOX which works symbiotically with Mick’s musicianship.

Lyrically, Tairrie continues to show that she is a seasoned professional when it comes to word-slinging. The repetition of the hook:

“The unintended consequences of complicated friendships

Once sacred now irreverent

The unintended consequences of complicated friendships

I’m unable to mend my fences” ~ Tennessee Elegy by My Ruin

is both intoxicating and infectious and has been stuck in my mind from the first listen.

Taking in the classic 80’s rock and heavy metal sound, deconstructing it and adding a modern twist, with that over-arching southern edge we have come to know and love, Mick continues to grow as an already accomplished musician. This awesome ability is displayed on the glorious Walk Of Shame which awesomely struts along and follows in the tradition of past My Ruin greats such as; Money Shot, Slide You The Horn and Dragon Steel et al, from previous albums.

Standout track for me personally is Deconsecrated, with its hardcore punk vibe, monster hook and all-or-nothing chorus which builds up to a climatic refrain, where Tairrie self references the bands signature track and fan favourite, that started it all Blasphemous Girl;

“I am light - In my world

I am darkness - A blasphemous girl. ” ~ Deconsecrated by My Ruin

A Southern Revelation is the stuff that legends are made of and I believe it to be the bands best, most important and exciting record to date. You can’t fault the music, hooks, solos or production; everything is tight and flawless here. Mick has become a master in laying down the foundations of rock, over which Tairrie laments and lampoons in equal measure.

Never the wallflower, Highly Explosive sees Tairrie embrace her bad girl rep once again, further cementing her place in rock-and-roll history as one of the greats and the trailblazer in her field. This is history in motion. This is my musical hero rediscovering a strength and determination that perhaps she may have questioned in recent years. This is a very southern revelation with west-coast roots and Tairrie B remains the spearhead, leading the charge for hard rock in 2011. In the increasingly vapid world of rock and metal, Tairrie is still someone with a valid and relevant opinion, who has the balls to say it like she sees it. A Southern Revelation sounds like Ghosts and Good Stories meaner older sister, only badder and more defiant than ever.

There are moments when Tairrie is vocally reminiscent of an angrier and more ferocious Wendy O Williams of The Plasmatics, punk snarl intact, especially on Highly Explosive and the deadly track Middle Finger. [The bands 2003 cover of The Plasmatics, Sex Junkie is an underrated gem]

Tairrie takes no prisoners with her sharp tongue and Middle Finger sees the band at their most pointed and focused in recent memory. The label boss of Teifdruck Musik is lambasted in a vitriolic display of rage. Something which has become a vital part of the My Ruin make-up and something that I always find compelling. Tairrie always goes the extra mile as vocalist and front-person on and off the stage, at times quite literally Spilling Open. The sheer brutal honesty of subject’s and emotions explored within the My Ruin body of work has always had it’s allure. You may be relieved to know that the years have not tamed the demons that dwell within or dampened the fire inside the beast that is My Ruin, take note;