Chester French

Chester French - 'She Loves Everybody'

'She Loves Everybody' is a bitter sweet love song, that was released as an EP last year. We're posting the video now, 'cause they've got an album, Love The Future, coming out on June 1st that is well worth a look.

You can pick it up here

Crystal Fighters

Basque folk music, synths and bass. Crystal Fighters released their debut single 'Xtatic Truth' on Kitsune. You can get it at I-Tunes
and on Beatport.
Here's a nice remix by Renaissance Man.



Crystal Fighters - 'Xtatic Truth (Renaissance Man Rmx)'

Crystal Fighters - 'I Love London'.

Junction, Junction, JUNCTION!

Me My Head 'Tumbling Down'

Filthy Beats

Run Riot, aka Tom Young, has only been around since the start of the year, but man is he moving fast. His EP 'Charge' came out on the 25th May, on his own WEARELIVE label. It's packed full of unrelenting bangers, dirty as you like. The sort of tunes that make me to do a weird punchy dance, that has got me into quite a lot of bother in clubs in the past. It's totally involuntary, but try telling that to the big fella next to me, whose kidneys I just whacked.

Anyway, 'Charge' has been picking up some good reviews from DJs and in the press. Mixmag said -

'Mixing house with breaks, samples with synths, all 4 tracks are varied in style but a consistent theme remains throughout, they are gritty and tough!'

Which is probably better than I could put it.

Charge is available to buy on Amazon MP3, I-Tunes, Juno Download, Rhapsody, DJ Download and EMusic.

Check out his Myspace for previews of the tracks.

Here's a couple of tunes that aren't on the EP, but give you a good taste of what Run Riot is all about. Banging, smash your head up, punch the air kind of stuff, basically

Run Riot - 'Everybody Needs A Bassline'
Run Riot - 'Disco Itch'

We're hoping to get Tom into the comfy chair soon, so stay tuned

The Sneaky Interview

Down here at Squeaky Towers we've got a special little room, where every now and then we drag unsuspecting music types for a damn good grilling...

No, that sounds creepy.

Down here at Squeaky Towers we've got a special little room, decked out in pastels, adorned with faded tapestries, ladened with chez longue, smelling vaguely of green tea and sandle wood, where every now and then we escort a musical artiste and ask them some really harmless questions. The sort of thing that won't come back and haunt them at a later date.

In the comfy seat tonight, are Corry and Dacosta, from Audiofun. I ask them seven questions, they try their hardest to answer without dropping off. That's the challenge.

Here we go -


SS: You've got a steaming Radox bath ready. What's going on the stereo?

CORRY: Men at Work – Land Down Under

DACOSTA: Am I alone or have I got company? Joke! Probably some Bruce Springsteen or a bit of Saint-Saens!

SS: Big night,the crowds a bit restless, what tune are you going to drop to get their attention?

CORRY: Tiga – Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Mix), filthy bass and quirky lyrics. People will definitely take notice

DACOSTA: Maybe MSTRKRFT – Vuvuvu. Its subjective though, all depends on the venue etc.

SS: Marty McFly is sitting outside in the Delorean. He wants to know which year you want to go back to. While you're there, you manage to pick something up. What is it you bring back? (bear in mind that millions of people may well never be born as a result of your choice)

CORRY: Probably the 80s to be honest. I would bring back (or forward) a Korg MS-20 and a Juno 106, monsters!

DACOSTA: A lottery ticket from last week or go back to 1980 and kidnap Robert De Niro!

SS: What's your first musical memory?

CORRY: My dad used to do some haulage driving when I was a nipper and I always remember him playing M-People CDs and me absolutely hating it. Good times though!

DACOSTA: Being Cinderella in a nursery school musical. I was as cute as a button!

SS: The power's gone out at the club you're playing!!! What talent do you have that could stop the fractious crowd smashing the place up?

CORRY: I do a badass karaoke version of Men at Work – Land Down Under. She can vouch for that!

DACOSTA: I'm a woman of many talents but I think I’d try and use my powers of persuasion and encourage some of the chicks to start streaking . . . that or run out the back door!

SS: Someone gives you a cinema for the night. What films are you going to show?

CORRY: Better be an IMAX!!! Would watch the new Star Trek again definitely. If she were with me I would want some horror films. They terrify Da Costa and it’s hilarious to watch!

DACOSTA: Casino, Scarface, The Godfather 1 and 2 (3rd one sucked), The Quiet Man and a whole lot of Diagnosis Murder! Dick Van Dyke is my hero!

SS: Beatles or the Stones?

CORRY: Don’t really know a lot about either to be honest but my house mate is a big Stones fan so I will say them. There ya go Bill ;)

DACOSTA: Rather have Hendrix or Dylan but pushed into a corner I would have to pick the Stones. Sympathy For The Devil is an awesome tune!

SS: Hmm - you seem to have passed the challenge. What's next for Audiofun?

CORRY: We have a couple of Vinyl EPs coming out on “On The Brink Records” which I cant wait for! Dirty Gold is coming out soon on FREEK Records and we have some very big and interesting remixes/collaborations coming soo so keep checking the myspace!

Big thanks to Audiofun for the interview. As they were leaving they slipped me these...

Watch this space...

Dirty Gold - Audiofun

Numbers - Audiofun

Lovelikefire

Huge

Simian Mobile Disco's new album 'Temporary Pleasures' is due out in August.

Track listing is as follows:
1) Cream Dream (featuring Gruff Rhys)
2) Audacity of Huge (featuring Chris Keating)
3) 10000 Horses Can’t Be Wrong
4) Cruel Intentions (featuring Beth Ditto)
5) Off The Map (featuring Jamie Lidell)
6) Synthesise
7) Bad Blood (featuring Alexis Taylor)
8) Turn Up The Dial (featuring Young Fathers)
9) Ambulance
10) Pinball (featuring Telepathe)

Metric 'Help I'm Alive' Acoustic

Me My Head

I saw Me My Head last year at the Carling Academy in Brum. There were seven of us in the audience, which was a bit embarrassing for all involved. The lads must have looked out from the stage and seen the odds of a night of groupie fun disappearing down the stairs, into the cold Birmingham night, faster than my mate Dave, who really couldn't handle the awkwardness. At one point I went for a ciggy and they stopped to ask where I was going. One of those nights, as they say. There were only a handful at Manchester's Lesser Free Trade Hall in June 1976, when the Pistols played (although you could fill Wembley Arena with the amount of people who claim to have been there) and look where they ended up. Though to be fair Me My Head aren't the Sex Pistols. I'm not Morrissey either. Dave isn't Mark E Smith, though Stu could well pass for Paul Morley and I'm losing track of my point...

It was a great gig, that's what I wanted to say, and fair does to the band for carrying on playing at all. Top fellas. It has to be mentioned that the lack of fans at the gig was down to a publicity cock up, rather than a lack of interest.

The band name comes from a Gary Numan tune and the music is definitely influenced by the New Wave. Check them out at their Myspace.They're going to bubble up in 2009. I can feel it in my bones.

'This Feeling' was the B-side of 'Night Is On Fire', which you can buy on I-Tunes.

Support the bands, man

Audiofun

Audiofun are starting to create a buzz about the place. Based in Manchester, but originally from across the water in Derry, Corry & Da Costa met up early in 2009 and, to quote their Myspace page, they 'mashed up and smashed up some local club nights with their unique DJ performance and dance floor ripping productions!' With forthcoming releases due out on Southern Fried and Bomb Squad Records, it looks like it could be a good year for Audiofun. When the Sneaker team can think up some decent questions we'll let you know a bit more about them. We've come up with 'What's your favourite biscuit?' so far. It's going to be a thrilling Q&A. Woot!

Here's a great track for your delictation, 'Been Here Before' The bass on this is suweet

Bit of a bonus - here's a mix of theirs, which shows off just how they go about smashing and mashing things up. Beware though it may well rip up your dance floor, so if you've just had a new one fitted, take it easy

Audiofun live at the Red Rooms

And I strongly suggest you check out the new tune 'Bitches', on their Myspace. Proper good 'un

Where's My Head At?

Right so, I've been a Blogger for a while now. A couple of days 'public', but I was a secret Blogger for a couple of months before that, which is a fruitless task, let me tell you. I was technically Blogging for a couple of mates and some mysterious random visitor, who somehow managed to get through our cleverly passworded security, to appear on my stat counter. Fuck knows who it was, it could have been Mr Blogspot himself. He comes from Slough, anyway. You know who you are...

I don't know why I even started a Blog. I read them all the time and some of them are really really good. Some of them are so well written and cutting edge(?) that I find myself intimidated and unable to write anything, or think of anything decent to post. At times I'm afraid to turn on the PC, they're so hip.

But I've done it now and I've fallen to, what I imagine, is every Bloggers obsession - Is anyone actually going to read this shit? How do I get people to read this shit? Is it shit?

I'm listening to way too much music now. But I love music. There's a lot of shit music out there. There's also some really great music out there. Glass half full, me. I suppose that's what Bloggings about, the thrill of finding something you like a lot, then sharing it with lots of people you don't know. Maybe I'm a frustrated DJ. Maybe I want to be Chris Moyles (I can assure you, I don't want to be Chris Moyles).

Anyway - this is the journey I'm on now - Blogging fantastic. I'll probably get bored of it, in a couple of weeks, but for now....

This one's for the ladies

The Count and Sinden May Mix

Which Of Course Left Me Wishing I Had More Money...

Die Verboten

The Author

The Slips

These guys have been around since 2007, getting some blog love at the end of last year. I've got to say they passed me by at the time, which is a shame, 'cause they're really good. On IAMSOUND Records, home to Black Ghosts, Little Boots and Florence and the Machine, they jumped out of the studio where they've worked with Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Bjork, Massive Attack and FischerSpooner and released a single 'Girls At The Back Up' in the States at the start of '08. A UK debut 'SuperBeat' followed as a 12" limited release and the remix of CSS 'Music is my Hot Sex', which got a lot of love from Vicarious (where did he go??) Bliss, came out as a promo CD in the same year.

The label bumpf says they're influenced by Digitalism, Sebastian, Diplo and Cornelius and you can hear all of the above in their tunes. Glitch disco rules!

The Slips - 'TV Alone'

The Slips - 'Make A Sound'

We Smoke Fags - 'Eastenders (The Slips Remix')

White Rose Movement

Sounding suspiciously like Billy Idol, WRM are back after three years with a new AA side single. '‘Small And The Witches’ Revenge’ and 'Cigarette Machine Club Mix' are released on limited edition 12" June 1st, via Pure Groove, Rough Trade and on I-Tunes

And now, for something completely different...

New Header On The Way!

But until I fix that, I HIGHLY recommend you buy the new Felix Cartal Ep 'Skeleton'. I was starting to fear that the days of the stand in the middle of the floor while your head came close to exploding, lose your mind in a blaze of epileptic strobe lights electro banger had died. Then I heard 'Salty Lake' and I was standing there listening to 'Krack' for the first time all over again. It's very similar and I can't wait to hear it out, grinding my face off. Everytime I hear it (and it's been on repeat) I want to smoke a fag and that's a sure fire sign that it's hitting the spot. I challenge you not to punch the air at some point in this tune.

Also check out the new Amerie tune 'Why R U?'. This will be her third album release and it amazes me why she hasn't achieved the level success of Rihanna et al. Maybe she should start dressing like a dominatrix on stage and get some pictures taken of her bare ass. I, of course, will break out the Nikon if she wants to go down that road

Black Moth Super Rainbow Video

This video took three months to make, using a mix of motion sensitive technology, live action, stop motion footage and animation. It's time well spent as the effect is remarkable and compliments the tripped out Psych sound of the tune really well. It's interactive too. If you move your mouse around (or webcam, if you have one) then you can effect the video, making the sun set and rise. Have a look here.

The video was produced by the Radical Friend team. Rock throwers...

Japanese Popstars Mix

A new mix from my favourite Derry boys, who are fast becoming my favourite DJ's full stop(.) Always delivering absolutely banging sets.

Download

Tracklist:


Tomboy - "Flamingo" Trentemoller remix [Goma]
Brodinski - "Oblivion" [Turbo]
Alec Araujo - "My Pistache" [Tek Ground Records]
Tri Fecta - "Terraforce" Humberton Remix" [Pacific Front]
Larry Powers - "Godzilla" Santiago Nino Mix [Rapid Fire]
Fergie - "By The By (Reset Robot Mix)" [Excentric]
Smart Minds "Tissues for Issues" [Oxygen]
Kolombo Mugwamp, Geoffrey "Ignored Folklore" [Kompact]
Shadow Dancer - "Drivetime" [Boys Noize]
Simian Mobile Disco - "10,000 Horses" [Wichita]
Psycatron - "Directions" [Tronic]
Josh Wink - "Counter Clock 319" [Ovum Recordings]
Al Fenster "Clipee" Mouseup [Hivern Disc]
Lindstrom - "Breakfast in Heaven" [Feedelity Recordings]
Bertrand Dupart, Gwen "Lolita (Beatless Mix)" [Space Breaks]
Telefon Tel Aviv - "The Birds" [Bpitch Control]

Snatch Wars