One of the reasons electronic music has always been a passion of mine and I now fight vehemently for it's case as the most free-form and evolving form of music is it's ability to transcend, whether it transcends moments, cultures or genres. It has an ability to pour itself into every available space, taking the shape of whatever gaps there are available.

Easily one of the most commerciably successful examples would be the always innovative Radiohead; their decision to "go electronic" with Kid A showed that a rock band did not need to stick to guitars and it perhaps showed that the term rock band was too simplistic. Radiohead are a band, you can't call them an electronic act with The Bends and conversely, a rock band with Kid A. One of the reasons I turned away from electronic music was it's perceived lack of live performance and as I embraced the energy of four band members working in a tight group to create immense live energy, that element of performance was perhaps missing in electronic music for me.

Of course, it was Radiohead that showed that their need be no disconnect between live performance and electronic music and though others have tried, nobody quite does like electronic rock like Radiohead.
Anyway, enjoy this little video showing how musicians continue to include electronics in their music using the most contemporary instruments such as iPad's whilst still using classical instruments. And of course, it's a Radiohead song they cover.

DJ Spooky + Joshua Roman » Radiohead from The Voice Project on Vimeo.

Seriously, listen to Benji B damnit.

Last night, an hour with Kode 9 showcasing his new upcoming album which is going to be all kinds of incredible, new Ossie after his storming release Tarantula last week and of course, previewing two of the three new Burial tracks out next Monday. They are of course amazing. I'll do a proper review when I get my hands on the vinyl but listen to the radio rips below for the meantime. It's good. Really good.

Happy Wednesday

Wednesday is probably my least favourite day of the week. Sure, Monday is rough but it tends to be quite slow. Tuesday is fine as you haven't quite hit the full swing of a work week and Sunday has a sense of dread with it for the impending work on Monday but it still starts with a lie in and is a day off work nonetheless.
Wednesday on the other hand is a complete nightmare. Work is in full swing, you're equidistant away from the weekend coming and the weekend gone and generally, it's not close enough to the weekend to warrant going out just yet.

Today however is a blood marvellous day. London is bathed in spring sunshine with blue skies and enough sunshine to start shedding layers. What's even more noticeable is people's moods are beginning to lift with the weather as people on the tube become less moody and faces start to retreat from hunching into their coats and scarves. As I walked down Brixton hill this morning though, I was practically skipping and here's why..

This weekend consists of going to a house-warming party Friday night, Saturday with my sister and DJing at another party Saturday night. And as excited as I am for this weekend, nothing compares to Monday morning.

Have a good Wednesday people and remember, it's only 5 more days until brand new Burial.

Monday Motivator: Keep Fishin

I'm having an indie day in the office today with no electronics in sight. As much as I love electronic music, sometimes I need to remind myself of the sheer power of real drums, of a distorted guitar and a great indie anthem.

Though Keep Fishin' couldn't quite be described as an anthem, it's a great example of how to combine guitars and pop. Strangely, I first saw this song on music television in Germany and only bought the single so that I could watch the video over and over again. The days before YouTube. One day, I'll have to explain that phenomenon to my children.

Clubroot - Time Flies

Taken from his very own Soundcloud, Clubroot is probably the best artist I've discovered in the last 6 months, at least. Now you can download all his early work, for free.

Big ups.



"Easy All!!

Here is a collection of tracks I made between 2005 and 2008. Some were given away back in the day but weren't around for long. The earlier dated pieces are some of my very first attempts at 140ish bass music, so please don't expect anything too pristine or polished. All tracks are un-mastered and as raw as the day they were bounced down.

They've been sat on my hard-drive not doing much for a while now, so I thought I would share them with the world.

Please don't re-host / re-upload elsewhere.

Spread the word and enjoy!

Much love

Clubroot"



Clubroot - Time Flies Compilation by clubroot

INCREDIBLE

Take yourself back to May 2009.
Club Shuffle is in it's infancy, people still care about Mumford & Sons, post-dubstep is in it's ascendancy but still very much niche, the world is a very different place.

Released on Four Tet's own label with no big announcement, no artwork and no sleeve notes, were two of the most incredible pieces of electronica to be released in a very long time. Moth and Wolf Club were a preview to the new dancefloor beats that Four Tet was readying to unleash in 2010 and contained all the quintessential elements of Burial to produce a diverse and instantly addictive sound. The release sold out as quickly as it was released and those of us lucky enough to get our hands on a copy were treated to a unique capture of two great UK producers from different circles not colliding but genuinely collaborating.

Fast forward to 2011. Dubstep is now made by Britney Spears, people turn their noses up at Mumford & Sons and James Blake is now A list Radio 1 as well as playing B2B sets with Kode9 at DMZ.
It's been a whirlwind two years.

Today, Text Records (Four Tet's own label) announced a split 12" with Burial, the first new Burial material since the brilliant Fostercare on the Hyperdub retrospective. Only this time, there's some vocals from a Mr Thom Yorke.
Preorders sold out in about 10 minutes with an expected release date of Monday 21st. With my copy well and truly ordered, 2011 is turning out to be a year to spoil music fans.

I'll Take Care Of You

So far the hottest collab of the year and as expected, it's all kinds of amazing. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

If not, why not?

Benji B has become essential listening. When I've plugged his show in the past, it's been for a certain reason; special guest, amazing track, whatever. However, this takes away from the fact that for 2 hours Benji B plays some of the most interesting electronic music that you are yet to hear. No spinbacks and no MCing, he is becoming the perfect accompaniment to electronic music by letting the sounds breathe and letting them occupy their own space while he fits around them, the same way that MAH used to do.

Last nights show featured new Kode9, a Zomby & Actress colab, new Addison Groove and Radiohead. There were no annoying jingles and no shouted hype about it being the hottest record in the world, just well programmed radio.

God Bless the BBC.

Listen here

Trembling Hands

It's finally here. 4 long years. New Explosions In The Sky. Sounding as beautiful as ever.

Trembling Hands by Explosions in the Sky

Caribou - Jamelia (Official Video) from City Slang on Vimeo.

Rolling In Extreme Ways

Adele's 21 has been an unqualified global success and rightly so. Though I mentioned Someone Like You on here a while ago now, the album features hit after hit including Rumour Has It and the omnipotent Rolling In The Deep.
As everyone has a pop at turning this already great song into their own with varied success, this simple mashup takes the energy of the song in a completely different direction thanks to Moby's wonderful composition. If you're not sick and tired of this track yet, give this a spin.



DJ Y alias JY - Extreme Ways In The Deep (Mashup) from checkdissout on Vimeo.

Dance Yrself Clean