Album Reviews
- Drowned in Sound - BitBasic : Farwah
- Drowned in Sound - Booka Shade : More!
- Drowned in Sound - Caribou : Our Love
- Drowned in Sound - Chromeo : Business Casual
- Drowned in Sound - Clark : Feast/Beast
- Drowned in Sound - DJ Koze : Amygdala
- Drowned in Sound - Debukas : Debukas001
- Drowned in Sound - Excepter : Presidence
- Drowned in Sound - Gold Panda : Half of Where You Live
- Drowned in Sound - Illum Sphere : Ghosts of Then and Now
- Drowned in Sound - Jackson and His Computerband : Glow
- Drowned in Sound - James Holden : The Inheritors
- Drowned in Sound - John Talabot : Fin
- Drowned in Sound - Joy Division : +-
- Drowned in Sound - Kate Wax : Dust Collision
- Drowned in Sound - Luke Abbott : Wysing Forest
- Drowned in Sound - Machinedrum : Vapor City
- Drowned in Sound - Martyn : The Air Between Words
- Drowned in Sound - Mount Kimbie : Cold Spring Fault Less Youth
- Drowned in Sound - Oneohtrix Point Never : R Plus Seven
- Drowned in Sound - Pantha Du Prince & The Bell Laboratory : Elements of Light
- Drowned in Sound - Pantha Du Prince: XI Versions of Black Noise
- Drowned in Sound - Radiohead : TKOL RMX 1234567
- Drowned in Sound - Royal Bangs : Let it Beep
- Drowned in Sound - The Decemberists : The King is Dead
- Drowned in Sound - The Duke Dumont : Fabriclive 51
- Drowned in Sound - Underworld : Barking
- Drowned in Sound - V/A - IOTDXI
- Drowned in Sound - V/A : Fuck Dance, Let's Art
- Subba-Cultcha - Blacklist : Midnight of the Century
- Subba-Cultcha - Caribou : Swim
- Subba-Cultcha - Carolina Liar : Coming to Terms
- Subba-Cultcha - Children Collide : The Long Now
- Subba-Cultcha - Damien Jurado : Saint Bartlett
- Subba-Cultcha - David Gray : Draw the Line
- Subba-Cultcha - Deadmau5 : For Lack of a Better Name (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Deadsilence Syndicate : 100 Gig Hard Drive
- Subba-Cultcha - Dieter Moebius : Kram
- Subba-Cultcha - Foreigner : Can't Slow Down
- Subba-Cultcha - Four Tet : There Is Love In You
- Subba-Cultcha - Githead : Landing
- Subba-Cultcha - Goonies Never Say Die : In a Forest Without Trees (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - I Concur : Able Archer
- Subba-Cultcha - IAMX : The Kingdom of Welcome Addiction
- Subba-Cultcha - Julien Pras : Southern Kind of Slang
- Subba-Cultcha - King Cannibal : Let the Night Roar (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Lawrence Arabia : Chant Darling
- Subba-Cultcha - McIntoshRoss : The Great Lakes
- Subba-Cultcha - Midas Fall : Eleven. Return and Revert
- Subba-Cultcha - Not to Reason Why : Would You Hug Fire?
- Subba-Cultcha - PNDC &housework : Secondhand Language
- Subba-Cultcha - Planet Brain vs Lebatol : Split
- Subba-Cultcha - Rafter : Animal Feelings
- Subba-Cultcha - Riva Starr : If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade
- Subba-Cultcha - Screaming Lights : Like Angels
- Subba-Cultcha - Shy Child : Liquid Love
- Subba-Cultcha - Space : The Best Of
- Subba-Cultcha - Sunburned Hand of the Man : A
- Subba-Cultcha - The Black Keys : Brothers
- Subba-Cultcha - The Organ Beats : Sleep When We Are Dead
- Subba-Cultcha - The Twilight Sad : Forget the Night Ahead
- Subba-Cultcha - V/A FETE : Future Balearica
- Subba-Cultcha - V/A Kats Karavan : A History of John Peel on the Radio
- Subba-Cultcha - V/A Shir Khan Presents Exploited Vol. 2
- Subba-Cultcha - V/A The Tolbooth Sessions
Live Reviews
- Drowned in Sound - ATP The Nightmare Before Christmas 2011
- Drowned in Sound - Sonar 2009 Review
- Drowned in Sound - Sonar 2010 Review (Friday)
- Drowned in Sound - Sonar 2010 Review (Saturday)
- Drowned in Sound - Sonar 2010 Review (Thursday)
- Drowned in Sound - Sonar 2014 Review
- Drowned in Sound - The Chemical Brothers @ The Camden Roundhouse 20/05/2010
- PopMatters - Four Tet Fabriclive59 Launch Party @ Fabric, London 23/09/2011
- PopMatters - Sonar 2011 Review (Friday)
- PopMatters - Sonar 2011 Review (Saturday)
- PopMatters - Sonar 2011 Review (Thursday)
- PopMatters - Sonar 2012 Review
- Resident Advisor - Border Community (James Holden & Nathan Fake) @ Razzmatazz, Barcelona (scroll down)
- Resident Advisor - Deadmau5 @ The Camden Roundhouse 14/10/2009
- Resident Advisor - In Flagranti @ Indigo, Istanbul 26/12/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Beat Club @ Camden Rocks 11/02/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Booka Shade @ Koko 13/05/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Brakes @ Relentless Garage 10/11/2009 (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Charlie Winston @ Cargo 28/09/2009 (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Chrome Hoof w/ Andrew Weatherall (dj) & Simian Mobile Disco (dj) @ Bocking Street Warehouse 04/06/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Clues @ The Lexington 25/10/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Daedelus/Harmonic 313/King Cannibal @ Village Underground 09/10/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Felix da Housecat/Digitalism/Shy Child @ The Coronet 30/04/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Filthy Dukes @ Dingwalls 25/11/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Franz Ferdinand @ Brixton Academy 24/10/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - John Cale & Heritage Orchestra @ Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre 05/03/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - LCD Soundsystem @ Brixton Academy 24/04/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Mr Hudson/The Whip/Alex Metric @ Cargo 20/11/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Orbital @ Brixton Academy 24/09/2009
- Subba-Cultcha - Popup Pirates Launch Party - 19/05/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - Red Bull Penthouse Jam @ The Sanctum Hotel 14/09/2009 (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Royal Bangs @ White Heat 13/04/2010
- Subba-Cultcha - The Drones @ Cargo 03/11/09
- Subba-Cultcha - The Gay Blades/Jack's Mannequin @ Koko 03/09/2009 (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - The Hot Rats @ The Old Blue Last 26/08/2009 (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Wolfmother @ The Coronet 21/10/2009
Interviews
- Drowned in Sound - Interview with Explosions in the Sky
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Billy Bragg
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Deadmau5
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Filthy Dukes
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Gossip
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Groove Armada (LINK TEMPORARILY UNAVAILABLE)
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Hot Chip
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Interpol
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Lawrence Arabia
- Subba-Cultcha - Interview with Shy Child
DVD/Film Reviews
Thursday 25 February 2010
Thursday 23 July 2009
Nathan Fake - Hard Islands
As the name may have suggested, Nathan Fake’s first album, Drowning in a Sea of Love veered off from his previous harder-edged and brilliant techno releases such as the Watlington Street EP and Outhouse, and revealed an altogether softer side of the East Anglian. It was a beautiful album which washed over you and gave the impression of being smothered slowly by a great pair of downy bosoms. Three years on and nasty Nathan is back. Hard Islands, while not a complete return to the delinquency of his youth, for some of the fuzziness and beauty of Drowning remains, has definitely turned yet another corner and is a six-track whirlwind of an album. Fulfilling the ethos of the Border Community family from whence he came, Hard Islands both bridges the chasm that exists between dance floor and bedroom, and defies with all its might any attempt at being pinned down and labelled.
The album is so Border Community, in fact, that it could almost be a poster child for the label, such is the sheer variety of sounds that have been packed into these half dozen tracks. The influence of his label mates is evident, appearing suddenly in the midst of everything as if they had meandered into the studio mid-production, twiddled some knobs and went on their merry way. ‘Castle Rising’ starts off soft and quiet before developing into a driving techno track, with a bass line reminiscent of Petter’s 'Some Polyphony', and over the eight or so minutes becomes more frantic and abstract. ‘Narrier’ feels like it has been touched by the almost godlike hand of James Holden, a filthy techno offering that drifts into the haunting and otherworldly synths seen in '10101'. Indeed, the album’s influences go further afield than the comfort zone of the Border Community, with clear inspiration from Boards of Canada and quite noticeably from within the Warp community, in particular the Clark of Turning Dragon. While it never quite reaches the depths of industrial depravity that Turning Dragon displayed, the haunting and hard-as-stone driving complete with the crazed glitchy and temp jumping assault on your senses are prevalent, particularly in ‘Fentiger’ and ‘Castle Rising’. Indeed, in track two, ‘Basic Mountain’, you are taken on a journey from the safe cosiness of Drowning steadily into the realms of techno, spazzing out before again rising up into something truly beautiful and then, like a cassette player running out of battery, your mind begins to melt. The sheer variety of what is on display here means that there is a certain lack of cohesion and stability. It jumps around, constantly surprising and the only breather we are offered is the one and a half minute ‘Curlew’.
While I’ve found Hard Islands a thoroughly enjoyable listen, there are things about it that still nag at me. There just doesn’t seem to be anything organic about it and it lacks fluidity. This evidently is a result of the fact that this album has been evolving over some time and many sets, and thus has accumulated layers and layers of the editing tricks that have thrilled all who attend Fake’s electric live performances. Nevertheless, despite the brilliance of the tracks on show here - in particular ‘Castle Rising’ and ‘The Turtle’ where an electro bass line raises its filthy head - it just does not satisfy as an album. Whereas Drowning organically grew from beginning to end and was an aural experience in its entirety, I find that in Hard Islands Nathan Fake is almost trying too hard to achieve too many things. The effort he puts in to avoiding being labelled almost verges on pretention, and there seems to be a lack of individuality pervading the album. While each track definitely has Fake’s mark on them, I feel that he relies too heavily on his influences. It is hard to describe disappointment in something that I have found so enjoyable, however it proves the level of stock that myself and others have placed in him. Altogether, Hard Islands is short and disjointed but is still a good album in its own right. However, after three years of eager anticipation it fails to stand up to the sheer weight of the collective expectation that has been thrust on Fake’s young shoulders. Good, but could do better.
The album is so Border Community, in fact, that it could almost be a poster child for the label, such is the sheer variety of sounds that have been packed into these half dozen tracks. The influence of his label mates is evident, appearing suddenly in the midst of everything as if they had meandered into the studio mid-production, twiddled some knobs and went on their merry way. ‘Castle Rising’ starts off soft and quiet before developing into a driving techno track, with a bass line reminiscent of Petter’s 'Some Polyphony', and over the eight or so minutes becomes more frantic and abstract. ‘Narrier’ feels like it has been touched by the almost godlike hand of James Holden, a filthy techno offering that drifts into the haunting and otherworldly synths seen in '10101'. Indeed, the album’s influences go further afield than the comfort zone of the Border Community, with clear inspiration from Boards of Canada and quite noticeably from within the Warp community, in particular the Clark of Turning Dragon. While it never quite reaches the depths of industrial depravity that Turning Dragon displayed, the haunting and hard-as-stone driving complete with the crazed glitchy and temp jumping assault on your senses are prevalent, particularly in ‘Fentiger’ and ‘Castle Rising’. Indeed, in track two, ‘Basic Mountain’, you are taken on a journey from the safe cosiness of Drowning steadily into the realms of techno, spazzing out before again rising up into something truly beautiful and then, like a cassette player running out of battery, your mind begins to melt. The sheer variety of what is on display here means that there is a certain lack of cohesion and stability. It jumps around, constantly surprising and the only breather we are offered is the one and a half minute ‘Curlew’.
While I’ve found Hard Islands a thoroughly enjoyable listen, there are things about it that still nag at me. There just doesn’t seem to be anything organic about it and it lacks fluidity. This evidently is a result of the fact that this album has been evolving over some time and many sets, and thus has accumulated layers and layers of the editing tricks that have thrilled all who attend Fake’s electric live performances. Nevertheless, despite the brilliance of the tracks on show here - in particular ‘Castle Rising’ and ‘The Turtle’ where an electro bass line raises its filthy head - it just does not satisfy as an album. Whereas Drowning organically grew from beginning to end and was an aural experience in its entirety, I find that in Hard Islands Nathan Fake is almost trying too hard to achieve too many things. The effort he puts in to avoiding being labelled almost verges on pretention, and there seems to be a lack of individuality pervading the album. While each track definitely has Fake’s mark on them, I feel that he relies too heavily on his influences. It is hard to describe disappointment in something that I have found so enjoyable, however it proves the level of stock that myself and others have placed in him. Altogether, Hard Islands is short and disjointed but is still a good album in its own right. However, after three years of eager anticipation it fails to stand up to the sheer weight of the collective expectation that has been thrust on Fake’s young shoulders. Good, but could do better.
Friday 17 July 2009
A Big 'Hello!!' to the no doubt legions of readers that will be gracing this site with their presence over the coming days, weeks, months and years! Forgive the basic layout, for this is my first foray into the world of web design (and I use that in the loosest sense of the word). As I get more work (fingers crossed) I'll be posting links to anything that is published on the right hand of this page, and for those reviews that I've done that haven't made it on to the world wide web I'll be posting them into this section until I figure out how to archive them or something.
If you like or dislike anything that I've written please let me know, for I welcome adulation and ridicule with equal enthusiasm. If you want anything copy writing, album or gig reviews or basically anything written please let me know and I'll see if I can be of service.
If you like or dislike anything that I've written please let me know, for I welcome adulation and ridicule with equal enthusiasm. If you want anything copy writing, album or gig reviews or basically anything written please let me know and I'll see if I can be of service.
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