New AC Slater single on Trouble & Bass!

Trouble & Bass stalwart AC Slater has been rather busy of late. His new single 'Take You' with Ninjasonik has been released along with his contribution to the T&B Smashcast series and his mix for Mishka.

I met him briefly at Bangface and drunkenly arranged an interview that never happened, but I can at least vouch that he is a good egg - however hammered he was that night.

His new tune 'Take You' draws together elements of funky, house, bassline and even a touch of grime. Oh, and there's a lovely little piano breakdown reminiscent of Jason Tyler's 'Run Around' from a couple of years ago.

The video was directed and produced by T&B's very own Patrick 'The Captain' Rood, and Edited/DPed by Matt Canada of Control Alt Media. The remixes come from Drop The Lime, Nadastrom, Lee Mortimer and a host of others!

AC SLATER — TAKE YOU FEAT. NINJASONIK


AC Slater MySpace Music Videos

If you haven't downloaded 'Take You', you better get it now! Get it at Beatport, iTunes / Amazon, Juno, Boomkat and other digital retailers.

Enduser - 1/3

After a pretty quiet year in 2009 - and by "pretty quiet" I mean "deathly silent" - Enduser is dropping his new EP on us in much the same way that Wile E. Coyote drops anvils. It's called 1/3 which would imply 2 more offerings in the future and possibly a new LP. That's all speculation so don't come crying when it doesn't happen.

I'm completely blown away by this release. It's good to see someone putting out a full-blown breakcore release in a time when bassline and funky are the dominant forces. Honestly, this is the kind of music I've missed for a while: harsh, fast breaks and snares with dark, eerie synths. Coupled with the almost soulful, ravey vocals this release is sure to become a breakcore classic.

What's really exciting is he's included some lush melodies with his trademark abrasive snares. Also, the instrumentation on 1/3 could almost have been a post rock or shoegazer tune - until the gabba kicks flare up, of course. The whole EP is really strong but it's Cardopusher's remix at the end which makes things REALLY interesting. I'll not say much more but you really have to check this EP out. Good lord!

Also, the warm-hearted folks at Ad Noiseam have allowed me to offer you a cheeky free mp3 for your troubles so tuck the fuck in.

Stand out tracks: 2/3, 1/3, Interruption 4 (Cardopusher Remix)
Download: Enduser - 2/3

Title: 1/3 (ADN125)
Artist: Enduser
Out now on Ad Noiseam

Running High - New Album on Ninja Tune for Ghislain Poirier

Our good chums at Valeo Productions are shouting their lungs about the new Poirier release. I've only heard a couple of tracks (you can tuck into those little beauties below) but it's really promising and could well be my favourite release of the year.

He's always been a favourite of mine, riding the different styles without committing to any particular one, excelling in each. His new album promises to make Funky look embarrassing and I really can't wait, which makes a change - it's been a long time since I've been excited about music. And by the looks of things the Ninja Tune and Valeo chaps are pretty giddy about it too:

After 3 EPs showcasing the different sides of his new musical project, Poirier is releasing his concept album with an additional bonus disc on Ninja Tune for a total of 28 tracks with vocals by Burro Banton, YT, Face-T, MC Zulu, Warrior Queen and remixes by Sticky, Douster, Wildlife!, Uproot Andy and more. Running High is already available in Japan and Poirier's home country Canada, but it's about to come out in Europe and in the US (release & tour dates below). This album is a unique blend of electronic and Caribbean music that will satisfy the heads and the dancers (think soca-dancehall meets 90's techno and bass). A brand new video translates the leftfield party vibe of the Montreal-based DJ/producer.

Running High Release Dates
In Stores in Japan & Canada
April 24th : Europe
May 2nd: USA
Poiriersound.com

Sorry for being shit!

Wow. Well, it's been pretty hectic of late - thus the sporadic updates - but it's given me some time to think about the direction of this blog. As far as dance/club music goes, I suspect my coverage will wind down if UK Funky takes over.

I'm going to keep covering dubstep and bassline for as long as it keeps going but I've been trying to cast my net wider, looking to more introspective and experimental music to write about. Interestingly - and encouragingly - the best stuff seems to be local.

Basically, an interesting thing seems to be happening, at least here in Newcastle: Club music seems to be on the decline; while folk, shoegazer and post-rock are making a return. I went to The Cluny here in Newcastle for the Blank Promotions first birthday last week. Sadly my hippy timekeeping got the better of me and I was rather late. BUT, I did manage to check out a few bands that are really looking promising.

Sona Di
They're a great local band who seem to be spearheading the local scene at the moment with their own take on shoegazer and post-rock with bits of noise and whatnot thrown in for good measure. I know I've already written about these chaps before, but just to drum it in I thought I'd tell you again. And because you don't fucking listen.

Her Name Is Calla
They headlined the birthday party with a really intense blend of classical, post rock, folk and shoegazer and rolled up into a really cohesive package. And for a band whose music could hardly be described as "showy", they commanded the stage well despite a few technical difficulties.

Worriedaboutsatan
Unfortunately, I missed their set but checked out their MySpace later on. It's so refreshing and exciting to find an electronic artist who's doing something different! It kind of reminds me of old Squarepusher without the needless abrasion and some soulful vocals for good measure. It's just great to see someone making music for the sheer fuck of it, rather than to simply making a "club banger".

I don't have any mp3s to offer y'all but if you look back at the Sona Di review I did a while back there's an mp3 of the tune Forest for you to download. Also, they have lots of songs to stream on their myspaces.