I had originally planned for this entry to be a review of last night’s Faithless iTunes Festival gig at The Roundhouse, Camden. However, such a plan demands the pre-requisite of having actually attended the gig. So instead this entry has become an enquiry into the venue and promoter’s ticket policy.

We had been reliably informed that Faithless would take to stage at 9.15pm. As such, we innocently and quite sensibly turned up in good time at 8.30pm, only to discover a very long queue of disgruntled punters. The predictably curt bouncer announced that there was ‘little chance of us getting in because the venue was full.’ It turns out that they oversubscribe tickets and having filed through the small print, we were stone-walled by the discovery of a ‘NO GUARANTEE OF ENTRY AFTER 8.15pm’ notice. Unbelievable.

Now I know they also do this on planes, particularly long-haul flights, and I don’t mind this because it helps to guarantee that it’s full to capacity, which is better for the environment, but more importantly I have never been a victim of this particular type of admin abuse.

I have however suffered this fate at the hands of Chew The Fat, one of the very best club nights in London, for their last ever gig at The End. Nonetheless I do feel differently when it comes to a club night. Generally speaking, given the long format of a dance event and the way the music is consumed, it means you can drop in and out, move from room to room and not discernibly miss much.

A gig however is an event of finite duration and focus. The band comes on stage, the crowd watches them play and then everyone leaves. I was going to see Faithless - the band, their performance and their songs. The subjective, personal experience of a gig is different to the objective and collective ride through a club night. So with a ticket in hand, I did not expect for a moment that this opportunity would be denied.

Don’t get me wrong, I think the iTunes Festival is a wonderful idea and it delivers a month long programme of world class music for FREE. It doesn’t guarantee true fans will get in but the idea is one that is rooted with a passion for music. And I think only a platform as powerful and as popular as iTunes could realise such spectacular ambitions.

But, and here is the crux of the issue, it is really just a big brand project for Apple, it is about data capture and it is about MONEY (just as it is for the airlines, by the way.) The more people have tickets, risks are reduced and revenues increased. And furthermore, if you are encouraging them to turn up early, that is even more money spent at the bar.

In an ideal world, if I were running these events, I would guarantee that all ticket holders get in and if there was still space to fill in the venue, I would grant entry to the real fans queuing outside. Not such a water-tight business plan I accept, but at least my way no-one leaves unjustifiably angry.

And this brings me to my final question – what have iTunes lost by denying me (as representative of all others in the same boat) entry to Faithless? Not much to be honest. I am annoyed and frustrated but I am not going to stop using my iTunes account - it is the best and most intuitive music library out there. Apple already has a huge amount of data about me as a MacBook and iPod user. And I will definitely continue to apply for their awesome gigs. I see this experience more as a lesson learned.

Read the small print kids because it might just guarantee that you won’t miss seeing your favourite band.

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Robyn ‘Killing Me’ [Video]

Welcome to a brave new digital world people. Our fears that technology would advance to the extent that complex and frightening robots would take over the world have not only come true, but it is far far worse than ever suspected. The most advance, complex and cruel of robots, the ‘human being’ now has all the power.

Having grown up used to a feudal delivery of music, with artist, director and label managers dictating the creative and delivering music and their videos for mass purchase, Robyn, the Swedish singer, has released a video that has broken all of these rules and traditions.

Her new pop-techno-tastic song ‘Killing Me’ is entirely written in code (so no fixed visual elements) and is edited by a live twitter feed #killingme. What this means is that users can affect the video and every time anyone views it, it’s different.

While it is not the most exciting visual execution, I think it is a window into a possible future for music videos - a future that is influenced by the user, by us. As this technology develops and the power/reach of the internet compounds, it is not impossible to imagine that mass collaboration, live editing and the weight of real-time public demand will push the frontiers of the music-visual relationship into entirely unexplored realms. Sounds much like the ethos of a dance music - sounds promising if you ask me.

And if you hadn’t notice, as if the digital bukkake wasn’t enough, Robyn’s video is also in 3d…unbelievable scenes. So get your glasses on people for the full facial experience.

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B-Real announced to the packed out auditorium that Cypress Hill have been in the game since 1992 and the presence of middle aged fans throughout the crowd would certainly testify to this. But incredibly the adolescent, even juvenile exuberance for the stoner hip-hop that has been blazing for almost twenty years now, was none more visible than in B-Real and Sen Dog themselves.

Leaping and bounding about the stage, the two MCs worked the crowd into a frenzy, displaying effervescent showmanship that has been crafted through years of live performances, as well as their single minded musical deification of the green herb that was their very same inspiration way back in the early nineties.

And it is for these reasons that these guys have survived for so long. It was made plainly evident in the middle of their set when the stage was blanketed with green light and B-Real’s stage assistant came on to hand him a baseball bat sized joint. Stood in front of a backdrop of ten foot high black-light marijuana leaves and amongst the haze of the dry ice, he lights it up just as the ‘I Wanna Get High’ sirens start to tremor. The crowd goes berserk and the two MCs turn it into the ultimate stoner medley, mixing in ‘Hits From The Bong’ and then ‘Dr.Greenthumb.’ Weed, music, performance = a potent formula.

The only disappointment of the night was the MC’s support. The DJ and percussionist were simply not as accomplished as the front men and this chasm was often apparent. Their sporadic skits and battles between songs served more as punctuation than embellishment.

But not wanting to take too much away from the performance, this gig reminded me that Cypress Hill are pioneers. Their music is transcendent – punks, hip-hoppers, rockers and ravers were all present. It is through their traditional bouncing and lyrical hip-hop that Cypress Hill shine. They have experimented with rock to mixed success and with the exception of ‘(Rap) Superstar’ which hit exactly the right tone as their high octane closing track, it is their show of rapping skills that proves why these guys are and will always be evergreen.

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We have been given this early Christmas present to head back up north to the corner of the globe in which we learned our trade (Leeds is near enough right?!) and boy are we excited.

These promoters are brimming with enthusiasm and enterprise, and all the early indicators are suggesting that it is going to be rammed so make sure you get down early. And if that wasn’t inspiration enough, our set is being bookended by two incredibly accomplished local DJs and we will be in the intimate and perfectly formed Market Bar which boasts a Funktion One Soundsystem.

No excuses. See you on the dancefloor.

AB x

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Everyone’s favourite obsolete instrument, the Stylophone, has been launched into the 21st Century with the introduction of its BeatBoxing younger brother - The Stylophone BeatBox. I know I shouldn’t but christ I want one.

See video for a performance by the world’s preeminent Stylophone BeatBoxers.

Some maths:-

Stylophone + Beatboxing + two creepy northerners + House of Pain = Inexplicably cool.

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Sup brosephs (cast me into a cliche-ridden hell!).

A couple of weeks ago I made a post about my Top 10 Summer tunes, and provided a free download of Gucci Vump’s ‘Sha! Shtil!’ remixed by LSMitchell. It’s a great, quirky take on this bizarre brand of Yiddish-sampling techno (I’m calling it Yidno) and we had some awesome feedback on the track, so I thought I would repost it for you guys to check out in case you missed it amongst all the other tracks we posted that day. It’s a full 320kbps, so feel free to play it out.

This version keeps the cool-ass sample but has more of a ‘banger’ to it - so if you’re on the fence about how your crowd might react to playing the original, this version is mainstream enough to play with reckless abandon.

Have at it!

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For those who of you who read the AngelBreaks blog regularly you will know how big a fan I am of Lisbon’s Buraka Som Sistema. For those of you who don’t, you are in for a real treat because having barely recovered from their very excellent album, Black Diamond, and a summer of critically acclaimed sensory overloading live shows, they have only gone and dropped a gem of a single on us. Your education can start here.

I present to you Restless and Buraka’s coming of age. Whilst this track still harbours the raw Kuduro energy and percussive African tremors that have defined their sound, it represents a more sophisticated and textured piece of dance music production. It is a step away from their lo-fi back alley sound and it is a step in to measured and relevant music architecture.

The triumph of this track is its ambivalence, its polarising affect, its Jekyll and Hyde character. The sound is energetic, yet controlled. The beat is driving, yet hypnotic. The voice is familiar, yet eerie. These apposing qualities are cradled in the lyrics, most tellingly in the refrain , ‘Tell me if it’s real or should I let you go?’ It is about love and melancholy at the same time, yet it is these clashing uncertainties that make up its absolute success.

This track marked the launch of their world wide tour in late October, a tour which will see them swing through Manchester on Saturday 28th November for a starring role at the Warehouse Project. But if rumours are true , it is also a taster for a forthcoming album - watch this space.

In the meantime, Buraka’s Fabric Live mix CD is due for release on Monday 7th December. Santa can definitely expect a letter this year.

Buraka Som Sistema, you make me restless.

Buraka Som Sistema - Restless (Radio Edit) by fabric

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Sony Audio Europe have this week launched a Fantasy Festival game based on the successful model of fantasy football but inspired by the brand’s passion for music and sound.

It is an entirely digital campaign and via its partnership with Last.FM it asks users to put together their ultimate festival line-up, which is then scored according to their acts real life popularity, i.e. online activity.

AngelBreaks has decided to indulge and you see can our festival line-up in the picture above and here. We have gone more with our heads than our hearts, (although we really are secret Cheryl Cole fans,) in a bid for not only the many prizes on offer, but of course the glory also. How can the holy musical triumvirate of MJ, Justice and Daft Punk fail us?!

My only cricitism of the website is that there isn’t an option to navigate through the leagues of available artists. When our budget was starting to get very stretched after dropping a bomb on the ubiquitous Kings of Leon, it would have been great to file through a list of the artists that we could afford, instead of having to search blindly.

Nonetheless, we are very excited about the prospect of this campaign and we encourage you to get involved. It is running for the next six months and hopefully we will see you at the summit of our digital festival superstardom!

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Malibu Drinks Mixer

Malibu has managed to digitally hybridise the art of DJing with the art of cocktail making as part of their new marketing project, Radio Maliboom Boom. They have created an app which is an interactive mixer interface, allowing users to mix cocktail recipes with corresponding beats. With the use of EQs and faders you can even finesse the 85 flavours/sounds into your own unique compositions.

The creative agency has worked closely with two professional DJs to guarantee the credibility and usability of the mixer; and has also spent time in the studio with Brooklyn-based producer Jesse Untracht-Oakner to record the archive of beats and hooks. I am impressed by the lengths they have gone to guarantee both a genuine and fun music production experience. Sadly the app is only available to the U.S. at the moment but we will be keeping our beady little DJ eyes out for it once it lands on the shores of the UK.

Beyond the app, Radio Maliboom Boom is part of the rum’s global advertising campaign, ‘Get Your Island On’, which is trying to transmit the good time vibes of the drink and the paradise environment in which it is made. The fictional radio station is fronted by the unlikely heroes DJ Bernhard and MC Wonder Full, who love taking it easy, their music and their mums. I particularly love the website which allows you to explore the station. You can flick through their record boxes and turn out a variety of music and rum based treats…downloads, videos and interactive content. As a whole, this is a really fun and exciting integrated campaign.

And thankfully it also follows on in Malibu’s tradition of superb advertising. Their ‘Seriously Easy Going’ 2004 campaign still stands as my favourite TV advertising ever. “It’s total gridlock man!”…Classic.

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Hello one and all. Here are my top ten tracks for the autumnal Charts of October. Cosy blankets of electro-breaks to keep you warm for the approaching winter. The chart is topped by the ever-rising star Calvertron and his new release Buggin’, which boasts an infectious driving beat, a massive drop and some old skool hip-hop vocals…AngelBreaks gives it two thumbs up. Beyond that, an Organ Donor remix, a Praise You rehash and a bevy of fun lovin supermodel criminals in A1 Bassline’s video. Please enjoy.

1. Calvertron – Buggin’ (The Afterschool Special Mix) [BugEyed Records]

2. A1 Bassline – Bad Man Horror Theme [Southern Fried Records]

3. Trevor Loveys – Organ Grinder (The Count’s aka Herve Big B Morgan Remix) [Cheap Thrills]

4. Villains & CLASSIXX – I’m On It feat. o8o (AC Slater Remix) [Villains Records]

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5. Joe and Will Ask? – The Rusty Pig [Gulp Communications]

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6. Kelevra, MC Flipside & Sharooz – House Muzik Hustlers [PBR Recordings]

7. Santiago & Bushido – Head Trick (Keith Mackenzie & DJ Fixx Remix) [Potty Mouth Music]

8. Bad Boy Bill – Do What U Like feat. Alyssa Palmer (Bad Boy Bill’s Push The Feeling Remix) [Menage]

9. Fedde Le Grand vs Fatboy Slim – Praise You 2009 [Skint Records]

10. Oblong – Playing on my Mind feat. Adam Parker (Elite Force Mix) [Exceptional Records]

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Happy October listening!

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