Feature // Deniro Farrar for Viper Magazine

I'm back! I spoke to the inspirational Deniro Farrar for Viper Magazine's Winter Issue, out now! We talked about his childhood in North Carolina, his children, touring partners, collaborations, commercial hip-hop and a whole lot more. You can read our whole chat in the new issue of Viper, available in person in London, New York and Canada or online! The article may also be made available online when the next issue comes to fruition, although I will be posting some excerpts at a later date :) Pics below!
Deniro Farrar // Viper Magazine

Words & Images by Yours Truly X

Review // Ariel Pink- 'Pom Pom'

When he isn't being super-creepy, Ariel Pink also makes music! Catch me giving his non-Haunted Graffitti release 'Pom Pom' the lowest-score across the board in October's Crack, over here!

Review // Ariel Pink- 'Pom Pom'

Concerted oddball to the last, Ariel Pink’s first solo-titled venture, the double-stacked Pom Pom, sees his well-worn formula finally run out of steam. 17 tracks, 69 minutes, but scant substance it feels like the work of a man out of time. Multiple voices emanate from Pink’s role as the album’s central protagonist, slipping between characters, actively seeking to retain his creative enigma. Kim Fowley is invited along to add a playful touch on 'Plastic Raincoats In The Pig Parade', its zany "oh yeah!"s painting a Moldy Peaches shade to their storytelling, rather than the psychprankster reference points they musically reach to. 'Jell-o' jingles as if an advertorial for the sugary US staple: “Everyone eats white bread/ That’s why they’re all dead” Ariel regurgitates, uber-speed babbles jumping in between verses. 'White Freckles' fires out with riffs so fast and shrewd they sound straight off the credit sequence of Miami Vice. “She got them at the tanning salon” he spectates into a slow-tuned, strut-worthy groove, while on 'Lipstick' he flatly breathes out to ask “Where are the girls?”.
'Not Enough Violence' also trickles into the outlandish and squirmingly uncomfortable, his vocal almost inaudible, apart from the avowal of “Penetration time tonight.” -you hope it’s all in jest, but then you awkwardly realise it’s not. The unbearably wacky 'Dinosaur Carebear' revels in its dippy carnivalesque skittery, while lead track 'Put Your Number In My Phone' opts for the flipside, soft-rock division of Pom Pom, standing out as a minor joy amongst the befuddled, juvenile, borderline-patronising rest. Flashback-worthy 'One Summer Night' and 'Exile On Frog Street' musically resound as if worthy of cult indie-pop classics, but come bathed amongst the creepy – allthemore pointed in the context of Mr. Pink’s own creep-like tendencies – and lukewarm. But Pom Pom’s fun and romance is drained by a conceited stretch of triviality and a growing realisation that, even if you are in on the joke, it’s just not that funny anymore.

 6/20

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Busdriver- 'Perfect Hair'

The mind-bogglingly articulate Busdriver just dropped his latest full-length 'Perfect Hair' on Big Dada yesterday! He's also been writing some lines track-by-track over on his Twitter AND you can stream the whole thing here, whilst you read my review for the 405!

Review // Busdriver- 'Perfect Hair'

Eccentric Los Angeles native Busdriver, has been dispensing his hyper literate, oddball hip-hop for over a decade, reconstructing experimental practices by striking boldly when the iron glows hot. A crossover of label affiliations led to projects with Brainfeeder boss Flying Lotus, and his British protégé Lapalux more recently, then there was his ridiculous take on Drake's 'Worst Behaviour' at the tail end of last year, abundant with tongue-in-cheek, stinging delivery. Returning to one of his earlier homes in the form of Big Dada, Perfect Hair comes out of an escape for the flaws found within self-acceptance.
 'Retirement ODE', an infectious instrumental with stirring hooks that leer "You never would admit how sick I've become," fluctuates between the crazy and the adamant. Lines such as "I'm a frequent flyer/ and a decent liar/ and that's a lie in itself come on", are laughed off in their overcharged ludicrosity, an element distinctively inherent to his music. Melodic takes from the backing singers he quotes costing $3500 per take, prove their worth before the beat breaks down to a frenetic fury, spitting "I used to wake up at noon to punch the moon" to twist the track into a disembodied truth. If fellow Californian Madlib's mental Quasimoto persona, is defined by smoked-out, high-pitched animation, then Regan Farquhar's Busdriver alter-ego is sharp, not to mention full-throttle.
 'Bliss Pilot' is certainly atmospheric and full-bodied, though not vulnerable enough to be emotional, the horns, rippling electronics and arrhythmic delivery, suggesting he wasn't chasing such a label, anyway. Even on the formidable (and brilliant) Jeremiah Jae-produced 'Ego Death', with his raps stabbing over a monster of a beat, the idea of altering your state of consciousness as stated in the title, is met precisely head-on. Double dutching through a hook of "We can make this better/ or not/ yes we will/ we're just looking for something inside us to kill," Farquhar nods back to the song-orientated direction that was present on 2012's Beaus$Eros - boiling hot guest spots from the inimitable Danny Brown and Aesop Rock, planting pop-culture nods to The Prodigy and Marilyn Manson, as if all in this crazy house together.
 'Tooth Lined Horizon Blinks' doesn't come up for air in a slanted, almost chant-led iniation, Open Mike Eagle sweeping in to announce his presence with straight-up, old-school flow; a talent concentrated and able to hold its own, even under 'Drivers unassailable stance. Where Perfect Hair has those ballsy moments, lyrically with pushing past an ostracization and arriving at a truth, there are the flashes such as 'Upsweep'- produced by Mono/Poly- to balance out the often unruly collection. Bringing us back round to the poignant at first, the latter track's instrumentals infuse through Farquhar's centre-stage vocal, similarly to 'Bliss Pilot'. Yet as the release plays on, we've always known the persona of Busdriver was an unconventional one, but to the clear divisions throughout Perfect Hair, he has a release that bifurcates between sparkling, let-it-rip takes, over to a self-antagonistic, ball of constructed chaos.

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Beacons Festival

I've been lucky enough to review Beacons Festival the past two years, this being my third, the angels at Crack and I Like Press allowing me to return for a weekend of raving, losing half of my life in a field, sampling some very nice ales and- of course-a whole load of babes and amazing sets. You can scroll down or click over here to catch it!

Review // Beacons Festival

Über hip gatherings on the capital’s durable green spaces. East Anglican, poetry-heavy weekenders that the Dads go crazy for. Surreal boutique festivals with mind-blowing stage productions. It feels like the UK festival market is more competitive than ever, doesn’t it? Beacons, which is in its third year and is set in the idyllic Yorkshire Dales, looks as if it could snatch the driving seat from many of its larger, more corporate contemporaries due to an amazing line-up and its presence in the conversations of many young music obsessives all year round. 

 Our weekend started on Thursday evening, with us immediately learning that there’s no better ice breaker between fresh-faced Northern folk than with the hilarious concept that is hip-hop karaoke. The contestants ranged from a mother joined by an infant wobbling under the weight of their rainbow-coloured earmuffs, to the local neighbourhood G giving Forgot About Dre his best shot.

Evidence of the demand for hip-hop acts at UK festivals emerged on Friday, with Irish rapper Rejjie Snow gathering an audience while performing tracks from his Rejovich EP alongside prospective album teasers. Action Bronson’s headline set on the Noisey stage drew one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. And as the Queens rapper delivered on-point, animated renditions of witty Blue Chips 2 tracks 'Silverado' and the Tequila-nabbing 'Pepe Lopez' to a rapturous response, the decision to host NYC’s biggest man in one of the smaller Noisey tent led to anxieties about safety, with photographers opting to climb the stage rigging rather than shoot in a spewing pit.
 Switching over to Daniel Avery’s three-hour mission on the Resident Advisor stage, the Drone Logic highlights and stand-out techno stompers such as Ondo Fudd’s 'Coup d’Etat' forbid the audience to stay still. Phantasy head Erol Alkan also swung by to blow-up the stage a day later, with the gnarly essence of Randomer’s 'Huh' calling us into a bottomless pool of uninterrupted bangers, as the acidic tinge of 'A Hold On Love' – transformed with a female vocal not present on his original Illumination EP – closed the tent in dramatic ecstasy. Under his Daphni alias, Dan Snaith also spoiled us with the track of the summer – the extended mix of 'Can’t Do Without You', which we heard played out five times over the course of the weekend.

Serving up performances from Joy Orbison, Wayward and Boiler Room’s Tasker, the Red Bull stage – which was complete with bar, couches and was housed in a converted shipping container – allowed DJs to veer away from structure thanks to its intimacy. Reduced to just one member for their Sunday set, Psychemagik treated the multiplying audience to both slow-burning (yet brilliantly housed-up) versions of Fleetwood Mac’s' Dreams' and 'Everywhere' which were made with the intention to light-up these kind of festival fields. As Hurricane Bertha blew in from the Pennines, Have you ever kissed the sunshine on Ditongo’s 'Walk Between The Rain' was contrasted with rumbles of thunder coming out of the speakers, bringing the air-punches high to the sky.
 As Sunday’s storm progressed, both the Argyll and East Leeds FM stages were cordoned off, and with the punk don of dance Andrew Weatherall’s ‘Love From Outer Space’ project being cut short, morale was dipping by the evening. Ever the professionals when the show must go on, the team rescheduled Cate Le Bon as Neneh Cherry braved the biblical mud with her Rocket Number Nine band. Cherry’s defiant enthusiasm saw her take the to fangirl side-of-stage position at Darkside – who followed and closed the festival in spectacular fashion for 2014.

And what about the culinary highlights? There was a whiskey tasting over lunch with blue-haired waiters, all shoe-less, that turned out to be surprisingly educational – not to mention tasty. Then there was the fabulous Dough Boys and Patty Smith eateries that had tongues wagging all weekend and county street food from the best vendors in the region. Add a When-In-Yorkshire Tea Room complete with homemade cake, reggae in a blanketed corner and the chance to have your tipple in actual china, and you realise that these little luxuries really go a long way. Installing interactive art to support the independents including fresh, digital projections from Manchester’s Mary Naylor also illuminated the after-hours chills straight out of our bones.
 No matter how much we wish we could stop a classified hurricane dampening our parade, Beacons is one hell of a classy hangout. And despite being in its infancy, the line-up alone confirms that this festival has established itself as the staple of many Northern – and Southern – music fans’ summer.

Words by Yours Truly // Images by Tom Joy & Giles Smith X

Review // Theo Parrish @ The Ritz

My first post in an age, I'm sorry! In between all the madness that is currently my life, I was lucky enough to catch Theo Parrish's live show in Manchester, a fortnight ago, with my review up now on the award-winning 405's website. Isn't that nice? Click here to read, or scroll down for the unedited version... 

Review // Theo Parrish @ The Ritz

Following an exclusive album playback of his anticipated release ‘American Intelligence’, Detroit luminaire Theo Parrish, proves the only way to better a jazz-laden dish of electronic indulgence, is when a prestigious squad joins their selector. Oh and a decent back catalogue helps, of course. A favoured face on the club scene, Theo’s first first live shows in a decade led to a mass turnout at Manchester’s Ritz, a high-energy crowd readied for the transition of projects- usually sacred to the studio or club- in an immersive, hypnotic live experience. 

As dancers bound out onto the stage; brass, keys, guitars encasing them, the energy levels soar as a funk led introduction, effortlessly sets the tone. Sporting the furthest thing from uniform, including a bucket hat in one case, the performers taking centre stage dazzle with their moves and solos, ‘Walking Thru The Sky’s acid-jazz, fluently layering in. Vocalist Ideeya’s notes project far and wide, gleaming and demanding attention, before drum snaps crack in, each member of the troupe indisputably given to the beat. 

As personally a huge fan of Theo’s Sound Signature productions, when favourites like ‘Chemistry’ are performed well-seasoned, with synths full of body and sticky sweet croons, deviating away from the electronic-led original to a jazz jumped adaptation, is anything but sour and a welcome variation. Of course there are more prominent keys and a digital basis with the likes of ‘Control’, but taking a route more smooth, more brooding, makes it less explicitly sexy than the accompanying fan videos of the track found on YouTube, and allows itself air to breathe, the odd improvisational flurry maintaining a specifically rich tone, rather than something more rigid. 

With a blistering drum solo ahead of ‘Solitary Flight’ and formidable popping and locking to ‘Going Through Changes’, it’s easy to understand why London’s seated Barbican venue was chosen to house the same performance on this mini UK tour, with so much to also visually stimulate, the whole thing omitting an essence of a relaxed and comfortable- but excellent- enactment. This years Pièce de résistance ‘Footwork’, proves itself a worthy inclusion alongside his extensively impressive inventory, hi-hats shimmying in and then, that bass! Oh so unforgiving, oh so infectious. 

A superbly well executed live show doesn’t mean that Theo is hanging up his headphones any time soon, and as disciples to the House of Parrish, you’d forget it was his name atop the posters emblazoned across the building out front, each performer, musician and dancer, bold in their duties. Just don’t leave us waiting another decade, to sample the silky-soul setting of such an astonishing live show, and judging by the strong-hold applause and hollering as everyone erupted out onto the streets come 11pm, It's a unanimous contemplation that leaves me believing I'm not the only one...

Words by Yours Truly X

Review // Paul Oakenfold- 'Trance Mission'

I reviewed Paul Oakenfold's 'Trance Mission' release for 365 Mag, ahead of it's release tomorrow! Arguably Paul’s first artist album since 2006, this new release is an album of 10 covers- not remixes- of Paul’s favourite tracks of all time and one which sees him returning to his roots. Click here to read it, or scroll down below!

Review // Paul Oakenfold- 'Trance Mission'

Electronic enigma Paul Oakenfold, has held onto his legendary reputation as the godfather of trance for decades, perfecting and showcasing his craft across institutions including Radio 1 and Cream - but with archetypal anthems such as ‘Ready, Steady, Go’ under his belt, not to mention putting pen-to-paper composing grandiose film scores for Hollywood blockbusters and back, no introduction should really be needed. 

Building up a fresh interpretation of timeless trance classics for the double disc release of ‘Trance Mission’- aptly titled because “it's filled with a selection of my favourite trance records from the last 25 years and it’s been a bloody mission to finish”, as the man himself states - Oakenfold has taken a calculated, concentrated approach to reinvent this twelve-track journey. Utilising “nothing except the original riff” to compose his covers, rather than simply remixing, he delves layers deep into reinventing these iconic listens of yesteryear… but will it leave a bitter taste in the mouths of lovers of the genre, or will he be capable of reigniting the ecstasy felt first time around? 

 From the get-go, it is clear to dissect that Oakenfold’s track selection has been plucked from a notion to appeal to appreciators, of whose stomachs will flutter at the mere sight of titles such as ‘Theme For Great Cities’ and ‘Touch Me’… but this is your official warning that these are certainly not the old favourites, we’re used to. Take the infamous ‘Café Del Mar’, by no means a genteel listen, that spirals progressively harder in 2014 than it ever did back in the early nineties when showcased by Energy 52.

Contorting into a dense, wonky working thanks to chopped vocal whispers of the infamous Ibiza venue that manages to stealthily creep into the listener’s subconscious despite brazen production that cannot be ignored- an applaudable effort of skill and insight is highlighted in its rawest, familiar form here, but of course it’s not as if we expected anything less. 

 As a man passionate about his art that has never censored the euphoria present at the heart of trance - who says Oakenfold should start now? Re-producing Fragma’s ‘Toca Me’ with a crisper undertone that accelerates energy and unforgivingly nudges up the high-octane BPM, further more so than its predecessor, every asset of his personality flows through the very veins of this release. Big-room drops and elongated build-ups that deviate away from traditional trance standpoints, don’t deduct from the ethos felt at the centre come his pummelling edit of Grace’s ‘Not Over Yet’, allowing the instantly-recognisable vocals to be positively isolated, projected into taking centre stage. 

 Marrying a hybrid of cinematic workings and no-nonsense, unadulterated anthems, it’s clear of his aim to infuse the album with individual flair, making his statement accessible as an introductory tool, without tarnishing the genre’s heritage; an epic task he does successfully manage to execute, from beginning to end. 

Undeniably set to instigate interest across younger generations of whom may not have been able to experience the definitive period of trance at it’s peak, but are familiar with the history of these tracks in numerous forms, ‘Trance Mission’ is set to not only reinstate the historical importance of Oakenfold’s character as a heralded DJ, but also the positive, seminal role that this release will impact upon the future resurgence of the genre.

Words by Yours Truly X

Feature // SOHN for Crack Magazine

 I interviewed 4AD's SOHN for the latest issue of Crack Magazine, out all over the country (With Tood Terje on the cover) right now! We talked about his production work for Banks, working solely at night and how the Vienesse air inspired his debut album 'Tremors'. You can also read it digtially here or scroll down below...

SOHN // Crack Magazine

Where many artists utilse an alter-ego to entertain away from their original persona, Vienna-by-way-of-London's SOHN breathes his identity with no conceptual distinctions.

 “I liked the idea of being the son of all my past experiences” he muses, explaining the depths to his German-spoken mononym, a tone of both soft and strong proportions that sets the foundation for his doleful discourse. “It’s not only when I perform either”, he continues through the onyx-black hood that can often be seen cowling his figure. “These are the clothes I wear, full- stop… it’s less about omitting a presence, and more about feeling one.”
 We’re Skyping with SOHN, who is late to our morning interview, but after learning of the nocturnal studio schedule enlisted for the creation of his debut full-length, it’s not without good reason. Residing in London and producing “urgent, sinister” work, he moved to Austria out of a lack of connection to the city, integrating himself within the Viennese culture. “I’m more of a hermit than ever before, so moving to a country for community is kind of ironic” he admits. “I love the sense of calm here, it’s a quiet city when you want it to be.”
 SOHN’s debut album Tremors sets him apart from the post-RnB segregation of male, angel-voiced solo artists such as How To Dress Well and James Blake. It’s a self-appreciating listen that draws you in and won’t let go until you’re entwined deep in its elaborately emotional web. Recording Tremors alone in the dead of night often resulted in not leaving his studio until sunrise. As pitch-black pressure points vividly burn throughout his elegant soundscape, the release undoubtedly belongs to the purity of dusk or dawn.
Tremors is as much about the light as it is about the dark; just as much about the space and silence as it is abundant with multi-instrumentalism. “I died a week ago/ There’s nothing left” SOHN mourns on The Wheel, building a melody of humidified vocals. Tracks such as Tempest produce digitised pools of vocals, leading SOHN’s stunning falsetto on a journey that peaks with chopped, woody beats, before the explicit imagery of Paralysed, a poignant, lump-in-the-throat listen, etching out a downturn of love and loss through locked arms and “twisted intestines”. An intensely beautiful byproduct of pain that resonates to listeners universally, actions and consequences are all well and good, but it’s epitomising an ethereal, textural scene to his audience that SOHN presses further.
“The artwork, photography and videos have always been massively important in terms of presenting the music with the right mood, the right intention. I look long and hard at that side of what I do. I make the music and see the visuals in my head already, which can be as vague as colour, all the way to being so specific that I can see the whole video… the photography has to encapsulate everything I feel the song does, but also set a scene for the song to be listened to.” Take the gorgeous visuals for Bloodflows, where picturesque and weather-beaten landscapes in the Bavarian Alps are inked by a multitude of leaking smoke bombs, his soulfully icy vocals almost bleeding off the screen.
 Stepping away from his own gruelling after-dark agenda, SOHN is nothing short of a musical polymath, also applying his Midas touch to productions and remixes for the sultry sounds of Banks, over to the rich tones of Kwabs. “I loved them both immediately” he gushes. “It was just a very innocent, ‘let’s get in a room and see what happens’ scenario. I work the same way as when I’m writing for myself, the only difference is you have to carve out the right space for the other artist. That’s something all great producers are capable of doing, and something which I love.”
 Turning his ear to the attention-demanding bite of Angel Haze, along with skewing LA duo Rhye’s sensual hues into a haunting listen for his remix of Open, it’s not just a take on the new generation of US up-and-comers that is making SOHN’s European presence felt on the other side of the Atlantic. YouTube any of Tremors’ 11 striking tracks and you’ll soon be met with a “Miguel brought me here!” luminous green thumbs-up comment, ever since the superstar RnB smooth bot dropped “John but with an S” into a radio interview of British inspirations, citing a “super dope” five-song SoundCloud as his introduction.
 From a superstar fan to a European enigma, the bright lights constantly attracted to SOHN’s world don’t add distraction. “I forget even having a debut record out is a big thing” he admits softly. Yet releasing one of the most gut-wrenchingly passionate records to come out of 4AD this year warrants a springtime full of sadness on SOHN’s watch, something worth submersing yourself into and remembering on a wholly devoted level.

Words by Yours Truly X