Sunday, January 30, 2011

Next Wave: Silk Flowers

Silk Flowers are a synth-driven music trio based in New York. Their songs balance parts of pop and noise with melodies that evoke emotion from the listener. Countering typical notions of electronic music as a purely recorded listening experience, Silk Flowers write their songs for live performance, creating a visceral dynamic event that fluctuates between gleeful dance music and rough-edged dissonance. New album 'Ltd. Form' will be released February 8, 2011 on PPM. Produced by Amanda Warner.

Band info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Silk-Flowers/
Silk- "Band of Colour" from the new album!


Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Instant Hit: Mick Karn- Sensitive

"Sensitive" is the first ever single release by Mick Karn who sadly passed away earlier this month. He will certainly be remembered as a great multi-instrumentalist, musician and songwriter. Rare Noise Records has arranged a very special tribute to Mick Karn called 'A Show of Love, Respect and Grace'. More info here.


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Claudia Brücken's Combined

Zang Tuum Tumb will release Claudia Brücken's retrospective album, the story so far of Claudia Brücken’s life in pop. This compilation album is entitled 'Combined' and it presents eight of of Claudia's classic recordings including Propaganda's "Dr Mabuse" and "p:Machinery", as well as the best collaborations with Martin L. Gore, Thomas Leer, Paul Humphreys her 2005 duet with Andy Bell and many more.


The album also includes four brand new works: "Night School" and "Thank You" –two brand new solo tracks co-written with and produced by Stephen Hague and "This is Not America" – dueting the David Bowie classic with Paul Rutherford and "In Dreams", Roy Orbison's Blue Velvet soundtrack gem in collaboration with Andrew Poppy.
The album is set to be released on February 7, 2011. Check out the gorgeous new video for "Thank You", click to the catalogue section for the full track list, and to the Zang Tuum Shop to pre-order.

http://www.ztt.com

Monday, January 24, 2011

Haircut One Hundred- Pelican West Live

Haircut One Hundred, one of Britain’s leading iconic 1980s funk/pop bands will reform for a special one-off concert when they will perform their debut album 'Pelican West' in its entirety for the very first time at the prestigious London IndigO2. BBC 6 Music DJ Mark Jones of 'Back to the Phuture' will spin all the 80s’ pop classics. Support comes from “The Quotes” who take to the stage at 19:45, followed by Haircut One Hundred at 21:00.

Tickets are available from Ticketmaster on 0844 844 0002 or can be booked online from www.ticketmaster.co.uk or www.ticketline.co.uk.


Sunday, January 23, 2011

R.E.M.- Überlin Premiere

R.E.M. willl have their brand new song "Überlin" premiered on Monday, January 24th, on BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce Show. This song also announces the release of their fifteenth studio album which is due to be released in March.

http://remhq.com/news_story.php?id=1277


Saturday, January 22, 2011

80's Duets: Barbara Gaskin & Dave Stewart- "It's My Party"

After the successful 'Nude Wave' series which was featured last year we will serve you the best duets from the 80's decade during this year. Every month will feature one special video and we will start things of with with Barbara Gaskin & Dave Stewart and their 30 years anniversary cover "It's My Party".

 

John Foxx and the Maths- Interplay

Interplay is the hotly anticipated new album from John Foxx and The Maths. This is a collaboration between John Foxx and electronic composer and synthesizer collector, Benge (Ben Edwards) who's best known for his 2008 album "Twenty Systems" which was described by Brian Eno as 'a brilliant contribution to the archaeology of electronic music'.
Moody and atmospheric, but also full of songs that are actually more 'pop' than avant-garde, 'Interplay' pulls various strands of electronic music together - from early electro to 70s Krautrock. One of the tracks, "Watching A Building On Fire", features Mira Aroyo from Ladytron who also came up with the original synth riff.

blog.thequietman.co.uk


Friday, January 21, 2011

New Ultravox Album Confirmed

After the successful return to the music scene in 2009 with the Return to Eden tour, Ultravox have signed a recording deal with Universal Records and have been working on a new album since late 2010 which is nearing completion. The band has also announced the release of the brand new EP, 'Moments from Eden', due to be released by 'Eden Recording Ltd' on February 21,2010. The 4 track CD is also comes out as a Limited Edition 10" vinyl disc and features "New Europeans", "White China", "Love's Great Adventure" and "Herr X" - a special version of "Mr X", with Warren Cann vocalizing in German.



Wednesday, January 19, 2011

New Musik- New Reissues

All three albums by New Musik which is the featured band of January have been reissued. This is the second/third time that the New Musik material is getting a new release. It is reported that the new Cherry Red 2011 re-master will likely sound clearer and more dynamic than the previous ones and the new thing is the the first two albums come as a 2CD set. The third album 'Wrap' sees the second reissue with the same bonus tracks which were included on the Japanese release in 2001.

www.cherryred.co.uk/newreleases

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

WAW: Mirrors- Into the Heart

The upcoming Mirrors single "Into the Heart" has a new video directed by US design. The song will be released on February 14, 2011. This song also announces the release of Mirrors debut album which is due to be released on February 28, 2010.

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Rewind Festival- 80's Supernova

Rewind – The 80s Music Festival is to launch a new weekend event at Scone Palace in Perthshire, Scotland from 29th-31st July 2011. The festival will boast the biggest live outdoor line-up of 80s recording artists and performers ever! Tickets go on sale to the general public at 9am on Friday January 21st. For further ticket outlet info and prices visit: www.rewindfestival.com.The all-star 80s line-up will perform at the historic setting of Scone Palace in Perthshire; the home of The Earls of Mansfield and the crowning palace of the Kings of Scotland. 

More info:
http://www.noblepr.co.uk
Ticket Info

Retrovision: New Musik- This World of Water

White Lies- Ritual

White Lies have released their second studio album and a follow up to their debut 'To Lose My Life'. The album is out through Fiction Records and it was produced by Alan Moulder and Max Dingel. The first single from the album, "Bigger Than Us", was released on January 3, 2011. The band is currently on tour supported by Active child and Crocodiles.

Tour Dates

Sunday, January 16, 2011

The Blitz Club 2011

Tomorrow night will see the reopening of one of the most famous nightclubs in UK history. The Blitz Club was the focal point of the art, fashion and music scene that would go onto become known as New Romantic. It attracted some of the biggest stars of the day alongside The Blitz kids - young club-goers whose radical fashion was key in shaping look of the late 70s and early 80s.

Find out more here
http://www.theblitzclub.com/index.php

Thursday, January 13, 2011

'Kraftwerk: Music Non Stop'

'Kraftwerk: Music Non Stop' is the new book about one of the most influential bands in the history of electronic music. This book is a collection of original essays looks at Kraftwerk - their legacy and influence - from a variety of angles. It was written and edited by Sean Albiez and David Pattie and published by Continuum Books. 'Kraftwerk: Music Non Stop' is also available via amazon.com

http://www.continuumbooks.com


Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Casey Spooner- Adult Contemporary

A former Fischerspooner member Casey Spooner is back with his debut solo album 'Adult Contemporary' which takes Spooner to new musical directions. The first single to be taken from the album is "Spanish Teenager" co-written with Scissor Sisters' Jake Shears and produced by Jeff Saltzman. The single will be released on January 24th in the UK while the album is available here.

Official Video for the song "Spanish Teenager"


Back to Phuture with Blancmange and Mirrors

The new edition of Back to Phuture on BBC 6 Music will feature Blancmange who will release a new album in March after a 25 year break. The duo join Mark to talk about the music which inspired them to pick up electronic instruments, why they've decided to reunite after a quarter of a century apart and what they've been up to in the intervening years. In the last half hour of the show, there's a guest mix from new Brighton-based electro band Mirrors. Having toured Europe with OMD at the tail end of last year, the band play a mix of the 'synthfluences' which have informed their debut album 'Broken By Silence', due out in February. Don't miss it, Sunday, 20:00 on BBC 6 Music.

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Gang of Four Deluxe Can

The long awaited new album by Gang Of Four is set to be released on January 24th 2011. The album will be available in three standard formats as well as a limited edition special package. The standard formats are a CD release, gatefold vinyl, as well as a digital format. It will also be available in a limited edition 'Ultimate Content Can' which contains six booklets, the new album booklet and the second featuring an art piece Jon and Andy have created to depict the last 40 years of world history. There is also a free MP3 from the new album available via Gang of four official.

Get the album here
Gang of Four- You'll Never Pay for The Farm (Music Video)

Monday, January 10, 2011

Instant Hit: Obscure By Degrees- I'm Dying

"I'm Dying" is the only release by a rather unknown band called Obscure by Degrees. They released this fantastic single with "A Woman Like You" as a B-side. The single was released in 1981 for the KA records and it was produced by Phil Towner.


Sunday, January 9, 2011

Blondie- Panic of Girls

The new album by Blondie is expected to be released soon after the original release date was delayed for some, as they say political reasons. Their ninth album will be entitled 'Panic of Girls' and it was recorded in late 2009 and 2010. The albums includes cover songs as well few songs in French and Spanish, while all the songs in English were written by Debbie Harry. No singles were yet announced, but there is one song available for a free download via .Blondie official.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Welcome to 1981!!

Snowy Red- The Ultimate Edition

'Onderstroom Records' will release a compilation 'Snowy Red 1980-84, The Ultimate Edition'. The five disc box set (vinyl or cd) contains the three first, demos, alternate takes, b-sides and a couple of unreleased tracks. Cover design by Michaël Thiel, based on a photography bty Stéphane Sergeant.
Check out this site for more information.


Friday, January 7, 2011

New Musik

New Musik was a synth pop group from England, formed in 1978. The original line up of the band consisted of Tony Mansfield, Clive Gates, Tony Hibbert and Phil Towner. Their music developed from consumable pop records to doomy and complex sounds. They released three great albums and several singles before disbanding in 1982.


New Musik was formed as a result of long standing friendships and chance meetings during the seventies growing out of a casual band of South London school friends in 1978. The group was having several sessions at TMC which would later result as their debut album. Their first single was released in August 1979. 'Straight Lines' amply demonstrated their intentions. that they were aiming for radio music. Despite being very radio friendly tune, it failed to make a major dent in the charts, but New Muisk made their appearance on Top of the Pops and their debut album reached the top 40 in the UK.


Several singles from the album followed including “Living by Numbers” which was later adapted for a Casio advert on national TV. The third single “This World of Water” did well enough in the charts to prove that the album would not remain a one hit wonder. “This World of Water” also revealed a more complex and deeper approach to their music. To coincide with the album release, the band embarked on their first UK tour, as well as playing some dates in Europe.


In 1981, the band announced the release of their second album ‘Anywhere’. Armed with the desire to experiment, they recorded a far more complex album and released it in March 1981. It was released both on vinyl and as a cassette. To many fans it was their best album, but it failed to impress wider audience and gain the success of the debut album. Their label GTO started to fold leaving New Musik to the mercy of the parent company CBS.


The group went through a period of turmoil with a result of Tony Hibbert and Phil Towner quitting the band. Mansfield and Gates hired a new drummer and went to record the third album as a trio. The final album ‘Warp’ was released in 1982 and it was even more experimental than the previous release. It was entirely electronic and recorded with digital samplers and emulators. New Musik disbanded shortly after this release in the same year.

All three albums will be reissued by the Cherry Red Record label on January 17, 2011. Stay tuned for more info.

Source:
http://www.new-musik.co.uk/gallery-band.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Musik



(All media is copyrighted by their respective copyright owners)

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Mick Karn- 1958-2011

Japan bassist Mick Karn has died in the age of 52. Born Andonis Michaelides in Nicosia, Cyprus, Karn played with Japan from their formation in 1974 until their split in 1982. He also worked with Gary Numan, Kate Bush, Midge Ure and Bauhaus founder member Peter Murphy, with whom he formed Dalis Car in 1984.

Official Statemant
It's with profound sadness that we have to inform you that Mick finally lost his battle with cancer and passed away peacefully at 4.30pm today, 4th January 2011 at home in Chelsea, London. He was surrounded by his family and friends and will be deeply missed by all.


http://www.mickkarn.net/

RIP Mick

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