BlackPlastic recently mentioned the Seriously Social 'Dream Party' competition where you could specify your dream party and get the chance actually throw it. We thought we'd quickly mention that the shortlist is in. Natch, our entry didn't make the cut (more fool them) but twenty five interesting concepts did.
You can head over to the Seriously Social Facebook page to check them out and voting. Voting closes on 11 December and there are further competitions to win £500 and an HTC Hero.
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To be honest BlackPlastic was ready to slate it but instead we will say this - you will like FabricLive49 if:
There are a few better moments but, in all honesty, they are not good - they just gave BlackPlastic a bit of a breather because they didn't sound like a baby screaming.
It might be built to sound like a soundclash but to BlackPlastic it just IS a soundclash.
Download the full version of 'Kurum (Roulet Remix)' by Buraka Som Sistema, which appears on FabricLive 49 for a taste [right click, save as].
BP x
FabricLive 49 is out tomorrow, available for pre-order now from Amazon.co.uk on CD [affiliate link].
But the truth is that if someone has made a genuinely brilliant hip-hop album in the past four years then we missed it. Even the near-universally-acclaimed MF Doom feels over-hyped.
It's with some surprise and a pang of nervousness then that BlackPlastic snuck a smile and shuffled back-and-forth to the beat on Portformat's debut album. Because on first listen it's good. Very good.
Bad news first. If you wanted to level criticism at The Repeat Factor you would be justified in complaining that the vocals fall short. Portformat's The Repeat Factor is really a demonstration of his production skill - the vocals suffer in the way that you would expect of an album that is producer, not MC, lead. They aren't bad - they just don't lead the music or captivate the listener.
What is good though is the production. With a loose, filtered feel it is vey reminiscent of J Dilla - but not the oft-immitated, vocal-sample based work he produced towards the end of his career. Instead The Repeat Factor sounds more like his work with A Tribe Called Quest on The Love Movement.
And it may be BlackPlastic's soft-spot for indie hip-hop showing again but The Repeat Factor is best when it strays into the left-field, as on 'U Gotta Find', the wonderfully textured 'Mothership' or on any of the superb instrumentals (or which particular note goes to 'Bionic Arms').
The jazzy touches and bags of space make The Repeat Factor shine. This is an album that manages to sound modern and yet still demonstrates that less IS more. It just about restores BlackPlastic's faith in hip-hop.
BP x
The Repeat Factor is released on Tokyo Dawn on 3 December 2009.
'I Won't Kneel' is Groove Armada's first proper single from a new album since the better-than-expected Soundboy Rock. And it would be easy to write it off and BlackPlastic is sure that many - except PopJustice possibly - will. Groove Armada just aren't cool.
But we tell you something - 'I Won't Kneel' is fab. It's a sparkling-modern-power-ballad-epic. It's a hands-in-the-air girl-power-boy-power-everyone-power liberation anthem. It's not cool, but it tears the fucking roof off and beside, this is what good pop music should be like. Gaga can goo goo all she wants, give us this any day.
BP x
I Won't Kneel is out now, available on Amazon.co.uk on CD, 12" and for a limited time on MP3 for just £0.29 [affiliate links].
This track is not, as we hoped, some sort of Daft Punk / Tupac mashup but is instead a fairly full-on Wiley-style banger. It could definitely be accused of being more than just a little bit cheesy (check those keys!) but the bassline ensures it is at least worthy of a few moments of your time and is fairly representative of their Fabric disk... If you like this there's a good chance you will like FabricLive 48.
Download and enjoy! [right click, save as]
BP x