Album Review: Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three): The Jazz Files - Dexter

Since its release back in 2001 (in the UK at least) the crazy cut up eccentricity of The Avalanches début album Since I Left You has been a firm favourite of BlackPlastic's every single summer. With each year that passes without a follow up album the likelihood of ever hearing more from the band wanes yet it still manages to be a hot topic and attracts plenty of speculation. The latest rumour is that we may indeed see a new album late this year. BlackPlastic will believe it when we actually hear it.

Dexter (or DJ Dexter if you prefer) has since officially left the band but is credited with having a signifcant influence on the band's sound.

And listening to Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three) that influence is obvious. Frankly if you are jonesing for a bit more Since I Left You then you will probably find a lot to like here. As the title suggests there is a jazz vibe that runs throughout the album, and the overall sound has a little more hip-hop and a bit less "kitchen sink", but ultimately for an Avalanches fan the sound is like slipping into an old comfy chair. The observant will even notice that some of the same old sample used by The Avalanches crop up here on 'Practice' but this time they feature an MCs' snippets alongside them, reflecting the different tone of Hi-Hat Club.

The ideas and samples come thick and fast - 'The Future' kicks off with an old radio programme opening before slamming down a hip-hop beat and some jazz keys. The magical pairing of these two elements is reminiscent of instrumental J Dilla but this being Dexter it all feels a little bit more 'turntablism' and less pure hip-hop.

Ultimately the album follows a similar pattern throughout - combinations of hip-hop beats and bassline, jazz samples and radio snippets fade in and out to create what feels like a continuous piece rather than a set of discrete songs.

Hi-Hat Club is not the eclectic party celebration album that Since I Left You was, its more focused nature meaning that it never scales the dizzy heights of that album. Yet it's still a compelling and interesting listen and a clear demonstration of Dexter's skill.

BP x

Hi-Hat Club (Volume Three): The Jazz Files is out now on Melting Pot Music, available from Amazon.co.uk on LP and MP3 [affiliate links].

Album Review: Darkroom Dubs Volume Two - various mixed by Silicone Soul

If you have heard of Silicone Soul you probably know them for their genre-defying track 'Right On!' from the turn of the last decade. It was the kind of track that found a place in many DJs sets it managed to please both techno fans and house heads with a combination of strings and loose percussion and despite the duo having released four albums over the years it remains their biggest track.

What you may not know is that the Glasgow duo are not only still active but they also run their own label, Darkroom Dubs. This is their second label compilation, following on from Darkroom Dubs Volume One in 2005.

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two surprises just based on how understated it feels. 'Right On!' was never exactly a fair barometer for Silicone Soul's sound but this never strays even close to the elements that made that track cross over. This is an album for fans of dark, atmospheric minimal music and it takes itself seriously. What you get, therefore, is serious music for people in clubs that want to dance and don't want to talk to other people.

It's clinical then, but in places it works. Opening track 'Diabolus In Musica' by Mirror Music lays down a delicate introduction that feels like floating in space and there are numerous tracks, especially those from Silicone Soul, that get a groove going on.

But what Darkroom Dubs Volume Two lacks is any form of transcendence. There is nothing here that adds up to more than the sum of it's parts - so it's basically a collection of average to good quality minimal tech-house tunes. Nice if that is your bag but ultimately, as the name suggests, this is music for darkrooms in nightclubs.

BP x

Darkroom Dubs Volume Two is out now on Darkroom Dubs.

Video: Who's Next - Curry & Coco

You liked Devo and the Human League, right? Good. You thought Shy Child were better when they sounded broken and that Datarock's sappy second album lacked the punch of their first? Us too. In which case check out Curry & Coco because they are pretty sick.

Originally from Lille, France, Curry & Coco have been busy in London working on an album with producer David Costen (Bat For Lashes, Chew Lips, Everything Everything). Entitled We Are Beauty it will be out "later this year" but rather than getting bogged down in that BlackPlastic suggests you bask in the sunshine brilliance of 'Who's Next' and Curry & Coco's forthcoming EP Sex Is Fashion.

BP x

Video: Drunk Girls - LCD Soundsystem

It's not that we are biased, it's just that LCD Soundsystem are still more exciting than everybody else. Check out the video Spike Jonze has made for new single 'Drunk Girls' as it's probably Jonze's best in years:

Very punk. Love it.

Forthcoming album This Is Happening is out on 17 May, the This Is Happening EP featuring 'Drunk Girls' is out now, both are on EMI.

Stay tuned - we will have a full review of the album on BlackPlastic soon.  The album can also be streamed in full over at the LCD Soundsystem website.

BP x

Video: I Said - Full Crate & Mar

BlackPlastic doesn't know much about this video apart from its awesome-ness.  It's a soul joint that is a bit reminiscent of some of Common's material from the Like Water For Chocolate era only a bit more melancholic. The video itself is pretty special so stick with it - it starts off very understated but as the song progresses it really starts to reflect the sounds - we won't say any more than that because it would spoil it.

The song is taken from the Conversations With Her EP, which is out now on Melting Pot Music, and the video is directed by Eric3000 & Marque.