EP Review: Utopia - Me Giorgio - Giorgio Moroder vs. I-Robots

2013 was a bit of a renaissance year for Giorgio Moroder, his production influence highlighted as a result of a massive hat tip courtesy of Daft Punk and some excellent coverage in the mainstream media.

Moroder is without doubt a musical genius - a multi-instrumentalist and visionary producer, much of his work of the late-70s and 80s is staggering. I Feel Love is frankly better than most artists achieve in a whole lifetime.

None of this gives us anything new to devour though - whilst Moroder still creates music it can be hit and miss... The Daft Punk collaboration is pretty great (even if you do hate the intro), but his remix of Haim's Forever is, frankly, dog shit (and it's his fault, not Haim's).

I'd argue we don't need anything else, anything new... Just stick I Feel Love on again and gurn your way through another 16-minutes of pleasure. Still, into this flabby modern wasteland come I-Robots' re-constructions of Utopia.

I-Robots' aim was simple - take the partially mixed track that appeared on Moroder's From Here To Eternity and create longer stand-alone versions. And that they do, successfully. All three versions are very true to the originals (re-edits more than remixes to be honest) - cleaned and extended but little else.

The 1977 Reconstruction extends the track from 3:23 to almost seven minutes. The 2014 Tape Reconstruction is created based on a dream of the remixer in which they found an old lost Moroder tape, using it to give the track a slightly fuller mix and a slight cassette fuzziness. Finally the 2014 Reconstruction is a cleaner version of the Tape Reconstruction, the tech-house beat giving it a more contemporary feel.

The three mixes are similar enough that this is really aimed at real Moroder fans and to be honest, the greatest appeal is likely to be in the availability of the track on a standalone 12-inch for the first time (without the 2014 Reconstruction). The 1977 Reconstruction does the job though, and I'd happily spin that all day every day provided it meant I never had to hear that dreadful Haim remix again. Shame on you Giorgio.

Utopia - Me Giorgio is released through Deeplay Digital and Opilec Music on 28 February.

2014 Hype: Say Lou Lou

The next act in my list of hype acts for 2014 are the Australian / Swedish duo Say Lou Lou. Twin sisters Elektra and Miranda Kilbey were born to an Australian father and Swedish mother in Australia, but grew up with periods in both of their parent's homelands. And you can kind of tell... 

And that is because there is just a touch of the electronic cool you hear in the production style across much of the Modular label, for example, but it is applied to a dreamy style of pop music that feels distinctly Scandanavian. We are in deep dream wave territory here - moments of maudlin and bewitching melodies combined with catchy new wave synth hooks, and others of uplifting and irresistible power ballads. It's a little like last year's darlings Haim (yes, sisters again) woke up with a tearful hangover and a bunch of Beach House and Echo and the Bunnymen albums for inspiration. In my book that's a pretty good thing.

Expect the album in the middle of the year, but the girls clearly aren't in a hurry. Having released their debut on Kitsuné in 2012 they have since formed their own label à Deux and are releasing through that, suggesting creative freedom is a key driver.

Start with the In The Dark EP and their cover version of Tame Impala's Feels Like We Only Go Backwards, both below:

Out now on Columbia / à Deux records worldwide. Download here: http://smarturl.it/mBITD?IQid=sc 7" vinyl available here: http://smarturl.it/BITDvinyl?IQid=sc 1. Better In The Dark 2. Beloved 3. Better In The Dark (@tigerandwoods remix) 4. Better In The Dark (Hygrade remix) 5.

We've always loved Tame impala, not only because they're a fantastic Australian band, but because it also hints at music we listened to growing up. There is something sweetly familiar and nostalgic about the music, yet still fresh and innovative. "Feels Like We Only Go Backwards" is really enthralling, it's like there are several different worlds inside one song.

There's a stack more worth checking out on Say Lou Lou's SoundCloud page, including their excellent track Julian.

EP Review: Relish EP V - Various

This new release from Rob Insinna aka Headman's Relish Recordings pulls together four remixes of three classic and influential tracks, giving them  the opportunity to be shared all over again. All three tracks are cult classics and the remixes are all pretty sympathetic to the originals.

Relish EP V opens with a Headman remix of Masimbabele from The Unknown Cases. The original came out on Rough Trade 25 years ago, marrying the work of Cologne residents and Can collaborators and disciples Helmut Zerlett and Stefan Kracthen with African percussionist Rebop Kwaku Baah to create an Afrobeat classic. Headman's mix retains an Afrobeat vibe and the raw electro edge suits his production style.

The Units saw something of a revival back in 2009 when their back catalogue was re-released and it's impact on the wider synth punk scene was re-evaluated. High Pressure Days remains their best track and included here the acidic synth melodies here shine as ever, glittering against the foreground of a song that details the more-relevant-than-ever mounting anxiety of modern living. Headman's dub is light in touch, reigning in the vocals and giving the track a little more room.

Concluding the EP are two mixes of Gina X's No G.D.M., one from Red Axes (it's their favourite ever track apparently) and one once again from Headman. The track mines a similar vein to some significantly more successful acts that followed, including Soft Cell, the Human League and much of the Electroclash movement of the early 2000s - expect plenty of vamping and androgyny. The Red Axes mix is loose and funky with a dubby undercurrent and spiky guitars whilst Headman's version is a little more straight... Bass guitar on lead and trademark Headman drums giving it much more pace.

There is no arguing with the three tracks here and whilst it is a shame to not get the originals included they are all under-exposed enough to warrant the revisit.

Relish EP V is released through Relish on 20 January. Preview Masimbabele and High Pressure Days through Soundcloud below:

Release Date: 20th January 2014 Cat No: Format: RR070 Format: Vinyl + Digital A1 The Unknown Cases: Masimbabele (Robi Insinna/Headman Rework) A2 The Units: High Pressure days (Headman Dub) B1 Gina X: No G.D.M. (Red Axes Remix) B2 Gina X: No G.D.M.

New: Glastonbury Festival announce the 2014 Emerging Talent Competition

Glastonbury Festival have once again announced their regular Emerging Talent Competition and I'm super excited to be able to announce to confirm that for the third festival in a row I will be one of the judges.

For those unfamiliar with the competition it gives new unsigned artists from the UK and Ireland the opportunity to compete for a slot on one of the Glastonbury Festival's big stages at the 2014 festival. Previous winners include Stornoway, Scouting For Girls, Treetop Flyers, the Golden Silver, Ellen and the Escapades, the Subways and last year Bridie Jackson and the Arbour (who played five sets at last year's festival!)

Bands wanting to enter have just one week to get their entry in, from Monday 20 to Monday 27 January via the official website for the festival. Entries are completely free (terms and conditions apply).

Entries are then whittled down to a long list of 120 by a panel of online music writers (myself included). From here the list is reduced to a shortlist of 8 artists but judges including Michael and Emily Eavis. Finally a live showcase scheduled for April will decide the winning act.

As I've highlighted in previous years, please note I can't discuss individual entries (and due to the volume of entries there is no way of telling which I will even be reviewing). Standard submissions are welcome as always but please note the volume of communication I receive goes up around the judging period, so responses can be delayed.

Album Review: Two Words - Rain Dog

Rain Dog is one Samuel Evans and Two Words comes from his own desire for variation and the impact of disperate inspirational sources. Whilst Evans apparently never considered himself a conventional songwriter in the form of lyrics, here he attempts to blend more established and traditional elements of songwriting with cutting edge electronic production techniques.

Two Words' narrative comes from the structure and flow of the album rather than the snapshot and scattergun lyrics that pepper its length. Starting with foundational elements that inspire him - Tom Waits, Joni Mitchel, Ella Fitzgerald, old movies - Evans builds entirely new work from these samples.

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Two Words - Rain Dog

The album packs distinct tonal shifts against a consistently constructed dubstep styled context. Two Words is modern and urban, yet takes in that which is not. Opener Felicity, featuring Bigson, is theatrical and almost sounds like it belongs in a futuristic take on the classic musical number. Other moments are deeper and tighter - Broken's dub backing providing some heavy legwork for intense soulful vocals, capturing intense R&B that feels heightened as a result of the surrounding contrast.

Highly textured in nature, Rain Dog's music unfurls itself in front of the listener in ways that continue to feel unexpected. Watch Over's laid back vocals and jazzy piano keys unravel in a moment, catching the listener unaware with their unpredictable humanity. Two Words is compact and focused, containing moments of beauty and intrigue. And it's not a bad start to 2014 at all.

Two Words is out now on Project: Mooncircle, available from Amazon.co.uk on MP3 [affiliate link].