Shazamers' Blog

As the decade draws to a close what better way to play it out than with a bit of Jimi Hendrix.

Happy New Year!

Stephen Titmus Tag Of The Day Jimi Hendrix

Greg Wilson’s ‘Credit To The Edit’ release in 2004 remains one of the seminal remix albums of the last 10 years and represents one of the most unexpected musical comebacks ever.

Greg began DJing way back in 1975. He was a pioneer of mixing and remixing in the UK and in 1983 he became the first ‘dance music’ DJ hired for a regular weekly session at Manchester’s now legendary Hacienda club. Greg was also the the first DJ to perform on UK television, the first UK DJ to have a remix pressed on vinyl and even taught Fat Boy Slim how to scratch back in 1983. However, despite this Greg retired from DJ’ing in 1984 whilst at the top of his game. As Acid House took hold in the late 80′s and was superceeded by the super club era in the ’90′s; Greg Wilson’s name was largely consigned to dance music’s history books and was rarely given the credit his pioneering work deserved. Greg’s ‘Credit To The Edit’ release helped rectify that.

Compiling previously unreleased edits and remixes, some of which were over 30 years old and had been made with nothing more hi-tech than a reel-to-reel tape player and a razor blade, the compilation took both familiar and overlooked music from the last 3 decades and re-introduced it to the listener in a totally unique way. Whether it was the sublime extended mix of Chaka Khan’s ‘I Feel For You’ or Greg’s vigorous reworking of Rockers Revenge that gave hints of house music years before the term was even conceived; the work on ‘Credit To The Edit’ showed just how far ahead of his time Greg Wilson really was.

The release of ‘Credit To The Edit’ also coincided with a transition in the fortunes of dance music in the mid ’00′s. A rise in the popularity of darker, more stripped down club music coupled with an increase in digital music vendors which offered an almost unlimited supply of brand new music meant that fewer and fewer DJ’s were digging out old records and recontextualizing them. Greg Wilson’s ‘Credit To The Edit’ flew in the face of this and became one of the catalysts for the rise of the Disco/ Balearic scene in the late ’00′s that saw countless new producers experimenting with their own re-edits of obscure disco, funk and soul tracks.

Thanks to ‘Credit To The Edit’ and a stream of consistently exciting DJ sets and remixes, Greg is now one of the most in demand DJ’s not just the UK but in the world – ranking 91^st in Resident Advisor’s influential world DJ poll.

Check out Greg’s appearance on UK TV in 1983. Look out for a totally clueless Jules Holland interviewing the man himself:

Stephen Titmus Shazam's Music Of The Decade Greg Wilson

As the year draws to a close, the focus quickly shifts from assessing which acts were big in the last 12 months and turns to working out which artists will break through in 2010. Buzz lists such as The BBC’s Sound Of 2010 and Spin magazine’s ‘10 Artists to Watch’ are widely recognised as being among the best at predicting which acts will breakthrough in the following year. However these lists are mainly subjective, based on the individual tastes of those compiling the pole. Shazam’s Sound Of 2010 is different. Derived from the music tastes of its 50 million users, Shazam’s Sound Of 2010 brings a quantifiable quality to its predictions for the New Year and picks many bands that have been heavily talked about on this very blog!
As Will Mills, Shazam’s Music & Content Director says;  “User generated data from Shazam has for the last two years picked out some of the most successful acts mooted for stardom by the critics from Duffy to Empire of the Sun. Our 50 million users have spoken and this year have picked out acts like The Drums, Nicki Minaj and Delphic as ones to watch in 2010.”

The Drums currently sit atop Shazam’s Sound of 2010 chart thanks to the success of their debut EP, ‘Summertime!’, to be shortly followed by the release of their first album in January. Shazam users have really got behind this explosive band, who mix the pop sensibilities of the Beach Boys with the post punk output of Factory Records. Acts like the Mancunian electro-influenced guitar band Delphic also made the Shazam top five with users across the globe forecasting big things for them next year. Recently signed to Polydor, Delphic produce harmony laden electro pop tunes and have already appeared on the Jools Holland show in the UK.
Music pundits across both sides of the Atlantic seem to be betting heavily on soul and rock next year. The BBC is predicting the half Jamaican soul singer Rox to take the music world by storm in 2010 and US-based Spin magazine is rating rockers like Free Energy and Final Fantasy as the next big thing. However, Shazam users have shown a little more diversity in their musical tastes and predictions, tagging breakthrough acts like Queens-based rapper Nicki Minaj and smooth crooner Chase Coy as just two of their preferred sounds of 2010. A teenage acoustic troubadour, Chase Coy has been wowing his MySpace followers with a clutch of songs already this year, whilst Nicki Minaj is the latest discovery by Lil’ Wayne’s record label Young Money Entertainment.
The pundits and the public do agree on some of the acts set to do well, with both the BBC pundits and Shazam users rating Brit Award-winning Ellie Goulding as a rising star for 2010. Born in Wales, this singer songwriter completes Shazam’s Sound of 2010. Fronting an eclectic mix of styles with her enchanting voice, Ellie Goulding has attracted a wealth of hype with her single Under the Sheets.

 Shazam’s Sound of 2010:

Stephen Titmus New Music, News Chase Coy, Delphic, Ellie Goulding, Nicki Minaj, the drums

After releasing the fantastic ‘Arular’, former Central St. Martins design student Maya Arulpragasam set herself the unenviable target of following up one of the most well received debuts of 2005. While many artists fall into path of radio friendly singles and a more commercial follow up, M.I.A stuck to her guns and crafted another bold, assured collection of songs. Aside from ‘Come Around’, which saw the singer collaborate with Timbaland, ‘Kala’ has no predictable overblown collaborations. The album was largely co-written by M.I.A and producer Switch – who had previously worked on ‘Arular’.

‘Kala’ was written whilst the singer travelled through several countries, something that can clearly be heard throughout. Whether it’s the Bollywood sampling ‘Jimmy’ or the South African rappers Wilcannia Mob lending their rhymes to ‘Mango Pickle Down River’, M.I.A’s backpacking jaunt obviously helped her overcome any second album nerves. The album also displays many influences that are closer to home, album opener ‘Bamboo Banga’ cheekily robs the melody of Jonathan Richman’s ‘Roadrunner’ and snippets of New Order, The Clash and Pixies can be heard across the album.

Combining a mélange of influences, Kala stands out as one of the defining albums of the decade; delivered by one of our most enigmatic and endearing female artists of our time.

Jon Davies Shazam's Music Of The Decade M.I.A

It should be no surprise that Sidney Samson tops the Shazam Pre-release UK Chart as his forthcoming single, ‘Riverside’, makes it six weeks at number 1.

To check the full chart click read more (You may have to turn ‘Mobile Theme’ off to view this chart correctly in Shazam’s apps)
Read more…

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart UK Sidney Samson

The Shazam New Release Chart USA highlights the most tagged new and pre-release tracks across all mobile platforms in the US. If you want to find out what will be topping the Billboard charts in the coming months the Shazam New Release Chart is the place to be.

This week Ludacris tops the Shazam New Release USA Chart with ‘How Low’; the first single from his forthcoming album, ‘Battle Of The Sexes’.

To check the full chart click read more (You may have to turn ‘Mobile Theme’ off to view this chart correctly in Shazam’s apps)
Read more…

Stephen Titmus Shazam New Release Chart USA Ludacris

Gramophonedzie’s ‘Why Don’t You’ is a track that’s been bubbling under the radar for quite some time, but now looks to be heading chartwards thanks to a little help from Positiva/Virgin records.
Originally released on US independent label Guesthouse in early 2009; Gramophonedzie’s off the wall combination of locomotive house beats and smoky 1930’s jazz vocals quickly gained the attention of dance crowds the world over. The record’s out of time break down, which has become infamous for stopping dance floors dead before dramatically sending them into pandemonium, became one of the most talked features of ‘Why Don’t You’ and made it a secret weapon in some of the world’s best DJ’s boxes. The track quickly became an anthem in clubs such as Space Ibiza over the course of the year; so much so that a quick search on YouTube garners results from a slew of A list DJ’s playing the record to rapturous responses. (Dennis Ferrer, Crookers and Pan Pot to name but a few).
Accompanied with a remix package that includes an effort from the legendary DJ Sneak, the record is due for a full UK release in early 2010. Already heavily supported by the likes of Pete Tong and Annie Mac, Why Don’t You’ looks set to be one of the New Year’s first big crossover tracks.

Dennis Ferrer spinning ‘Why Don’t You’ at Amsterdam Dance Event 2009

Stephen Titmus New Music Grampaphonedize

While 2009 has been fairly quiet for Late Of The Pier, 2010 looks set to bring good things for fans of the Castle Donington four-piece. The band have been locked in the studio with producer Erol Alkan, the man who helped craft their astounding debut album, and the first fruit of their labour comes in the form of the audacious new single, ‘Blueberry’.  The track is available now as a download through Alkan’s Phantasy label and will also be released on 12-inch vinyl in February – along with another new track, ‘Best In The Class’. ‘Blueberry’ is a slice of radio friendly cosmicness that again shows the bands penchant for fusing weird and wonderful sounds with their natural pop sensibility.

‘Blueberry’ is available to download through iTunes and Beatport now.

Jon Davies New Music Erol Alkan, Late Of The Pier

Nicki Minaj looks to be an artist set for big things in 2010. Her early mixtapes, ‘Playtime Is Over’ and ‘Sukka Free’, gained her plenty of plaudits with the underground hip hop community when they surfaced in 2007 and 2008 respectively. However, a close association with Lil Wayne and The Cash Money Records collective has seen the New York rapper’s appeal rise immeasurably in the last 12 months or so.

Her third mixtape, ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’, was released in August on Lil’ Wayne’s Young Money Records and has since been touted by taste makers such as The Source magazine as one of the best of the year. Featuring appearances from A-list rappers such as Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Busta Rhymes, Bobby Valentino and Drake as well as a genuine sleeper hit in the shape of ‘I Get Crazy’; it’s not hard to see why ‘Beam Me Up Scotty’s’ been held in such high praise.

With her notoriously revealing outfits, rapid fire flow and X-rated lyrics, Minaj comes across like an even racier version of Lil’ Kim.  With a cameo appearance on Young Money’s already massive ‘Bedrock’ and a full solo album due for release early next year; Nicki Minaj is definitely an artist to look out for in the next few months.

 For more info on Nicki Minaj check out her MySpace.

Stephen Titmus New Music Nicki Minaj

How do you follow-up 1997’s ‘OK Computer’, an album universally hailed as the best of the Nineties? In the case of Radiohead, by radically changing their sound and producing a record of similar resonance that, like their previous album, can be considered one of the best of the decade.   

 After achieving biggest band on the planet status, Radiohead announced they would embrace experimental electronica to reinvent their sound, thus generating rivers of ink and speculation. The band’s rejection of rock’s most conventional element –guitars- got the most traditional part of Radiohead’s fan base nervous. Therefore, ‘Kid A’ was surrounded in controversy from the first moment of its well-documented genesis. Despite this, the bold move paid off well with critics first and audiences later warming up to ‘Kid A’s’ new direction.

 The indisputable influence of classics tracks such as ‘Idioteque’, ‘Everything in the Right Place’ or ‘The National Anthem’ has helped reshaping the sound of mainstream rock.

Kid A’ arrived in 2000 kick starting another hugely successful period for Thom Yorke and co. More recently, after parting ways with their label, their album ‘In Rainbows’ stirred a musical revolution; this time for offering a new “pay as much as you like” download model that’s been mirrored in all corners of the arts as the potential way forward.

Roberto Gonzalez News, Shazam's Music Of The Decade radiohead