After much hype and anticipation, the first single from Magnetic Man will be released on 25th July through Columbia Records. The coming together of Dubstep bigshots Skream, Benga and Artwork has been tipped by many to produce one of the albums of the year and ‘I Need Air’ provides a strong preview of their forthcoming debut. Featuring the vocal talents of Angela Hunte – who co-wrote the massive Alicia Keys single ‘New York State Of Mind’ – the track opens with pulsating synths stabs before welcoming a lairy bassline into the proceedings. Treading a line between dubstep and hands aloft electro pop, ‘I Need Air’ is sure to appeal to dance music fans from across the board – not simply to followers of their previous work.
‘I Need Air’ signals the start of a hectic period for the band. Not only do they have to fit their touring schedule around Skream and Benga’s hectic DJ schedule, but Skream has also readied his second solo album ‘Outside The Box’ for release later this year. Magnetic Man will play the following dates later this year. Head to their website for more details.
26th October – Waterfront, Norwich.
28th October – Trinity, Bristol.
29th October – Warehouse Project, Manchester.
30th October – Sub Club, Glasgow.
2nd November – Concorde II, Brighton.
3rd November – Heaven, London.
4th November – Cockpit, Leeds.
5th November – Trent University, Nottingham.
Currently riding high after releasing one of the standout albums of the year so far, Spanish indie-dance band Delorean delivered gloriously executed set in the cramped first floor of The Lexington. Taking to the stage with a plethora of weird and wonderful electronic instruments, the band gave the eager crowd exactly what they wanted.
The tropical pop of tracks such as ‘Stay Close’ have certainly gained resonance in the usually hot British summer we’ve been experiencing. But, unlike your recently acquired summer shorts, you’ll almost certainly still be reaching for Delorean’s music for a while yet. With a set laden with tracks from their latest album ‘Subiza’ Delorean resemble Animal Collective if they’d experienced a mind altering weekend jaunt to Ibiza. By embracing Balearic influences into their sound, Delorean have drastically evolved from the electro tinged punk-funk of their earlier output.
One positive outcome in the marriage of indie and dance is that it has livened up once stagnant crowds at gigs. Delorean inspired bouts of hands aloft dancing amongst tonight’s audience, a much more welcoming environment for bands than a room full of crossed armed chin strokers. The band are currently embarking on a tour across the US & Canada before heading to Australia later in the year, for more details head to their MySpace.
This year’s Lovebox Festival is less than two weeks away. From 16th-18th of July London’s Victoria Park will be taken over by a wealth audible treats featuring the likes of Dizzee Rascal, Roxy Music, Grace Jones, Chase & Status and Hot Chip. Originally conceived by Groove Armada’s Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, the festival has steadily risen to become one of the highlights of London’s festival season. The site now holds around 50,000 revelers spread out over 6 stages and tents, playing host to staggering batch of bands and DJs.
This year Lovebox is giving one unsigned band the enviable prize of opening the festival. The entrants have been whittled down to five acts and Lovebox needs your help in choosing the right one. Simply head here to listen to the bands and vote for your favourite. In return, you could win one of ten pairs of tickets to this year’s festival.
To get you in the mood Lovebox have compiled three separate playlists – one for each day of the festival. Listen now to Friday, Saturday & Sunday for the perfect build up. For those who aren’t lucky to win, head to the official site as some weekend and day tickets are still available.
Hosted in the grandiose location of London’s Somerset House, for the last eight years the venue’s Summer Series have played host to a number of unmissable gigs. This year’s lineup is no exception, with a jaw dropping list of established and upcoming artists gracing the prestigious stage. With London currently experiencing a unseasonably warm summer, these shows are likely to be the highlight for many a gig goer this month. The full line up for the series – held between July 8th and July 18th – is as follows;
July 8 – MYSTERY JETS & Connan Mockasin / Tribes
July 9 – AIR & Olof Arnalds
July 10 – NOAH & THE WHALE & Villagers
July 11 – N-DUBZ – What Next Event
July 12 – THE TEMPER TRAP & Middle East
July 13 – THE XX
July 14 – GIL SCOTT-HERON & Mayer Hawthorne
July 15 – FLORENCE + THE MACHINE & Holly Miranda
July 16 – CORINNE BAILEY RAE & Dan Sultan
July 17 – DIVINE COMEDY & Cathy Davey
July 18 – SOUL II SOUL
As to be expected with such a stellar line-up, many of the nights have already sold out. For full line up information head here. However, we’ve managed to grab three pairs of tickets for the opening night with Mystery Jets. The band will no doubt be in celebratory mood after the release of their latest album ‘Serotonin’. While we’ve yet to hear it in full, their new single ‘Dreaming Of Another World’ has had us itching in anticipation.
To win tickets to see Mystery Jets at Somerset House simply answer the question below.
Primary 1 has been on our radar ever since his debut single ‘Hold Me Down’ – released on Erol Alkan’s ‘Phantasy Sound label’ ingrained itself in our ears back in 2008. Since then the British producer, aka Joe Flory has kept our attention with a clutch of singles and remixes. After his recent collaborations with fellow producer Riton, Primary 1 returns with his latest single ‘Princess’ on 5th July, the first release from his recent deal with Atlantic. It’s an addictive slice of perky electro pop that is sure to soundtrack its fair share of hazy summer evenings this year. It’s also backed by a fantastic video, which brings to life the surrealist art of Rene Magritte.
We caught up with Primary 1 – fresh from his first appearance at Glastonbury – to discuss the single, future collaboration plans and if England’s disappointing exit from the World Cup soured the mood at Glastonbury.
After a sold out show last year, revered DJ Tiësto returns to London’s Victoria Park this summer. Last year’s event attracted more than 25,000 clubbers and this summer’s event is likely to follow suit. While the Dutch DJ would probably be enough of a draw himself, the lineup is bolstered by a special appearance from Australian stadium dance behemoths Pendulum.
However, the line up doesn’t stop there; Tiësto has also pulled in some of the world’s finest DJ talent, spread across three other arenas. The Mixmag and Don’t Stay, House Rules and Future Disco all curate an arena, with a jaw dropping display of DJ’s including Eddie Halliwell, South Central, Gareth Wyn and Greg Wilson to name a few.
Luckily – for one competition winner and a friend – we have a pair of tickets to giveaway for the event on 30th July 2010. For the chance to win this prize, send your answer to the below question to competition@shazamteam.com.
Cementing his reputation as one of the busiest men in music, Mark Ronson returns with his forthcoming single ‘Bang Bang Bang’. Featuring the talents of legendary rapper (and fan of Shazam) Q-Tip and Californian Electro Pop starlet MNDR, the track embraces a distinctly more electronic sound than his previous – and sometime much maligned – horn heavy retro pop sound. Taken from his forthcoming new album ‘Record Collection’, the album is the first release under Ronson’s new moniker Mark Ronson And The Business. Predictably the album features a plethora of collaborations including The Drums Jonathan Pierce, Miike Snow and Boy George.
‘Bang Bang Bang’ is accompanied by a particularly bombastic video that takes its pointers from the 80’s movie Tron. Ronson controls a plethora of synthesizers while Q-Tip and MNDR trade vocals. The clip is directed by Warren Fu who also directed this brilliant video for Julian Casablancas’ ‘11th Dimension’.
