Following last week’s awesome mix from the Lovebox team, we bring you an equally great mix from another UK festival; Bestival. With a lineup that boasts The Cure, Pendulum, Brian Wilson, DJ Shadow and Primal Scream, the guys at Bestival have prepped another stunning lineup. Taking place on the usually serene Isle Of Wight on September 8-11th, the festival is sure to close off the British festival season in style.
Each year the event encourages its revelers to get involved with its fancy dress theme. This year the instructions are to come as ‘Rock Stars, Pop Stars and Divas’ with the outfits being judged by special guests the Village People. Festival organiser Rob Da Bank comments, “I can’t think of a more suitable act to judge this year’s Fancy Dress competition than the Village People! They practically invented the genre so prepare to put some effort in to wow the cowboy, impress the policeman or win over the Red Indian with your best Rock Star, Pop Star or Diva…”.
To get you in the mood, multi-genre DJ’s The Nextmen have put together ‘The Nextmen Vs. Bestival 2011’ mix, which brings together some of the best tracks from artists all playing this years event. The mix is available for download here and features the likes of Magnetic Man, Public Enemy and SBTRKT.
Despite being released last year, Foster The People’s ‘Pumped Up Kicks’ is looking likely to be one of the creeper hits of this summer. With hushed vocals and a lethargic bassline, the track takes root in your mind and refuses to leave. Taken from the band’s recent debut album, ‘Torches’, it recalls the psychedelic tinged pop of MGMT and the whimsical harmonies of Peter, Bjorn & John. While the song possess one of the more cheery melodies you’ll hear this year, the lyrics nod to a much darker subject. Gun crime in schools. Lead singer Mark Foster has commented that he wanted the track to raise awareness of the issue and hopefully help to prevent similar tragedies occurring again.
The band were touted by many as one of the highlights of this year’s SXSW Festival after working with highly rated producers such as Paul Epworth and Greg Kurstin. The track reached the upper echelons of the Billboard Alternative charts and has also been a regular feature in our US & UK Tag charts. It looks likely to remain one of the standout tracks of the summer, as the band embark on an extensive tour across the US, Europe and Australia.
Here at Shazam we’ve teamed up with Warner and Linkin Park to give one lucky user the chance to win an amazing money can’t buy prize. By simply tagging the band’s latest single, ‘Iridescent’, you will be given the chance to win tickets to the Berlin premier of Transformers: Dark Of The Moon.
After tagging the track (using the free version of Shazam on iPhone or Android only) click on the competition banner. Enter your details and you could find yourself at an exclusive screening with stars of the movie and Linkin Park. The prize will include flights and accommodation for you and a friend, please note that this competition is only open to UK residents.
‘Transformers: Dark Of The Moon’ is the third movie in the series based on the popular 80’s cartoon, directed by Michael Bay and starring Shia LeBeouf. Linkin Park have now featured on the soundtrack for all three films; the soundtrack for ‘Dark Of The Moon’ features a specially re-recorded version of ‘Iridescent’ plus tracks from Paramore, Taking Back Sunday and My Chemical Romance.
HOW TO ENTER
1) The promotion is only open to UK users.
2) To take part, simply download the free Shazam app to your iPhone or Android device.
3) When you tag ‘Iridescent’ click on the banner at the top of the page. This will take you to the competition landing page, simply enter your details for a chance to win!
It was an absolute pleasure for us to host the one and only Seasick Steve in the Shazam Sessions studio. Taken from his latest album ‘You Can’t Teach An Old Dog New Tricks’, Seasick Steve delivered a typically breezy performance of ‘Have Mercy On The Lonely’. Based around a skuzzy yet bluesy slide guitar riff and fronted with Steve’s trademark southern drawl, the track is just one of the highlights on his fifth album – currently available on iTunes.
The singer – real name Steven Gene Wold – is one of music’s most intriguing characters. Steve’s former life as a laborer and a self confessed hobo has added to the appeal of this fascinating character; as has his varied collection of home made instruments, including his trademark guitar the three-string ‘Trance Wonder’.
Seasick Steve is playing a number of festival dates this summer, for more details head to his website.
‘K Is For Kelson’ is the new single taken from the multi-instrumental singer Bibio’s latest album ‘Mind Bokeh’. Despite his world influenced sound, Bibio hails from the West Midlands in the UK and is part of influential electro label Warp’s roster. ‘K Is For Kelson’ is a shimmering slice of pop that is perfectly timed for summer. Bibio has enjoyed a raise in profile after his music featured in a variety of adverts, ranging from Toyota cars and Amazon’s Kindle. His latest album has also proved to be his most accessible, with his folk tinged sound taking on a more pop led influence.
Fans of Phoenix and Toro Y Moi will find plenty to enjoy in this joyfully upbeat acoustic number. The accompanying video sees the singer play a range of instruments; from the acoustic guitar to the Chinese harp. It also reveals that Bibio potentially had a Seaseme Street vixation as a child, as throughout the clip the camera zooms in on a each instrument; revealing a letter of the alphabet. It’s a nice touch that is perfectly suited to the playful nature of the track.
Once again, London Festival Lovebox has already got us clearing our schedule in preparation for July 15th-17th. The inner city festival has pulled together a fantastic array of acts, with headliners ranging from UK indie upstarts The Wombats, the legendary Snoop Dogg – who will be performing his ’93 classic ‘Doggystyle’ in it’s entirety – and Scissor Sisters, who will undoubtedly give the weekend an suitably lavish finish. There’s a host of other musical delights over the course of the festivals three days, including Santigold, Blondie, The Drums, Jessie J and Example.
To get you in the mood, one of the festival founders (and one half of Groove Armada) Tom Findlay has put together a mix with tracks from a variety of artists playing this years event. Featuring the likes of Metronomy, Lykke Li, Azari & III and Black Devil Disco club. It’s available for download here, read on for the full tracklist.
Experimental Chicago outfit Maps & Atlases swung by the Shazam Sessions studio recently and treated us to a glorious acoustic version of ‘Solid Ground’. The track is taken from last years debut album ‘Perch Patchwork’, while the band have been around since the mid 00’s their previous recordings were all released as EPs.
Led by lead singer Dave Davison’s unique vocals, the track is a glorious slice of fuzzy folk pop. The band are currently prepping for a US tour, which kicks off next month and sees them trek across the States with RX Bandits.
Keep your eye on our YouTube channel for more exclusive sessions.
Seattle duo Beat Connection threw down an impressive warm up set in East London tonight, mustering future disco rhythms via an ensemble of Mac’s, Synth’s, drum machines and flickers of live guitar licks and vocals. While the expectant and eager sell out crowd slowly filled the dimly lit venue. Then New Yorkers Holy Ghost! were welcomed to the stage with generous applause, and launched straight into what felt from the off like a greatest hits set; with each tune in the tight 45 min set lapped up like a favourite by the shape throwing hipster crowd. We’re told it’s the last night of the European tour, save for some festival appearance over the summer, which “don’t count”. Obviously the DFA band felt at ease in London and were happy to end a touring stint in the city.
The former duo’s live show is now beefed out to a five piece with addition of bass, drummer and keys. A full, soaring sound which see dance rhythms colliding perfectly with a live band aesthetic.’ Say My Name’ and ‘Do It Again’ are rapturously received. Lead singer Alex Frankel switches between vocal duties and addition drumming on the centre stage second drum kit, often dueling opposite bandmates in a percussive frenzy.
The band returned to the stage for an encore, and seemed genuinely touched by the love shown to them by a dedicated London crowd.
‘White Horse’ is exactly the kind of track Shazam was made for, one that gets in your head and often favoured by DJs – but you can never recall who penned it. The song originates from Danish duo John Guldberg and Tim Stahl, otherwise known as Laid Back. The pair found success in their native country with their eponymous debut album, before their single ‘Sunshine Reggae’ went on to be a number one hit across Europe. However when the track found its way to the US, buyers were unimpressed with the predictable cod-reggae of the A-side and favoured the B-side ‘White Horse’.
The gulf between the tracks is so large you’d be forgiven for thinking they come from different bands. While ‘Sunshine Reggae’ has faded into obscurity, ‘White Horse’ is often heralded as one of the standout dance tracks of the 80’s. With it’s irresistible bass line and sly drug reference (‘White Horse’ is slang for Heroin) the track quickly became a club hit in the States.
‘White Horse’ has continued to influence electronic acts, with Hot Chip not only adopting Laid Back’s vocal harmony style, but also name checking the band in their 2006 single ‘Over & Over’.
This week Lady Gaga released her eagerly awaited second album ‘Born This Way’. After her fans, or as Gaga calls them her “little monsters”, lapped up the eponymous lead single and ‘Judas’ anticipation for this record has been high. Working with a variety of producers, the singer has produced an ambitious and suitably bombastic album. Since exploding onto the scene with her 2008 single ‘Just Dance’, Gaga has revitalised the world of pop with her outlandish outfits, ambitious stage shows and controversial videos.
After ‘Born This Way’ became the fastest selling single in iTunes history, the album is sure to find its way at the top of albums charts across the globe. The album already caused Amazon’s servers to virtually meltdown, after fans flocked to take advantage of a promotional 99 cent download offer. For those who missed the one-day deal, we’re giving you the chance to get your hands on the album – for free! We have five copies of ‘Born This Way (Special Edition)’ to give away, to be in with a chance to win simply answer the question below: Read more…
