Shazamers' Blog

Currently riding high at the top of the UK charts with his second single, ‘In My Head’, US R&B rising star Jason Derülo looks set to make his mark on 2010. The singer has been on our radar since his debut single ‘Watcha Say’ dominated the Shazam US New Release Chart in mid 2009. Despite only releasing two singles so far, Derülo has been in the song writing game for the past few years, writing for the likes of Diddy, Birdman, Sean Kingston and Cassie. Nevertheless, it was evident that the singer would eventually strike out on his own after spending most of his life studying music and performance.

His eponymous debut album was released this week and is currently firmly in the iTunes top ten. Luckily we managed to grab a few spare minutes of his time and find out about his future plans, what happened when he toured with Lady Gaga and whether he had firsthand experience of any of P.Diddy’s legendary parties…

‘In my Head’, your latest single, is at number one at the moment – a great achievement for your second single! Tell us a little about the track and what influenced it.

JD – “With this track I wanted to explore the rock side of things a bit more, because I’m a music lover and I wanted to infuse all kinds of music. So JR (Producer JR Rotem) came up with this wonderful beat with the rock guitars/drums and I had an idea to write a song about my imagination. I have a very vivid imagination; everyone has fantasies, so I wanted to explore it. You know meeting someone for the first time, a lot of the time I have fantasies (laughs) that go through my head so I wanted to explain it; basically it’s an invitation to my imagination”.

You mentioned the track has a slightly rockier edge than your previous single, what kinds of influences are there across the album?

It’ll be the same thing, always man – always a reinvention. Those (singles) are two totally different songs, one has an indie electro sample in it and the other has a rock influence. That’s what the album is. It’s a music lover’s album – if you like all kinds of music then this album is for you. There’s so many genres implemented to create this new pop sound, it’s all deep rooted in pop but there’s many influences.

In ‘Watcha Say’ you sampled the Imogen Heap song ‘Hide And Seek’ – not a track you would immediately associate with an R&B artist like yourself. How did you discover it?

Like I said, I’m a music lover, man. I’ll just go into the record store and pick up some random CD, just because I’d never heard it before. I’m just so curious, I’m a student of music, I wanna continue to discover new things.

Have you had any feedback directly from Imogen Heap herself?

Yeah she’s excited, she’s excited her song got to take a new flight you know.

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Jon Davies News Jason Derulo

Red Bull’s recent embrace of dance music through the Red Bull Music Academy is a probably one of the best examples of a brand getting involved with music in a positive way. Taking place in a different city each year, RBMA comprises of a series of educational events and unique live club experiences that aim to enrich the scene of each metropolis the project visits.

This week the second term of RBMA takes place in London and features a mind bending array of inspired club experiences. Highlights include a 70’s inspired Roller Boogie that showcases performances from authentic American roller boogie pros and a rare set from Moodymann A.K.A. Detroit’s Kenny Dixon Junior – one of the world’s most elusive and revered purveyors of disco and deep house. If the night is even 50% as amazing as the trailer for the Saturday Night Fever spin-off, Roller Boogie (above), then this will be something truly special.

Other musical picks include a special night celebrating  12 inch vinyl culture that sees an array of top DJ’s play for 12 minutes; with X-Press 2, Ronnie Size and A Guy Called Gerald just some of the famous names taking part. All proceeds for the event go to War Child, a small international charity that protects children from the brutal effects of war.

Also as part of the RBMA program there will be a preview of Sonar Festival at The Roundhouse featuring hip hop maven DOOM, and a night curated by the emphatic Flying Lotus at Fabric. The series of events is climaxed with the folks from the legendary Secretsundaze party taking over Paramount – a venue on the top floor of an Oxford Street office block that offers spectacular 360˚ views of the capital. Who needs the London Eye?!

Stephen Titmus News flying lotus, Moodymann, Roller Boogie, Secretsundaze

Legendary American alternative rockers The Smashing Pumpkins have readied another taster from their latest project. The song, ‘A Stitch In Time’, is the third offering from ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope’, The Smashing Pumpkins’ eighth full studio album. Despite the departure of original drummer Jimmy Chamberlin – leaving lead singer Billy Corgan as the group’s only original member – the album promises to be another interesting chapter in one of modern rock’s most enigmatic groups. According to Corgan, ‘Teargarden by Kaleidyscope’ is supposedly made up of a mammoth 44 individual tracks. So far the singles have been delivered in the form of free downloads but there will also be a physical EP released April 20th 2010 entitled, ‘Teargarden By Kaleidyscope Vol.1, Songs For A Sailor’. The latest single ‘A Stitch In Time’ recalls the lighter acoustic moments from ‘Siamese Dream’ and hints at a far different sound to their 2007 comeback album, ‘Zeitgeist’. However, one thing that we’ve learned from Corgan over the years is to expect the unexpected. If ‘Teargarden…’ is anything like their previous double album – 1995’s’ ‘Melon Collie’ and ‘The Infinite Sadness’ – then it’s likely to embrace a plethora of sounds and influences.

Those who wish to check out the new track should head to http://www.smashingpumpkins.com/

Stephen Titmus News The Smashing Pumpkins

A new number one in the Shazam Pre-release Tag Chart UK as Inna’s ‘Hot’ finally wrestles the top spot away from Tinie Tempah.

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).
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Stephen Titmus News, Shazam Pre Release Chart UK inna

After his download only single ‘Diminishing Returns’ late last year, Ali Love returns with his first full release from his forthcoming second album. ‘Love Harder’ is an entrancing slice of Italo sliced pop, one that proves a great taster for the album. You may remember Ali Love from his appearance on The Chemical Brothers ‘Do It Again’ or for his unfairly ignored singles ‘Secret Sunday Lover’ and ‘Late Night Session’. After parting ways with his previous label Columbia, Love has joined forces with UK indie label Back Yard Recordings – home to the likes of Chromeo, Gossip and Teenagersintokyo.  

‘Love Harder’ is released on March 8^th on single and download. For a sneak preview of the track, head here to download a free remix by Norwegian space-disco master Prins Thomas.

Jon Davies News Ali Love, Prins Thomas

The good health enjoyed by the live circuit in recent years has facilitated the return of many notable vintage artists.  Among them, the seminal American new wave combo Devo. Their recent comeback tour was such a success the group has announced they’ll be hitting the studio and releasing a new album in 2010, their first for twenty years.

A rather excellent taster of Devo’s recent work is called ‘Fresh‘. It was unveiled after their performance at the Winter Olympics and can now be heard on their website - where the band is also conducting a peculiar colour study, the results of which will form the basis of the band’s future artwork.

Roberto Gonzalez News

In possession of one of the coolest band names around, Cymbals Eat Guitars, hailing from Staten Island, New York, greet tonight’s Hoxton crowd in understated fashion, before entertaining with a tight set drawing heavily from their 2009 album ‘Why There Are Mountains’.

The part shoegaze, part surf rock four piece innovatively weave jangly indie guitar melodies. Front man Joseph D’Agostino howls out his vocals in mesmerizing fashion, backed by subtle keys and taught bass and drum rhythms. It is at the peak of their melodic builds, however, that Cymbals… wield their power as a band equipped with many a intense, distorted guitar solo. Such freakouts inject a raw passion in to tracks like ‘…And the Hazy Sea’ or ‘Indiana’, staying just the right side of overly noise heavy breakdowns.

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Jon Davies Gigs/ Events, News Cymbals Eat Guitars

After combining the legendary voice of soul legend Bobby Womack with the slick Hip-Hop flow of Mos Def on their last single ‘Stylo’, Gorillaz continue to showcase some intriguing collaborations with great results. The next cut from their forthcoming album, ‘Plastic Beach’, will be ‘Superfast Jellyfish’; an odd ball rap track featuring De La Soul and Super Furry Animals frontman, Gruff Rhys. Debuted yesterday on the UK’s Radio 1, the record centers around an old school break beat and De La Soul’s slightly psychedelic lyrics about crunchy carrots and King Neptune. Ramping up the trippy vibe are some neat touches including an off kilter sitar and some very underwater sounding vocoder effects.

The band have wasted no time getting this latest track up on line – head to YouTube to check it out.

In other Gorillaz related news the band have also announced they will be lining up a series of gigs later in the year. Speaking at the NME Shockwaves award ceremony this week, the cartoon band’s real life imaginer Damon Albarn had this to say:
“At the moment I wouldn’t want to play Glastonbury or something because I’d be setting myself a very high benchmark but we’re definitely going to play some big gigs in the UK or in England or in London this year. The band is sounding really good, I’m really excited.”

‘Plastic Beach’ is released 8th March. For more info head to Gorillaz MySpace.

Stephen Titmus News gorillaz

This week Canadian noise punk duo Japandroids continued their mammoth hoping tour in support of 2009’s excellent LP ‘Post Nothing’ with a sold out gig at London’s ICA.

Japandroids took to the stage amid huge measures of sonic distortion and crowd anticipation then tore through their album ‘Post Nothing’ at break neck speed. They thrashed out the life affirming ‘Wet Hair’, ‘The Boys are Leaving Town’, and ‘Rockers East Vancouver’ with the same level of sweaty enthusiasm they receive from the crowd. New material was also aired, notably ‘Body Bag’, a song we are told may be new to us – but is old for the band.

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Jon Davies Gigs/ Events, News Japandroids

Tim Simenon AKA Bomb The Bass was among the most innovative mavericks of the UK’s early dance scene. Back in 1988, his sample based music blended hip-hop and electronics to create a sound that became almost inescapable at the time. Along with acts like M/A/A/R/S and S’Express, Bomb The Bass took the hip-hop aesthetic of sampling to the mainstream and helped revolutionise the way people thought about using other artists’ records. They were also notably the first ever act to create a record for a computer game scoring the music for the 1989 Amiga title, ‘Xenon 2 Megablast’.

After a ten year hiatus Bomb The Bass returned in 2008 with the album ‘Future Chaos’. Now, hardly a year later, Tim Simenon is back with another long player entitled ‘Back To Light’.

Produced by the Brazilian epic-house star Gui Borrato, ‘Back To Light’ is a far cry from his early work, favouring a melodic techno and pop influenced lilt over the visceral hip hop sounds of their first album. With vocal performances from avant-garde disco maven Kelly Polar and a keyboard session from none other than Depeche Mode’s Martin L. Gore, Bomb The Bass’ new album features some noteworthy guests.

Those interested in checking out the album should head here to download ‘Burn Less Brighter’ – a swirling, psychedelic electro pop track that features the vocals of long time collaborator, Paul Conboy.

‘Back To The Light’ is released 1^st March on !K7 records

Tracklisting:

01.   Boy Girl featuring Paul Conboy
02.   X Rays Eyes featuring Kelley Polar
03.   The Infinites featuring Paul Conboy
04.   Price On Your Head featuring Richard Davis
05.   Blindspot featuring Paul Conboy
06.   Start featuring Kelley Polar
07.   Burn Less Brighter featuring Paul Conboy
08.   Happy To Be Cold featuring Richard Davis
09.   Up the Mountain featuring The Battle Of Land And Sea
10.   Milakia featuring Martin Gore

Stephen Titmus New Music, News Bomb The Bass, Gui Borrato