‘Doncamatic’ was a Gorillaz track added to the re-release of their 2010 album ‘Plastic Beach’ and consequently released as the fifth single from that album. Referring to an extremely old-school Korg drum machine called the (breath in) Keio Gijyutu Kenkyujo DA20 DoncaMatic Disk Rotary Electric Auto Rhythm Machine: the vocal sample saying ‘doncamatic’ actually comes from from Korg founder Tsutomu Katoh – one of the pioneers of electronic music. Perhaps in keeping with the vintage theme, the main riff for the track comes from an extremely cheesy keyboard brass preset, but it’s credit to the ingenuity of Gorillaz that they are one of the few bands who can incorporate such a weedy sound and still manage to come up with a cracking tune. Some crisp beats and a strong vocal performance from Brit singer/songwriter Daley mould the track into a jaunty little number with the band’s musical footprint all over it. A more pop driven number than the rest of ‘Plastic Beach’, ‘Doncamatic’ is nevertheless a welcome addition to the cartoon group’s eclectic output.
Gorillaz fans looking for a more edgy take on the track should look out for the remix by UK dubstep maven, Joker. Taking the original into bass swollen p-funk territory, his remix of ‘Doncomatic’ sounds like a track made by a robot George Clinton beamed in from the future.
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.
The world’s favorite cartoon rock stars are back with their highly awaited third offering. Gorillaz, the project created by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, has enjoyed an impressive cast of high profile guests in ‘Plastic Beach’, including Snoop Dogg; De La Soul; The Horrors; Lou Reed – there were even rumours about a collaboration with Barry Gibb which have to be confirmed. For the first single, ‘Stylo’, the rocking cartoons manage to put together the vocal talents of two exceptional collaborators: Bobby Womack and Mos Def.
‘Stylo’ has just leaked and can be listened at the band’s website. Gorillaz were also announced this week as one of the headliners at this year’s Coachella festival. Keep an eye for the band members tweets for related surprises until the record is officially launched.
