The Polish Ambassador is jumpsuit wearing David Sugalski, self billed on his myspace as ‘half diplomat, half groove generator, all asexual cyborg. Indeed it’s not merely his music, but the make-up of his entire character and back-story which help create an intriguing and unique listening experience.

The Polish Ambassador – Earth vs The World
[See post to listen to audio]

His facebook page lists his hometown as ‘The Infinite,’ and Sugalski commonly references his early days in outer space long before he came to earth to spread his electronic beats to the masses. Currently residing in Our World (more specifically California USA) The Polish Ambassador does not do much ambassadoring (-adjective, doing ambassadorry stuff) these days, he simply makes varied and interesting electro beats for us to listen, and dance to.

The Polish Ambassador – The Electro Kids Just Want To Dance
[See post to listen to audio]

To date he has 3 full length albums; Dimplomatic Immunity (2007), The Phantasmal Farm (2007) and I Found Him, Now I Must Kill Him (2008). Each one blends together elements of early computer game music with intelligent drum beats designed to make earthlings dance, each track is layered with synthesized bass and futuristic melodies which pay homage to his upbringing in the far reaches of the universe.

Space shenanigans aside, in a time where many electronica artists are blasting our ears with heavy bass and pounding drums, the The Polish Ambassador provides a much lighter melodic sound. Some may find this boring, but the beats are very danceable in a head nodding way and his ability to evoke mood in his lyric-less pieces is something that is much harder to create than it is to listen to.

The Polish Ambassador -  Infiltrating The U.N.
[See post to listen to audio]

Spotify Links

Diplomatic Immunity
The Phantasmal Farm

‘Alexander, IV’ is a natural progression for the band, retaining their trademark string and computer counterpoints, quirky alt-pop arrangements and boy/girl vocal harmonies, but presenting it in a more cohesive and polished package. They manage to convey much of the energy which marks out their live performances, but do so without the singing tipping over into ’shouting’  which it can so often do in these shows. I do feel some of the vocal parts here need to be pushed a bit more to the forefront, however, particularly O’Hare’s as the natural singer of the band. A little bit more attention to this facet in the mixing would have gone a long way to improving the overall sound, as next to the abrasive percussion and full instrumental parts, the vocals can sometimes sound a little feeble and the harmonies underwhelming. A shame, as when done properly, this is one of Urgent Talk’s most endearing features.

© Graham Shackleton

It is on track 4, ‘Owls’, where the vocals are at their best and we get a glimpse of what the band are capable of, with a dynamic theatrical performance of onomatopoeiac melodiousness that even Kate Bush would be proud of. The intricate interplay between the vocals, strings and acoustic guitar create some truly sublime moments, reminiscent at times even of Vaughan Williams’ own ornithologically-themed work, ‘The Lark Ascending’. Williams, however, had not heard My Bloody Valentine, and the song breaks into an epic ‘Loveless’-inspired outro. This particular influence is also reflected on tracks ‘Are You Going to Redbridge’, and ‘You Let Me Sleep in the Car’, though it avoids being derivative, and this development is perhaps the most ear-catching feature of Urgent Talk’s growing confidence and evolution as a band.

With this release, Urgent Talk again underline their huge potential, without fully realising it yet. I still feel that they are in need of a more organic drum arrangement. Without it, they may struggle to find the subtle dynamism needed to push their songs to the next level, though if ‘Owls’ is any indicator of the future then the signs are promising. The band still have a truly unique sound, and there is no doubting their creativity, nor their inspired genre-crossing range of motifs. They are now taking a hiatus, during which time they plan to work on their sound and live show, along with assorted solo projects. With a little fine-tuning, there is no reason why Urgent Talk can’t come back bigger and bolder than before. Perhaps this album does not befit the title ‘Alexander the Great’, but it is certainly ‘Alexander the Very Good’. 

Rating – 8/10

‘Alexander, IV’ is out now on Dear You Records and can be downloaded for free (128k version) or £2 (320k version) at: http://urgenttalk.bandcamp.com/. 

Urgent Talk – Palindromes

[See post to listen to audio]

Urgent Talk – Owls

[See post to listen to audio]

Urgent Talk – Untitled

[See post to listen to audio]

With Muse about to drop their 5th studio album “The Resistance” there are going to be a lot of people writing a lot of words about them this coming month and, in true ’sheep with a keyboard’ style, i’m going to be one of those people!

Now, to try and retain some degree of originality, rather than looking at the new album, or simply being another voice in the crowd saying how amazing their live show is (their live show is amazing by the way!), I’m going to have a bit of a look backwards at some remixes of Muse songs and  present those un/lucky few with their very own MRA! (Muse Remix Award)

Retro Remix Award

Muscle Museum – Soulwax Remix

[See post to listen to audio]

First up is the retro remix award and the winner is the genius’ that are Soulwax. Muscle Museum from Muse’s first album Showbiz is given an uplifting errrm… uplift from the belgian mixing masters. The mix stays true to the original song’s format, but replaces guitars for electronics and ups the tempo , the result is a, blistering, very danceable 3:45 seconds, even if it does compromise on some of the epic power of the original.

The Award For Stopping A Muse Song Sound Like A Kylie Song

Uprising – Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix

[See post to listen to audio]

Uprising, some people like the new single, some people dislike it, others think it’s decent but sounds too much like something kylie should have released. Well, this special award for ’stopping a muse song sound like a Kylie song’ goes to the ’squiggly boosh whheeyyy’ noise making 5-piece Does It Offend You, Yeah? This fantastic effort is one of the few mixes that is better than the original and is considered good enough to appear on the Uprising single. Stick with it through the first 1m07s and you will be rewarded.

The Genre Bending ‘Win’ Award

Supermassive Blackhole – Emre B remix

[See post to listen to audio]

Up now is the award for the best genre bending remix and the winner is this effort from Turkish born Emre B (no, it’s not the footballer).

Now, those of you reading this are likely to be Muse fans, and if that’s the case there is a fairly good chance you won’t be into your electro house dance music and hence, probably will think that he has murdered this track with the remix. However, we here at the MRAs are not genre prejudice and can appreciate a good remix when we hear one! I have to admire the way he completely overhauls the track yet retains the elements which give the song it’s identity.

The Ridiculous Award For Most Boring Trance Remix

New Born – Paul Okenfold Mix

[See post to listen to audio]

Now, as stated, we here at the MRAs are not genre prejudice and can appreciate a good remix when we hear one. That said, we also recognise a remix which, after making a mockery of our hearing, moves onto our other senses and makes us want to stab our eyes out for some reason. Yes, it’s that bad.

The ‘Makes Matt Bellamy Sound Most Like Gareth Gates’ Award

Knights Of Cydonia – Ocelot Remix

[See post to listen to audio]

A clear winner in this category, it’s American electro house mixers Ocelot. An ok effort, but lost out in the ‘Genre Bending Win’ category because, apart from the vocals, it really retains next to nothing of the original track. It has a decent build up, but it doesn’t take too long for all that stuttering to get on your nerves, after the first minute, the next 4 are pretty painful listening.

The ‘Ear Rape’ Award For The Most Ridiculous Sound I Have Heard This Year

Unintended – MG Remix (Jirob)

[See post to listen to audio]

This was also considered for the ‘Genre Bending Win Award,’ this was of course before I remembered that crap isn’t a genre. I’ll give it what due I can, the first 24 seconds are quite interesting, you’re just not sure where it’s going to go. Unfortunately, when it get’s where it’s going, I would personally rather be anywhere else. How he manages to turn Matt Bellamy’s voice into something so annoying is surely a great acheivement.

Special Award For 2 Things Which Should Always, At All Costs, Be Kept Apart Forever (this award is sponsored by The Gallagher brothers)

When You Were A Starlight – team9

[See post to listen to audio]

Yes, the Muse Remix Awards are branching out to name and shame annoying mashups . .  and here one is! team9 is the work of producer Neil Mason who comes from Perth, Australia.

In all fairness, technically it sounds quite good, it flows well and even has a bit of a wah wah wah  wah wah noise around 1m35s, so, what’s the problem? Well, to put it in colour terms: red and green are both lovely colours, nice and vibrant and enjoyable however, when you mix them together you get a shitty brown.

Amazing Award For Ultimate Achievement Of Outstanding Remix

Map Of The Problematique – Does It Offend You, Yeah? Remix

[See post to listen to audio]

The most coveted of all MRAs, the ‘Amazing Award For Ultimate Achievement Of Outstanding Remix.’ With their 2nd award, the winners are the excellent ‘whooop whurrrr screeechy ting bang’ noise makers Does It Offend You, Yeah? Once again, like their Uprising remix, this appeared on the single of the original, and once again, retains most of what makes the original charming, but transforms it into something just have to pull some shapes to.

So, that draws a line under the MRAs for now. There are other remixes out there, if you know of any you think I should have included let me know in the comments!

‘No Drama’ marks a significant departure from Myles’ earlier work in both scope and conception. I think it is fair to say his first two works were more exploratory pieces, charting Myles growth as an electronic artist and gameboy connoisseur, and it was perhaps an overemphasis on this particular ‘instrument’ that turned-off many a snobbish muso which meant the musical depth and quality of songs such as ‘I am the tiger from clipart’ remained largely overlooked. Even yours truly must hold his hands up and apologise for this. ‘No Drama’, however, is no avant-garde statement, but one of serious artistic intent. The electronica remains, but it is primarily developed from an acoustic guitar with samples mixed through his laptop, producing a quite remarkable range of sounds and offering a much more versatile platform upon which to explore his songwriting skills.

Don’t get me wrong, this is not pop in any highly-polished, Trevor Horn sense of the word. Nor will it be storming the charts or be covered by this year’s X-Factor winner. I imagine the raw, bedroom production will not be to everyone’s taste, neither will his strained vocal parts, but if you look past these for a moment, Myles’ pop sensibilities come shining through. He has a real ear for a catchy hook, and a great sense of harmony, and though his voice is admittedly not the strongest, it has a fragile quality which really captures his human vulnerability, and gives us a glimpse of the man behind the entertainer and exhibitionist we are used to seeing shed his shirt on stage. Myles has always been a very poetic and insightful lyricist, something perhaps not fully conveyed in the noise records of his past. In this context though his words shimmer with a heady mix of surreal beauty and satirical social commentary. In fact, it is a more mature Myles, as both a songwriter and individual, who shares with us his own personal reflections on growing up and settling down, epitomised in the song ‘Little Coney’. This song in particular has an incredibly infectious dancebeat melody you can’t help but hum and tap your foot to, a vibe somewhat ironic considering the song’s opening line: ‘now why would I want to stay out in a club?’. 

This is an impressive offering from Myles, which firmly cements his place as one of the most innovative and exciting artists currently performing in the Steel City. Furthermore, ‘No Drama’ can be downloaded in its entirety completely for free at: http://theeeldance.blogspot.com/2009/08/warren-myles-no-drama-dyr07.html. Therefore you have no excuse not to check it out!

Rating: 7.5/10

Look out for my review of the new Urgent Talk album in the next week, also from Sheffield’s ‘Dear You Records’ stable.

Warren John Myles – Little Coney:

[See post to listen to audio]

Warren John Myles – And When I Die Throw My Body In:

[See post to listen to audio]

Warren John Myles – Bagshot Balloon Factory Theme:

[See post to listen to audio]

image from Brixton academy show on the tour

So, we packed our bags, ticked off our checklist (tickets – check, dancing shoes – check) and Clio-ed our way across the pennines where 2 Many Djs were playing The Manchester Academy (Saturday 6th June 2009). On the way, we passed signs for the Oasis ’supergig’ which was taking part at Heaton Park in the city the same night, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the 70′000 poor buggers who were going to be stuck there instead of the 2 Many Djs gig!

The support on the night came in the form of JDH & Dave P, Zombie Nation (of kernkraft 400 fame), and Riton. We arrived part way through Zombie Nation’s set and he was warming the already large crowd up nicely for the main event. Riton too was laying down some nice beats to get the crowd going but to be honest, we were using this time to top up our alcohol levels before the brothers from Belgium hit the decks. And so it came time for 2 Many Djs to enter the fray, and they did so dressed in tuxedos which left me wondering if they got them dry-cleaned after every show?

I had heard beforehand that this tour was to include a brand new visual aspect from the guys, and that came in the form of a big screen directly behind them which was displaying animations based on the original art works of the tracks they were sampling. This vj-ing was a great addition to the their live performance, the simplistic yet clever use of artwork mashup complimenting the tracks the guys were spinning.

The set started in blistering fashion with the soulwax remix of The Chemical Brothers’ Hey Girl, Hey Boy (youtube link). A subtle change to the lyrics superbly set the scene for what was to come: “Hey girl, Hey boy, 2 many djs, here we go!” And go they did, at around 1m30 into the track the powerful fuzzy bass line kicks in and resonates through your body, it was at this time when the screen lit up and the crowd went ker-ay-zee!

The Chemical Bros. gave way to the popular soulwax edit of The Gossip’s Standing in the Way of Control and again, this went down a treat. Check out the youtube vid for how the manipulated the artwork for this one. (Video is actually from the Brixton Academy show on the tour.)

You can see towards the end of the vid how, instead of dropping in a an audio sample of the next track, they drop in the visuals to stir crowd. The track following on from this was David Guetta’s “Jack is Back” which merged into Dizzee Rascal’s Bonkers which was recieved well with it being the buzz track of the moment.

By this time, I was starting to get a sweat on but there was no sign on the pace slowing, the guys blasted through some top mixes just like you’d expect, amongst the one I recognised (yes, pretending to know stuff about music will only get me so far, there was a good mixture of tunes that were news to me!) were Zombie Nation, Eurythmics, Mr. Oizo, Depeche Mode and Deadmau5 but going down particularly well was the remix of MGMT’s Kids (stream below).

At the three quarter stage I was sweating and my ankles had taken a pounding from my uncontrollable springing, but they raised the bar once more with my personal 3 highlights coming in the latter parts of the set.

To my delight they dropped in a mix of Aphex Twin’s Windowlicker, and using all their audio visual skills mixed the sound and the visual’s in with Major Lazor’s Pon di Floor:

Just when I was wondering if they had another level to get to the got the crowd in full rave mode with The Prodigy’s Out of Space, this time the art work oscillating between Prodigy’s own and their logo for the upcoming online streaming site Radio Soulwax. (video from Brixton Academy show on the tour)

They saved possibly my favourite visual for the night til near the end, and even better than that, it accompanied one of my favourite tunes of the passed few years. Here is the original artwork for Justice’s Phantom:

And below is what they managed to turn it into, genius! (And yes, I’m aware it’s Phantom pt. 2!)

I’ll be honest, the end of the set is a bit of a haze, i’m not sure how it went down but I do think that it wasn’t as strong a finish as I they could have put in, of great disappointment was the fact they didn’t come back out for an encore despite the chants from the sold out crowd. On reflection, the show they didn’t need an encore, they had already wowed the crowd and indeed our group which included myself who had not seen 2 many djs since Leeds Festival 2004, and then 5 handsome folk who had never seen them before.

By the way, the songs referenced were in the approximate order played, but probably not exactly, I had had a few double whiskeys before the set and that stuff ain’t exactly memory juice!

MGMT – Kids (Soulwax Edit)
[See post to listen to audio]

First, for those of you who need to catch up, a little background, concentrate because it get’s a bit messy!

(To skip the background and go straight to the gig review get your click on here.

2 Many Djs are made up of Belgian brothers David and Stephen Dewaele who first found international fame as part of Soulwax, their full on alternative electro-rock band who have album releases spanning back to the mid 90s. Soulwax releases “Leave The Story Untold” (1996) and “Much Against Everyone’s Advice” (1998) was followed by 2002’s first release under the 2 Many Djs guise, “As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2.”

“As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 2.” is a fully licensed mash-up album whose tracklisting can be found here. A lot of 2 Many Djs remixes failed to make the album due to problems obtaining the rights to the original tracks, but many of these have cropped up on the unofficial releases (As Heard On Radio Soulwax Pt. 1 and Pt. 3-11) which are in fact, bootlegged radio shows they have performed for various stations throughout their time. There was also a bootlegged recording of a mix for BBC Radio 1 in 2005 released under the moniker “50′000′000 Soulwax Fans Can’t Be Wrong.”

Ok, so, after 3 more official Soulwax releases, “Any Minute Now” (2004), “Nite Versions” (2005) and “Most of the Remixes . . .” (2007), there followed a documentary release “Part Of The Weekend Never Dies.” Of course, in between these were the countless number of remixes, radio stand-ins and live shows they performed all around the world, and with that, we should be just about up to speed, well, sort of.

And so, to the present (which will be the past when you read this!) and the June 2009 tour of the UK. We caught them at the Manchester Academy on Saturday 6th June 2009, click here for the review.

Also a word on their immediate future, they have said they plan to release 24 new compilation albums which will be put out their via their own online radio station called, strangely enough, Radio Soulwax. At the time of post this has yet to go live but I have heard on the forums over at soulwax.info that it is expected to launch this month.

Ok, peace out, i’ll leave you with the soulwax edit of MGMT’s Kids. Remember, check out my gig review for these guys here!

MGMT – Kids (Soulwax Edit)
[See post to listen to audio]

First, to set the scene.  The performance was held in the iconic Esplanade. It really is a spectacular piece of architecture. Inside, the main concert hall resembles a cross between an upturned Noah’s arc, and a wooden cathedral, and the acoustics are excellent, I’d say better than the Albert Hall’s from past experience. During the interval I wandered out to the bar to grab a swift beer, which enjoys fantastic views overlooking the marina which is really quite stunning lit up at night.

I really enjoyed most of the programme. It opened with Stravinsky’s Concerto in D for strings, which sounds very contemporary despite it being over 60 years old. The first movement, Vivace, really stood out, a frantic, bustling piece, which conjured up images of a busy metropolis such as Singapore, and with a fantastic recurring discordant motif which feels like it’s always teetering on the brink of crashing, but remains beautifully balanced throughout.

Next up was Brahms’ Adagio in B minor for viola and strings. Here Bashmet takes centre stage, and his performance is mesmerising, incessant, and emotive. The dynamism of his viola and the intricate interplay between the cello and viola sections provides the perfect counterpoint. After that was Three Film Scores for Strings by Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Here the highlight was the first piece, Music of Training and Rest from the film Jose Torres,which possessed a great jazz rhythm reminiscent of Gershwin and Bernstein. The manner in which the cellists were transformed into the role of jazz-blues bassists with the violas replicating sharp off-beat jazz piano notes conveyed a really impressive and innovative arrangement.

After the interval was Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilatewith the first choral appearance of the night in the form of a female soprano. To be honest, I found this piece a bit tedious. It was fairly standard Mozart, and the music remained shackled by the piece’s emphasis on the singer. I kept flashing back to visions of Simon Cowell-derived television ‘talent’ contests, and the annoying warbling stylings of current wannabe pop singers, as to be honest, what the soprano was doing was basically the same thing but a little bit more elaborate, in Latin, and in a higher key. It was essentially just warbling though of a different kind, but because it is masked behind the respectable face of classical music it is therefore obscured from similar public criticisms. I thought it only fair to redress the balance.

The programme finished with Mass No.2 in G Major for mixed chorus and stringsby Schubert, and saw the full Moscow State Chamber Choir take to the stage. The night ended on a high, and the third movement struck a particular chord with me, with it’s minimal but strident string tones, and deep, ominous choral chanting, it had something of a Soviet vibe to it. It reminded me a little of (and this is where I lose any credibility as a serious classical reviewer, if I hadn’t already done so by use of the word ‘vibe’ in the last sentence)… the film score to The Hunt to Red October.

And on that bombshell, I think I’ll go back to my day job.

Of course, when play is your work, you can have as much fun as singer has Tigs has fronting her band.

After standing through a pretty awful thrash metal band at Brighton last month, my spirits needed lifting and my ears were in need of some vocal medicine. Chew Lips were next up and they were able to succeed on both fronts.

Chew Lips are a 3-piece electro-pop outfit from London who make music to dance to, not in a smack my bitch up way, it’s more of a Hot Chip vibe, or a more chilled out CSS. Infact, debut single Solo (see below) gets carried along by a wave of beeps, blips and beats much like Kylie’s Slow, only it’s much much cooler.

Of course, it’s inevitable (and probably fair) that they are compared to another female fronted 3-piece in the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, but I don’t think that’s such a bad thing. Tigs is every bit as enthusiastic as Karen O and Chew Lips’ music has a slightly more electro sound than YYYs which suggest there’s certainly room for the both of them.

At the Brighton show singer Tigs got excited enough to climb on to a speaker set before realising she couldn’t get down without utilising the ‘jump off and fall over’ maneuver, great stuff. I then spent the latter half of the show wondering if she had an actual beauty spot or it was stuck on, it was only when I bumped into the band at a nearby chippy afterwards I realised it was a little heart drawn on her cheek.

These guys are not sneaking by too unnoticed. Steve Lamacq has already tipped them to succeed in 2009, a quick listen at their myspace should help you see why. Check out debut single Solo below.

Chew Lips – Solo
[See post to listen to audio]

A quick look into the band shows that I appear to be pretty late to the game, they apparantly had a number one track on Hype Machine over a year ago. So, did they fail to live up to the hype? Maybe, or maybe they have spent the time refining their sound for an assault on the mainstream.

Andre Anjos from the band has musical pedigree after founding the Remix Artists Collective (RAC) and subsequently putting out many remix’s to an appreciative web audience. Having said that, I did not appreciate The Pragmatic’s murderring of Justice’s Phantom found on their myspace.

They have recently released a free EP which you can download from here, this EP is led by the title track Cirlces and includes 4 more tracks which show good versitility in their use of synths and loops.

In truth, although this EP is a solid listen, I’m not holding my breath that they will come over to the UK and make an MGMT sized splash anytime soon. But, if they can capture the finer points of EP tracks Circles, You Blame Me (see media player below) and Academy, and work these in to a full lenghth album, then I for one would welcome them with open arms.

The Pragmatic – Circles
[See post to listen to audio]

The Pragmatic – You Blame Me
[See post to listen to audio]

For the rest of you, imagine a sound somewhere before the skittish melodies of Holy Fuck meets the chaotic mess of a sound from Sikth, that’s where you’ll find this unsigned UK 3-piece.

Their debut release is the self titled EP which contains 5 tracks simply named “untitled 1,” “untitled 2,” … and so forth. In truth, each track could be a mini album in it’s own right, moving from edgy guitar, through apprehensive synths, to hectic, agitated beats and back again, and again, and possibly again before the song is over.

Each section of the songs sounds great on their own, but that’s only half the battle, with the varying styles and tempos within each song the arrangement is the key to making an listenable experience. Great news! They’ve pulled this off with aplomb!

Their work is something that needs listening to, I wouldn’t recommend that you use it as background music while you do the washing up, my guess is that this will probably result in some broken crockery. I would, however, recommend that you purchase this EP, leave yourself free from distractions, plug in some good quality headphones and play this through with the attention it deserves.

The band itself comprises of Tom Rogerson on piano, keyboard and occasional vocals, Matt Calvert on guitar, synths and electronics and Adam Betts on drums (and a bit more electronics). As talented as they collectively are, my attention was drawn to drummer Betts when I saw them as part of this years Great Escape Festival in Brighton. The live drummer gave the guys a presence that few electronic artists I’ve witnessed can match, and Betts keeps up the pace and intensity superbly.

You can listen to the EP at their MySpace or get a feel for them with the lead track below (untitled 1).

Three Trapped Tigers – Untitled 1
[See post to listen to audio]