Hessle Audio

Hessle Audio is a label i've just come across recently - out of Leeds and run by Ramadanman, Ben UFO and Pangaea, according to Discogs.

Those recent downloads i had bought, the TRG ones, and then the Martyn and Ramadanman remixes of TRG, were both on Hessle Audio, however i hadn't actually paid attention to the label. Yesterday i bought another wee batch of new downloads from boomkat, two of which also are on Hessle Audio: Untold's "Test Signal" EP, and Pangaea's "Coiled". Both are super good and show a nice advancement in the dubstep sound, with off-kilter rhythms more akin to 2step than the standard halfstep plod, and I've had both releases on constant repeat for the past 24 hours. Untold's 'Kingdom' is a particular standout, nice low-end sound palette, a slow motorik beat and undulating hypnotic bass, sprinkled with a smattering of on-safari-style samples. Thats definitely in my set for the Plastic People gig coming up!

Check em out on their myspace page

Labels: dubstep, Hessle Audio, label, reviews

Thursday, January 24, 2008

histories

Once of my blog subscriptions is to MediaFuturist, and I cam across this excellent link to a story on The Observer.

Its pretty much a condensed history of the record industry since the 60's, from the viewpoint of band manager, Simon Napier-Bell, and paints quite a vivid picture of how the majors have always worked, and how unfair those deals have been. good read! it's almost up there with Steve Albini's The Problem With Music.

Labels: label, links, record industry, steve albini

Saturday, December 8, 2007

001collective.com

Just came across an excellent new torrent based label, although i probably shouldn't call them that - in their faq they say "The collective isn't a label, or an internet distribution site, or an internet label. We like to think of the Collective as a family of artists who help each other out whenever they can, and who make music because they love to make music."

But basically a nice clean website for a really good collection of quality new music, put together by one Luke Morris, an american college student from Louisiana, who also records under the name Secret Owl Society. 001collective.com
At present there are five releases up there, ranging from the lurching shy grandeur of Errand Boy, tinyfolk getting a lot more freak folk than his usual ukulele musings, and the off-beat pop of Secret Owl Society, which kinda sounds like how you imagine Anticon should have sounded. I'm still downloading the other two at the moment, but these three releases so far have all been super good.
What really impressed me was their 'Declaration Of Independence'. Its really articulate and accurately describes our changing habits of music dissemination and file sharing, in the positive manner which it should be viewed, seizing the opportunities of the now, rather than the pessimistic gloom we hear perpetuated from the RIAA and majors.
Oh, and of course they have the cutest logo ever!

Labels: downloads, label, secret owl society, tinyfolk, torrents