Tag: "Soul music"

Chet Faker @ The Toff In Town
0 Comments. 1,291 Views. Posted 24 Apr 2012 @ 12:33pm.
  Chet Faker is two things: a beard and a voice. According to his publicist, the much-feted electro artist hails from Melbourne’s “tight-knit disco and house music scene” (the first rule of Melbourne’s tight-knit disco and house music scene is you do not talk about Melbourne’s tight-knit disco and house music scene) but there is little trace of these roots in his sound. There are beats, for... Read More
Single Of The Week: Dirty Projectors : Gun Has No Trigger
0 Comments. 545 Views. Posted 18 Apr 2012 @ 2:00pm.
  Taken from their forthcoming sophomore album, Gun Has No Trigger sees the Dirty Projectors folding an crooning soul rock melody – something Simply Red might have toyed with, back in the day – into an increasingly strident harmony by the band’s idiosyncratic female vocalists. Such a strange brew I had to hear it a few times before I realised it was genius.     Read More
60 Seconds With... Funk Buddies
0 Comments. 692 Views. Posted 10 Apr 2012 @ 4:29pm.
  Define your genre in five words or less: New Orleans style-street funk.   So, um... what is New Orleans style street funk?New Orleans is known to most people as the birthplace of jazz. But as pop music took over the rest of the world, the New Orleans street bands were still doing their thing. They evolved too, as they were influenced by ground breaking funk artists such as James... Read More
Justin Townes Earle : Nothing's Gonna Change The Way You Feel About Me Now
0 Comments. 823 Views. Posted 6 Apr 2012 @ 11:30am.
  Another Justin Townes Earle album, another cover featuring the beloved protagonist in the foreground and a woman in the back; seems to be a running theme in the cover art of Earles’ albums. We could ponder the meaning of such imagery, and possibly get caught up in a feminist debate over Earles’ relationship with the female species but it would be unnecessary. The fact of the matter is... Read More
60 Seconds With... The Bombastics
0 Comments. 656 Views. Posted 2 Apr 2012 @ 7:22am.
So then, what’s the band name and what do you ‘do’ in the band? The Bombastics. We play Funk, Soul, Disco, Jazz, Latin, and Pop music. Essentially we play covers, but not the songs you’re used to hearing down at the local pub. Expect Flight Facilities, Daft Punk, Jamiroquai, Moloko, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Dusty Springfield. Unless of course you want to hear a bit of Daddy Cool, then we... Read More
Shades of Gray
0 Comments. 662 Views. Posted 16 Feb 2012 @ 8:53am.
  There’s an undeniably unique electricity in the air that one can’t help but pick up on, standing in one of Australia’s numerous clubs as 2am hits, and everybody present is sweaty, grinning and dancing for their lives. Clubbers, you know that vibe I’m talking about? As one of the men running Australian imprint Beef Records – home to releases by artists such as Robert Babicz, Mike Monday,... Read More
Sam Sparro : Happiness
0 Comments. 1,406 Views. Posted 15 Feb 2012 @ 9:22am.
  The first cut from Sam’s second album is a high energy soul disco number that has an instant classic flavour. As ever, he errs heavily on the side of camp, but this joyful, hand slapping, gospel fuelled club track has an undeniably brilliant hook. Read More
Emili Sande : Next To Me
0 Comments. 1,364 Views. Posted 8 Feb 2012 @ 9:34am.
  The next belle entering the UK soul ball is Emeli Sande, who was going to be a doctor before she opted to sing brassy, soulful pop tunes. The most impressive element of Next To Me isn’t her voice – which is just ok beside Florence and Adele and pure vanilla compared to Amy Winehouse’s dearly departed pipes – but the thumping Tusk-style drum beat. They’ve really ramped the bass and it sits... Read More
The Push Take Over Federation Square
0 Comments. 1,340 Views. Posted 25 Jan 2012 @ 7:01am.
Celebrate Australia Day (or, y'know, the days before and after Australia Day) with the best live Aussie music over three special Fed Square Live gigs, presented by The Push.  Be privy to some high-energy rhythm and blues, with a touch of doo-wop and ska from Clairy Browne & The Bangin’ Rackettes from 6pm alongside the smooth soul explosion that is Saskwatch as they light up the... Read More
The New Black
0 Comments. 1,805 Views. Posted 18 Jan 2012 @ 9:03am.
Judging by its name, The New Black sounds like a show about fashion. It’s not. The ‘black’ in the title refers to something deeper than clothes: skin, heritage and identity. The musical takes a look at what it’s like to be an urbanised Aboriginal person today, using comedy and song to tackle serious issues. The show tells the story of Jim, a smart, young, indigenous man who has... Read More
Aloe Blacc, Friday January 6, TRAK
0 Comments. 1,067 Views. Posted 17 Jan 2012 @ 11:58am.
It’s been a long time coming for California’s Aloe Blacc, from his humble beginnings as a rapper-singer hybrid to his current worldwide acclaim. An example of talent defying industry politics, his full skill set is now being realised by a wider audience. As we welcome the year of the supposed apocalypse the gathered masses at Trak Bar in Toorak kicked off things in care-free style with some... Read More
Sneaky Sound System : Really Want to See You Again
0 Comments. 1,019 Views. Posted 12 Jan 2012 @ 9:21am.
A cool new cut from the latest SSS album, From Here to Anywhere. They've got the icy eighties funk on full throttle, delivering a slightly more commercial take on the Azari & III/SBTRKT school of super queer retro disco sound. It's good. It'll rock the little party socks right off your feet. Read More
Fat Freddy's Drop Swinging By
0 Comments. 1,394 Views. Posted 9 Jan 2012 @ 8:49am.
Taking a break from touring with Erykah Badu, Fat Freddy's Drop are giving their Australian fans a chance to go back to where it all began with a return to the Prince Bandroom for an evening.  Notorious for their improvised and unpredictable manner of playing both live and in the studio, the group have been described as everything from dub, jazz, reggae, techno and funk, winning over... Read More
Rick Wilhite Tour
0 Comments. 943 Views. Posted 6 Jan 2012 @ 2:03pm.
After a ridiculous year of basement shenanigans, Animals Dancing are powering into 2012. With Prins Thomas and Hunee already confirmed to take to the decks, Detroit legend Rick Wilhite has also been announced to stop by the Mercat. A Detroit native with an undeniable role as one of the artists responsible for shaping the musical culture of the city, Wilhite's work both as part of the 3 Chairs (... Read More
Trus'Me Returns
0 Comments. 767 Views. Posted 9 Dec 2011 @ 3:16pm.
After popping a little sampler CD in the post to various big-name labels for shits and giggles, he found his little tune Nards immediately snatched up by the musical brainchild of Jerome Derradji, Still Music – and named one of the best songs to be released that year by DJs including Gilles Peterson, signaling the beginning of something big for the man known as Trus’me. Dropping his... Read More
Sabrina & The Red Vans : Alice Dwyte
0 Comments. 1,743 Views. Posted 8 Dec 2011 @ 3:28pm.
  Alannah Myles is reincarnated in the purr and snarl vocal gymnastics of Melbourne’s Sabrina Sandapa, the coquettish soul singer fronting Sabrina & The Red Vans. It’s tuneful, but it’s awful, driven by a horribly unsubtle sexuality. This is the rock’n’roll equivalent of dressing as a hot nurse for Halloween – a style designed to please bikers, ageing ‘80s hair rockers and no one else.... Read More
Sharon Jones : Soul Time!
0 Comments. 1,621 Views. Posted 17 Nov 2011 @ 10:02am.
She's a pocket-rocket, a dynamo, ex-prison warden to boot, and at 55 years of age she's still competing with the best of them (and wiping the floor) when it comes to playing live. Commanding the stage with her powerful voice and 'don't mess with me' attitude, Sharon Jones and her Dap-Kings have been dominating the world stage as the leading soul/funk outfit over the last couple of years. Their... Read More
Ed Sheeran : Lego House
0 Comments. 1,974 Views. Posted 9 Nov 2011 @ 3:12pm.
There are certain things I don't understand. Mix 101, for example. Ed Sheehan, whose music seems specifically crafted to air on Mix 101, is also mystifying. Apparently this ginger child is quite a hit in his native England, with his milky little pop songs. What limp-souled music fan responds to this weak, mewling white soul acoustica? Seriously, this kid makes James Blunt look like the Malboro... Read More
These Kids Wear Crowns : I Wanna Dance With Somebody
0 Comments. 980 Views. Posted 9 Nov 2011 @ 1:00pm.
These Kids Wear Crowns, far as one can sniff out on the interwebs, are Canada's answer to Short Stack, a six-member modern-day boy band blending the vaguest of rock and roll sensibilities with pounding Katy Perry-style party pop. Their debut single, Jumpstart, was a pretty much de rigeur example of monster hook writing, leaping face first onto the dance floor and pounding the air with all the... Read More
Erykah Badu Tour
0 Comments. 1,671 Views. Posted 3 Nov 2011 @ 9:48am.
The affable Erykah Badu is set to touch down on Australian shores once more early next year. Badu, who was here earlier this year for Good Vibrations, has been forging her own path in soul music for well over a decade. Her latest release New Amerykah Part II (Return Of The Ankh) further pushed the boundaries of contemporary soul music, and fans can expect Badu to return with her stunning live... Read More
Animals Dancing New Years Day Party
0 Comments. 2,865 Views. Posted 18 Oct 2011 @ 2:35pm.
Melbourne’s finest party purveyors Animals Dancing are responsible for some of Melbourne’s most debaucherous box socials in recent times, and following all night raves with the likes of Marcellus Pittman, Jacques Renault and Justin Vandervolgen they’re returning on New Year’s Day with their biggest party yet.  Launching 2012 in spectacular fashion will be none other than the 6th Borough... Read More
Brous : Brous
0 Comments. 1,497 Views. Posted 12 Oct 2011 @ 9:26am.
It's a seldom occurrence to hear a debut record as accomplished and beautifully articulated as Brous' self-titled debut EP. But, then, this is Sophia Brous - an incredible vocalist who has weaved her eclectic artistic gifts through various sectors of our local music scene. Having studied jazz at VCA, Boston's New England Conservatory and the Berklee College of Music, Brous brought a wealth of... Read More
The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker
0 Comments. 1,312 Views. Posted 12 Oct 2011 @ 8:49am.
" Soul music is more than just what's in the song - it's the mood and feeling you put into the song that makes it soul." So says Charles Walker, 70 year-old veteran of the soul music genre, and one-time contemporary of James Brown. "It's not jazz or classical. With those types of music it's about the notes and the arrangements, but that's not the case with soul. With soul you've got to... Read More
Booker T. Jones
0 Comments. 1,185 Views. Posted 30 Sep 2011 @ 9:22am.
Throughout Booker T. Jones’s new album, The Road From Memphis, there’s an overwhelming preoccupation with place. ‘The city’ exists as an almost-magical place of life, excitement and potential, filled with millions of individuals of limitless creativity and imagination. Memphis - the city of his birth and the epicentre of his amazing career – obviously looms large, but so too does New York, where... Read More
Jamie Jones Tours Australia
0 Comments. 1,531 Views. Posted 23 Sep 2011 @ 10:03am.
Jamie Jones has achieved more in the space of the last few years than many producers try for within their entire careers. Indulging in different styles, whilst still maintaining his strong signature sound, Jones has created an admired musical identity and loyal global following. As one of house and techno's most prolific names, Jamie is one of the most in demand DJs in London and all over the... Read More
Glimpse Heads to Australia
0 Comments. 670 Views. Posted 6 Sep 2011 @ 8:49am.
Melbourne has been seriously spoiled in terms of good dance music this year.    If you haven’t found yourself stumbling out of a darkened club at 6AM, ears still ringing and feet all danced out this year yet, you’ve missed out. Next month sees UK’s elusive house-techno producer and DJ Glimpse step up to the decks for a rare session in Australia – oh, my! Mixing the techniques of... Read More
Fitz And The Tantrums : Pickin Up The Pieces
0 Comments. 1,824 Views. Posted 18 Aug 2011 @ 9:33am.
We have seen no shortage of retro-tinged outfits, trying to recapture that late 60s soul in recent years. What separates the genuine bands from the tribute acts are those that use the musical palette as inspiration and transcend it. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings have arguably pulled off the balance successfully as have Perth's Tame Impala with the garage rock aesthetic. Hard working Los... Read More
Ryan Ritchie : Get Your Soul Down
0 Comments. 2,337 Views. Posted 26 Jul 2011 @ 11:21am.
A strange but joyful disco pop number from Ryan Ritchie, erstwhile front man for True Live. Richie's debut single as a solo artist has a Mika-esque positivity and embraces a jaunty Carnivale-cum-Enrique Inglesias hip-swinging calypso atmosphere. Despite this - or because of this, bizarrely - it is a sweet and uplifting tune. Read More
Electric Owl Brings Techno Delights
0 Comments. 1,789 Views. Posted 15 Jul 2011 @ 1:15pm.
A collaborative effort between Strawberry Fields, Text Book Music and Mixed Messages, the dudes behind some of your favourite parties, the launch party for Electric Owl at Brown Alley is a mysterious and alluring one. The impressive lineup of internationals includes Funk D'Void, Francois Dubois, Boris Brejcha and Richard Dinsdale, accompanied by a solid array of local talent playing out what... Read More
Booker T Jones : The Road to Memphis
0 Comments. 2,190 Views. Posted 7 Jul 2011 @ 9:33am.
Is Booker T Jones the coolest man in rock'n'roll? As the titular leader of Booker T and the MGs Jones' distinctive Hammond B3 organ riffs were critical to the distinctive Stax Records sound. Over 40 years after Stax's demise Jones remains a powerful figure in contemporary rock'n'roll, his very presence a prima facie indicator of musical excellence.   Having utilised the considerable... Read More
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