http://www.spannered.org/ Music, art, film and literature from outside the mainstream bubble, a platform for writers. Spread a little mp3 love. en-gb Copyright 2007 Spannered. All Rights Reserved. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT 240 http://www.spannered.org/images/skins/spannered/RSS.jpg http://www.spannered.org/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1526/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1526/ Glasgow's LuckyMe family are making the most of this 'beautifully open time in music'. Laurent Fintoni meets the idiosyncratic collective poised for world domination. … Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1525/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1525/ The Glitch Mob are much more than your regular turntable tagteam. Laurent Fintoni meets the Californian crew who sum up their musical approach in three words: dirty, fucking, bass. … Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1524/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1524/ Laurent Fintoni talks to LA-based producer Edward Ma, aka edIT, about the influences that have shaped his futuristic take on hip hop. … Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1518/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1518/ Since the start of the noughties, productions from both sides of the Atlantic have signalled a return to the boom bap beats of hip hop's golden era, says Laurent Fintoni. … Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1520/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1520/ Mystical sounds outta '70s California and a hefty homage to Captain Beefheart are just two of the delights encountered by Martin Longley during a two-night stint at NYC's Knitting Factory. … Sat, 20 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1505/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1505/ From Cuban nostalgia to avant rock weirdness, the peripheral jazz zones of Gent Jazz Festival give Martin Longley much to reflect on in his second round-up of 2008's event. … Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1507/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1507/ Several years in the making and off the back of some fairly constant gigging, Save Your Light For Darker Days is no radical departure for Digitonal, the group headed up by producer Andrew Dobson. Earlier records for the likes of Toytronic and Seed laid a solid foundation of electronica backbone (easy on the DSP) layered mostly with lush, cinematic strings, and this led to appearances on the festival circuit, including the likes of the Big Chill and Glade. And this is music that very much lends itself to a stunning sunset over a large open space, beautiful countryside, lakes… it’s quintessentially English electronic music, heavy on the soundtrack element, nodding (not vigorously of course) to a slew of classical composers. This is about as expressive and melanchol … Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1508/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1508/ Techno music is a funny old game at the moment. The merest hint of fashion, or ego, and the old guard are up in arms. In 2008 then, they are marching with pitchforks on Berlin, waving banners proclaiming ‘we want the old Hawtin back’. It’s understandable, of course. This music was never about image, less so personality (put up your hand if you remember Rising High’s infamous “Faceless Techno Bollocks” t-shirts). It was owned by no one, a treasure discovered by those fortunate and open-minded enough to appreciate it simply on the basis of form. A lot has changed. Mixmag proclaimed that techno is now officially ‘sexy’ music. Er… it always was, thanks. But cue media frenzy. Everyone’s moved to Berlin. ‘Minimal’ is a … Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1509/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1509/ Rodney Smith returns for a fourth album on Big Dada, the label from which he has become inseparable. While Awfully Deep showed a distinct change of direction, the new album sees him return to a similar formula that made Run Come Save Me so popular. The beats and lyrics are infectious and irresistible, soon enough making you reach for the play again button — or bust all kinds of crazy moves in public. Or maybe that’s just me. Seriously though, there’s something about Slime & Reason. Maybe it’s the varied productions, switching around from summer riddims like Again & Again to bass-led headnodders like C.R.U.F.F. or even straight up dancehall bounce like Buff Nuff. Or maybe it’s the lyrics, altern … Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1453/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1453/ Spannered's man in NYC, Martin Longley, takes in Satyagraha, Philip Glass's second opera, along with performances from the Christian Wolff Sextet and Frederic Rzewski. … Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1446/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1446/ Martin Longley travels to the cobblestone streets of Gent, Belgium for a historical tour of jazz's journey from bebop to fusion. … Sun, 03 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1441/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1441/ Caustic blues distortion and gobble'n'quaff foot-tappers? Spannered's man in New York, Martin Longley, gives his latest round-up of jazz-wise action from the Big Apple. … Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1436/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1436/ Debashish Bhattacharya, slide guitar guru and preserver of the ancient Indian classical system, touches down in York with his arsenal of customised axes. … Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1433/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1433/ Martin Longley catches Paul Simon and David Byrne on stage in NYC, and soaks up sounds from Niger, Morocco, India and China on the city's global music circuit. … Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1414/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1414/ Laurent Fintoni finds plenty to like in the hotly anticipated debut album from dubstep-techno operative Dave Huismans. … Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1415/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1415/ Daedelus, a man well-known for both his live shows and his ‘unconventional’ sense of dressing, returns to Ninja for a new album. And the good news is that, in the words of the Ninja press release, ‘it’s his most accessible yet’. The album is a homage to early UK rave culture, which Daedelus discovered aged 15. But it comes across as more than a simple tribute. Using early rave culture as an inspiration, Daedelus brings the music 15 years forward — the result being a weird but fascinating hybrid of the old and new, with wonky basslines, grinding synths, club beats and quality raps from guests N’Fa, Taz from Sa-Ra and Paperboy. You might think that trying to cover so much ground would leave the album feeling somewhat unfocused, but it’s th … Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1416/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1416/ LA’s Flying Lotus is a name on everyone’s lips right now, and rightfully so considering the quality, variety and progression of his work to date — from early, loose and wonky Dilla-esque beats and compositions to his more recent bass-heavy bootlegs and his eclectic EP for Warp that takes in everything from laid-back pieces to dancefloor fillers. Now it's time for a first album for the legendary UK electronic label, and it sees the man in top form, delivering 17 tracks of what can only be described as fresh new music that truly takes hip hop forward. Instrumental for the most part, Fly Lo continues to redefine the idea of ‘beat music’. From loose drum programming to distorted synths, hypnotic loops and wobbly basslines, the LA beatmeister serves up the kin … Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1418/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1418/ Kevin Martin can easily be described as an eclectic producer. Over the years he has collaborated with, remixed and produced for a great many artists across a wide range of styles. While The Bug is the project for which he is most known today, in the wake of dubstep’s popularity (and Martin's association with Kode9's Hyperdub label), this new album shows just how pointless it would be to try and box The Bug’s music into any one ‘sound’. Across 12 tracks, Kevin collaborates with 8 MCs and vocalists, including Flowdan, Warrior Queen, Ricky Ranking, Tippa Arie and Roger Robinson, to deliver an apocalyptic soundtrack. The music grabs you from the first bars of opener Angry and only starts to let you go as the mellower Judgement rolls in at the end. … Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1408/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1408/ New material signals a welcome return for techno legends B12, but the Essex boys are not quite back on their feet yet, says Kone-R. … Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1409/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1409/ Something missing in your life? Gianluigi Di Costanzo's new double-CD may be just what's needed to plug the gap... … Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1410/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1410/ 'The band reinventing dance music' and the 'Chas & Dave of Rave' together under one roof? Kone-R heads out in west London. … Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1411/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1411/ Martin Longley, Spannered's intrepid NYC correspondent, encounters tasteful bossa, post-bop and performance art jazz scores when he sets out for some sax in the city. … Tue, 13 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1403/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1403/ Laurent Fintoni takes a deep breath and dives into the world of bass operator Paul Rose, aka Scuba, the man behind the ever-evolving Hotflush label. … Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1398/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1398/ Electro-acoustic fireworks, headbanging afrobeat, Philippine gongs, New York jazz and a hearty dose of Zappa. Gig addict Martin Longley takes a springtime trek around his home turf. … Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1399/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1399/ Topical performance art, a new Philip Glass production and some very big lungs greet Spannered's Martin Longley on his return to New York. … Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1389/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1389/ Spannered's Martin Longley sates his appetite for blues with a gig-going spree spanning both sides of the Atlantic. … Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1390/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1390/ After three decades of curmudgeonly scowling, has Mark E Smith finally earned the right to act like James Brown? Martin Longley treks to the UK's West Midlands to find out... … Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1385/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1385/ Martin Longley crams himself into New York's Knitting Factory venue for 2008's Winter Jazzfest. … Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1382/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1382/ What does Autechre's new album sound like? Nothing like Barnsley, that's for sure, says Dave Marcia. … Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://www.spannered.org/music/1374/ http://www.spannered.org/music/1374/ As part of his research on ‘globalist’ DJs, Camilo Rocha interviews maverick DJ, producer, blogger and radio presenter, Jace Clayton. … Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT