✖ FACENOISE ✖

FaceNoise, For People With No Time For Music

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Just Chill

In light of the recent gorgeous weather, we feel it's high time for some equally fantastic tracks to accompany afternoons of catching rays and doing very little moving. So, tunes on, life off, only on FaceNoise.

Doin' It Right (Mirror Pop Remix) - Daft Punk

Tessellate (Cover) - Ellie Goulding

Days Ahead II - Museum of Bellas Artes

Fiction (Maya Jane Coles Remix) - The XX

Fallin' Love (Alex Young Remix) - BenZel

On The Shore (SertOne's Aqua Trap Remix) - Slow Skies

Carried Away - Tulpa, Atlas, Henry Krinkle

Something You Should Know - Jamie Grind 

Whenever We Say Goodbye - Jamie Grind

MB.

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Not In My House

Munich duo Cocolores kick us off this week with their latest release on Berlin based label Exploited. Serious Pleasure is exactly that – a house tune with plenty of funk and most of all an absolute delight on the ears.

La Rae Starr brings the soul with some sweet R&B infected vocals on Lonely, which is set for release at the end of June on Defected Records.

We’re also getting a little pumped with My Nu Leng as their impressive 4 piece EP Contact hits the web this coming week via Black Butter. With the help of dance producers Taiki & Nu Light the Bristol pair have taken it to the next level (pun intended), cranking up the bass on this warbling underground monster.

Hugsnotdrugs have a knack with Crystal Castles remakes. This time round they take the euphoria of Affection and subtly remould it to something pleasantly danceable. It’s still strong and intoxicating but at heart it’s straight up EDM all the way.

Lancelot brings us to a close with his 20 minute mix promoting the upcoming Thinking Of You tour taking place at 6 venues across Australia this month. Originals such as The Way I Feel About You, featuring a sample from SOS Band’s 1986 single The Finest (the same one used in DEVoltuion’s massive hit My Friends) highlight the Australian’s fresh house talent while classics like Tensnake’s Coma Cat get you right in the dance groove. Relax and enjoy!

Cocolores – Serious Pleasure

Phil Agosta featuring La Rae Starr - Lonely (Gene Farris Rerub)

My Nu Leng, Taiki & Nu Light - Levels

Crystal Castles – Affection (hugsnotdrugs Edit)

Lancelot – Knight Time Mix Vol. VI

XS.

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Not In My House

This week, the French Express house sensation Isaac Tichauer takes the lead with the title track from his latest EP. Hot off the press, Palace gives us his most prominent work yet with Amnesia – an awesome balance of harsh snares and soothing synths – whilst Dcup do their dirty work all over Silverstar’s Music Is Magic.

Particularly noteworthy is the huge collaboration between Alex Metric & Jacques Lu Cont, and as if that combination wasn’t enough they’ve roped in Malin from Niki & The Dove for some sweet vocals. This dub mix sees the pair hit some heady dance heights.

To finish up, The Svens take Valentina’s haunting piece Wolves to create a perfectly laid back house track for the London/Berlin collective Greco Roman.

Isaac Tichauer – Take Over You

Palace – Amnesia

Silverstar – Music is Magic (Dcup Deep Bitch Remix)

Alex Metric & Jacques Lu Cont feat. Malin - Safe With You (Dub Mix)

Valentina – Wolves (The Svens Remix)

XS.

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Not In My House

From house to disco, and garage to drum ‘n’ bass, here’s a mix of fresh club tracks that are sure to get you all hot and sweaty under the collar.

Dancing is compulsory.

1. Moon Boots – Love Strong

2. DVWLX – Not Another Love Song

3. Saarid – Future Lately (feat. Javi)

4. Clean Bandit – Nightingale (Gorgon City Remix)

5. Huxley – Who Am I

XS. 

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Just Chill

Headphones on, life off. Just Chill - only on FaceNoise.

1. Once - Laura Marling

2. Skinny Love (Bon Iver Cover) - Silent Rider

3. Nice and Slow - Max Frost

4. It's Lonely Around People Too (Teen Daze Remix) - Mountain Range

5. Within - Daft Punk

6. Warm Water (Prod. By Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs) - Bank

7. Plans - Marika Hackman

8. Feel Real - Movement

MB.

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Modern Vampires of the City Review

Writing a review of Modern Vampires of the City was never going to be difficult given the love I have for Vampire Weekend. Since I first heard Cape Cod back sometime in 2007, I have been a dedicated fan of the New York boys and the newest record serves only to further this relationship.

Modern Vampires is the band’s third record, following Contra in 2010 and their self-titled freshman release in 2008, and it is undoubtedly the most mature of the three. While the first record was an indie pop introduction to the affluent world of preppy New York, and the second a more experimental comment on growing up, the third appears to focus on a genuine and thought-provoking exploration into faith and love and the connection between the two.

 The song titles suggest religious themes, with tracks called ‘Unbelievers’ and ‘Worship You’, along with ‘Everlasting Arms’ and ‘Ya Hey’ (sounding suspiciously like Yahweh), and the lyrics only compound this interpretation. There are constant mentions of Babylon and Zion throughout the album, and the mournful ‘Ya Hey’ appears to document Ezra’s existential crisis, questioning man’s relationship with God and His role in the world stating ‘Oh, the motherland don't love you/ The fatherland don't love you/ So why love anything?’ Equally, ‘Unbelievers’ appears to demand a validation of faith, lamenting ‘I know I love you/ and you love the sea/ but what Holy water contains/ a little drop, little drop for me?’ This verse seems almost prayer-like in that Ezra is pleading for some recognition that he is correct from God in the way countless believers have done before him, and the imploring appears to stem from a fear that his faith is as unfounded as the views of an unbeliever.

 ‘Hannah Hunt’, arguably the strongest track on the album, combines this religious fervour with a comment on love. ‘A man of faith said hidden eyes could see what I was thinking/ I just smiled and told him that was only true of Hannah’ jokingly compares the terrifying omniscience of God with the fear Hannah Hunt instils and her perceived power over him. Ezra arguably uses Hannah Hunt as a model for upper class American girls, employing the name Hunt to reference the oil billionaire H.L. Hunt, and suggesting that while they share a special connection, ‘There's no future, there's no answer’ to the issues in their relationship. This is a sharp change from the optimism seen in the first two albums, and appears to be indicative of the pain present throughout the album. ‘Step’ talks of a love affair with music continuing this sadness stating ‘We saw the stars when they hid from the world/ You cursed the sun when it stepped to your girl’. In saying this, the protagonist appears to talk of his relationship with unknown music, and ensuing frustration when it became popular. While the narrator endeavours to protect his love, he finally admits that ‘The truth is she doesn't need me to protect her’ presenting an exhaustion new to the band and a strong sign of their growth.

 That said there are some fantastically upbeat moments on the record, which return to the upbeat indie-pop that brought Vampire Weekend to fame. ‘Diane Young’, arguably a play on ‘Dying Young’, jokes about the likelihood of reaching maturity given the chaos of juvenile life. This is particularly evident in the lines ‘Out of control but you're playing a role/ Do you think you can go ‘til the 18th hole’ and ‘Irish and proud, baby, naturally/ But you got the luck of a Kennedy’, satirising the terrible luck of the Kennedys in dying before their time. Even here however there is an unprecedented maturity with the song ending ‘Live my life in self-defence/ You know I love the past, ’cause I hate suspense...’ suggesting a weariness and satire that despite the dangers of the future, it is to be relished and this fact should not be forgotten. 

 As a totality Modern Vampires is certainly greater than the sum of its parts. A wonderful album, Vampires presents a new side to the group that finally crushes the classic criticism that they are nothing more than a one-dimensional bunch of preppy Ivy-Leaguers. The emotion and religious exploration in the record show the developing wisdom of the group and the wonderful progression in music making they have undergone since the heady days of A-Punk. Thank you Vampire Weekend, this has made my May.

MB.

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Summer On FaceNoise

The perfect companion to your Summer. Everything we think you need for hot days and long nights. Enjoy.

Find it on our YouTube channel here.

1. Diane Young - Vampire Weekend

2. A + E - Clean Bandit

3. Something Good (Chesslo Junior Remix) - Alt J

4. Bill Cosby - Tj Atoms

5. Suit & Tie (Aeroplane Remix) - Justin Timberlake

6. Pumped Up Kids (Acid Invaders Remix) - Foster The People

7. Valentine's Day - David Bowie

8. Friday Nights Ft. French Horn Rebellion - Viceroy

9. White Lies - Max Frost

10. Let Me Show You Love (Kevin McKay Remix) - Romanthony

11. The Mother We Share (Miaoux Miaoux Remix) - CHVRCHES

12. Who Did That To You? - John Legend

13. Quicksand - Jacques Greene

14. Get Lucky (M-Rock's Bangin' Disco Mix) - Daft Punk

15. Boardwalk - Tijuana Panthers

16. Entertainment - Phoenix

17. Aubrey Plaza (Shields Remix) - Bear Cavalry

18. Kartoon Emperor - Chester Watson

19. Lolie Pop - Travelling Day

20. Second Summer (RAC Remix) - Yacht

21. White Leather - Wolf Alice

22. Colourful Day (Seams Remix) - Alan Pownall

23. She Changes The Weather - Swim Deep

24. Fly Away (Poolside Edit) - Laid Back

25. Hours (Teen Daze Remix) - Tycho

26. Heavy Feet - Local Natives

27. Take Me To The Sea - Salt Cathedral

28. Fantasy - MS MR

29. Little Sister - Drop Electric

30. Cannibal - Marika Hackman

31. Master Hunter - Laura Marling

32. From Above (Jack Steadman Remix) - Rae Morris

33. Wasting My Young Years (N.D.M.A Remix) - London Grammar

34. Late Night (Koreless Remix) - Foals

35. Back To Black - Beyonce x André 3000

36. Mirrors - Justin Timberlake

37. LA Again ft. Michna - K.Flay

38. King Wizard - Kid Cudi

39. Mast (Yale x Classixx) - DJ Topsider

40. Inhaler - Foals

41. Mozart's House (XXXY Remix) - Clean Bandit

42. Sun (Viceroy Remix) - Two Door Cinema Club

43. $100 Bill - Jay Z

44. Only For Tonight (Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs Remix) ft. Sasha Keable - Zinc

45. Electrified - Young-Wonder

46. Electricity - FMLYBND

47. Honey - Swim Deep

Peace.

MB.

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Disclosure feat. Eliza Doolittle - You & Me

Disclosure have been 2013's breakthrough sensation. Although we've been raving about them for over a year now, its only this year where their two debut singles "Latch" and "White Noise" brought them into the public eye and into the charts, reaching number 1 and 2 respectively. 

Their latest effort features female artist Eliza Doolittle.The track was premiered this evening by Annie Mac and is called "You & Me". Slamming basslines and smooth vocals a-plenty.

Listen here.

Enjoy, and have a good weekend everyone.

SB

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News: What is going on with Jai Paul?

Arguably the biggest news in music over the weekend was the release of Jai Paul's HIGHLY (when I say highly I mean like super high) anticipated release of his self titled debut album. It was released on his supposed official Bandcamp page on Saturday evening. Something didn't seem right. I took a back seat and watched the internet blow up and see every single blog cover the 'new release'. It has now emerged that Jai Paul emailed Owen Myers of Dazed & Confused Magazine (the only magazine that Paul has ever done an interview with) and told him that his laptop had been stolen. The crook had been charging £7 to buy the album. Paul tweeted earlier to confirm that the release was not in fact his doing. What Paul did confirm is that the tracks were his demo's which we are all guessing were going to be on his album in some shape or form anyway. I have not even listened to any of the 'new' tracks yet, but by all accounts, they are amazing, which is understandable based on his previous efforts.

For those of you who don't know Jai Paul, he is one of the most talented and exciting young producers out there, and his 2007 track "BTSTU" ended up being sampled by the likes of Drake and Beyonce. His follow up track "Jasmine"also achieved huge critical acclaim which was released last year.

Its a real pity that this has happened, and I can imagine his label XL Recordings are even more annoyed than his fans.

Will be interesting to see what happens next, but all i can say is I'm happy that he has been working on new material!

SB

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White Lies - Max Frost

Something of a teen-prodigy, Max Frost was a regular on the Texas unsigned scene before he turned 18. Unfortunately however this local fame seems to have struggled to spread outside of his home state, but that is hopefully about to change.

His newest release, White Lies, is a gorgeous track I simply can't stop listening to, mixing funk, indie and a bit of soul producing a uniquely modern Southern sound. The track has been played over 100,000 times in the 21 days since its posting, so hopefully this marks his shift from relative anonymity to receiving the praise he duly deserves.

If White Lies takes your fancy, I'd strongly advise you to give him a follow on Twitter, or check out his Soundcloud for more of the same, as I'm expecting big things from Frost in the near future.

MB

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Bros - Wolf Alice

I am a massive fan of the quantity of soft, female vocal-ed indie folk around at the moment. As we had the male folk explosion of Bon Iver, Ben Howard, Benjamin Francis Lefwitch etc a few years back, now it's the turn of Lucy Rose, Daughter, Rae Morris and one of my personal favourites, Wolf Alice.

Bros is their newest piece, and with Kings of Leon-esque guitar riffs the track is a more up tempo release compared to some of their slower, more melodic pieces (see White Leather). This said, this is a fresh sound for the North London foursome and worth a listen if you have any time for any of the artists mentioned above.

Peace.

MB

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Pusha T - Numbers On The Boards

Yesterday was a good day. First we had a new Jay track, then Kanye tweeted this: “Our family Hov brought that real hip hop shit this morning so me and Pusha wanna keep that feeling going”. 

There has been some doubt over who produced this track but rumour has it, it was in fact Kanye who made this clunky beat. 

Listen here.

SB

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Video: Wildcuts - Who Did That To You? (John Legend cover for Ont' Sofa Gibson Sessions)

Wildcuts, a trio made up of Theo Byrd, Jamie Davies and Jack Manser are, as their Facebook page states, "an original, multi-instrumental indie folk band influenced by early 'west coast' harmonies that combine punchy guitar rhythms with soulful vocals". I'd say that's pretty accurate. These guys are certainly ones to watch and here are seen doing a session for Ont' Sofa for their Gibson Sessions. 

The trio have been doing a lot of gigs in and around London over the past few months so if you're ever around make sure you get down to one of their shows. 

You can "like" them on Facebook here to keep up to date with all things Wildcuts. 

Listen to the "Who Did That To You?" cover, here.

Keep it up guys.

SB

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Who is K.Flay

Kristine Flaherty, more commonly known as K.Flay, is not your typical Hip Hop artist. Attending Stanford University from 2004-7 majoring in Psychology, hailing from a suburban Illinois town just north of Chicago, and not exactly looking like your usual rapper, Flaherty arguably lacks the entry requirements for the traditionally 'thug-life' hip hop scene. Fortunately for her, K.Flay's sound and the deeper meaning behind her lyrics undoubtedly pay her way.

I first stumbled across K.Flay when reading into the background of Bret Easton Ellis's fantastic debut novel, Less Than Zero. A Google search of the title brought up her track of the same name, which is based loosely on the book pushing the themes of youthful decadence and teen disillusionment present throughout the novel. The track samples the XX's Crystallised, and K.Flay's reworking of the hit bringing in an edgy flow juxtaposed with a smooth chorus is an audible delight.

Following this discovery I delved deeper into the enigmatic world of Kristine Flaherty, and soon realised she was by no means a one hit wonder. Her most recent track, Hail Mary (ft. Danny Brown), initially sounds like the kind of music one would hear pumped out of speakers at a moronic frat-boy college party, but a closer listen suggests there's more to the track than is first evident. The lyrics give glimmers of a dark inner voice, kicking back at the system she is so much a part of.

Her single LA Again (ft. Michna) is similarly a cutting satire of the world she resides in, relating both to Hail Mary's subtle ridicule of college life and Less Than Zero's exhaustion with the lifestyle of those who have too much money at too young an age. Speaking of fake accents and men who keep telling her about movies they have written, Flay states how she doesn't want to talk about 'your Dad or your job or your cab ride back to your pad in Milan', and simply wants to 'get gone'. Sounding like a modern day Holden Caulfield, the disenchantment is a recurring theme throughout her work, shown perfectly through the mix-tape titled 'I stopped caring in '96' in all giving a fascinating edge to what would otherwise be pretty run of the mill Hip Hop.

K.Flay has two mix-tapes and a number of EPs available from her website, some free some not, and her SoundCloud is a veritable gold-mine for those who take a fancy to her music. I implore you to have a proper listen, as there is certainly more here than meets the eye.

Hope you enjoy,

MB.

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In Focus: Eric Lau

Who is he?

(Taken from his official website) Eric Lau is a London-based producer, known for his work with an array of international artists such as Lupe Fiasco, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Chris Dave, Guilty Simpson, Oddisee, Muhsinah, Kaidi Tatham, Olivier Daysoul, and a family of artists from London including Dego, Tawiah, Rahel and Fatima.

In addition to his production work he is also a well-respected DJ having toured the world as well as supported acts such as Erykah Badu, Questlove and Robert Glasper. As well as being the sound engineer for LA based BTS Radio, he has also provided mixes for renowned music platforms such as RBMA Radio, Put Me On It and Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide.

His debut album 'New Territories', released on Ubiquity Records to great critical acclaim was nominated as one of Gilles Peterson's Top Albums of the Year 2008, and established him as a key name at the forefront of progressive new production talent. 

His follow-up EP’s and instrumental projects in 2010, 2011 & 2012 saw him work with Grammy® nominated artist Muhsinah, Washington DC rapper Oddisee and Detroit native Guilty Simpson. It also saw him begin to collaborate with multi-instrumentalist Kaidi Tatham (Bugz in the Attic), a partnership that can be heard most fruitfully on his upcoming album “One of Many”. 

Key tracks?

Lau has just put out a new single featuring some heavenly vocals from female singer Rahel, called "Everytime". As far as his earlier stuff goes, his EP called "The Mission" is really great, as well as his debut album "Quadrivium".

Watch out for more of this guy in the coming months as he releases his sophomore album "One Of Many".

SB

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TNGHT - Acrylics

For those who don't know, TNGHT is made up of Scottish born and bred Hudson Mohawke and the Canadian maestro, Lunice. 2012 was a breakthrough year for them, with their self titled debut EP gaining wide critical acclaim, even getting the likes of Kanye, Lil Wayne (sigh) and Waka Flocka Flame excited. 

This is a new track called "Acrylics" and is accompanied by a nice little video which showcasing their seemingly never ending tour dates.

Watch/listen here.

SB

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Jay-Z - Open Letter (Prod. Timbaland & Swizz Beatz)

Everyone knows Jay doesn't like people on his back, and what better way to come back at "haters" than to drop a brand new track featuring production from two of the best in the business, Timbaland and Swizz Beatz. After announcing he was selling his shares in the Brooklyn Nets, getting criticised by politicians for his trip to Cuba and mock stories about his new sports management agency, Hova hits back with a smooth dis track. 

There's even a Chief Keef diss: "Might buy a kilo from Chief Keef". What more do you want? A new record I hear you say? That may come sooner than you think. Watch this space.

Listen here.

SB