The Good Natured - Gothic Electro Pop Music

The Good Natured, recently signed to Regal / Parlophone Records, offer a catchy Gothic twist on Electro Pop music with their new EP entitled ‘Skeleton‘.

The Good Natured consists of Sarah McIntosh; the songwriter and front-woman; George McIntosh on drums and her brother Hamish McIntosh on bass.

In the songs featured on the Skeleton EP Sarah displays her compellingly mature command of the nuances of serious pop music, combined with the darker, and often more sensual, emotional and lyrical content of the Gothic.  Both ‘Skeleton‘ and ‘Wolves‘ are produced by Patrik Berger, known for his work with Robyn.

The title track ‘Skeleton’ has an energetic blend of raw passion, synth-pop and a murky, driving rhythm section. The track describes being stripped of emotional and physical coverings, leaving you with nothing to hide; metaphorically stripped down to two skeletons standing alone.

‘Wolves’ is a fast-paced, intimate dance track where we find Sarah in the deep dark wood, “dancing ’round fires, lost in desire” and ready to surrender to the howling of the wolves. The clarity of the interplay between the instruments is a stark contrast to the cheerfully morbid metaphor for escapism – feral and sensual.

The band have already been making a name for themselves with their previous EPs ; ‘Be My Animal‘, ‘Your Body Is A Machine‘ and their cover of Sufjan Stevens ‘For The Widows In Paradise; For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti‘.

The band have received strong support from Nick Grimshaw, Huw Stephens and Jo Whiley on Radio One amongst others.

The Good Natured release Skeleton EP on Regal / Parlophone Records on 20th June 2011.

The bands debut Happiness entered the UK album charts at number 4 with over 25,000 sales making Hurts the UK’s fastest selling new band of 2010. They have now sold over 500,000 albums worldwide and in the UK, the album has been officially certified Gold.

Throughout Europe, Hurts also earned 14 top 10 iTunes positions including number one’s in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Luxembourg, and the album is now gold in the UK, Germany Russia, and Switzerland and Platinum in Poland.

Better Than Love was released as the bands first major single in May last year and has fast become a live favourite. Stated by Hurts as “dance music for depression”, Better Than Love is an upbeat yet dark single which will be released as a Double A Side alongside Illuminated. In stark contrast to Better Than Love, Illuminated is a slow and soft song that leads into a dramatic, emotive chorus.

Hurts – Better Than Love

Their single Wonderful Life has already had over 14 million online plays and in Europe has had great success with a number 1 airplay record in 5 countries to date including Germany, where the single has now sold over 400,000 copies and is certified Gold. Their success has also been matched in Poland where ‘Wonderful Life’ is also a Gold selling single.

Hurts ended 2010 with a bang after winning awards both in the UK and internationally. In Germany, they scooped the prestigious award for ‘Best International Newcomer’ at the Bambi’s (the German BAFTAs) and in the UK, The Sun awarded them the award for ‘Best Bizarre Session of 2010’. They also recently won the award for ‘Best New Band’ at the NME Awards and are nominated for Best International Newcomer at the Echo Awards in Germany next week.

Hurts are currently on a sell-out European tour following their sold out shows in the UK in February. They will be performing their first ever US show at Coachella next month followed by tour dates across Asia, before heading home for a busy summer of festival performances including V Festival, Isle of Wight, T in the Park, Oxegen and Dot To Dot.

The double A side single Illuminated/ Better Than Love is released by Hurts on May 2nd

Following the sensational response to her first single Whip My Hair, which I have to admit I thought was some sort of send up, Willow Smith went on to sell the single by the bucketload, going Platinum and Gold around the world.

Whip My Hair has sold over 250,000 copies in the UK alone and the single struck Platinum in the US and Australia and Gold in Ireland and Canada.

Willow – 21st Century Girl

Catch Willow on tour in the UK with Justin Bieber now;

9th March – Dublin O2
11th March – Liverpool Echo Arena
12th March – Newcastle Metro Radio Arena
14th March – London O2
16th March – London O2
17th March – London O2
20th March – Manchester MEN
21st March – Manchester MEN
23rd March – Sheffield Arena
24th March – Nottingham Arena

DDM-AssOnTheFloor

The Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs led collective Diddy-Dirty Money will release Ass on the Floor as the next single from their acclaimed debut album, Last Train to Paris. The Swizz Beats produced smash song has been an avid favourite amongst fans, radio listeners and partygoers the world over and will be released in the UK on 18th April.

Sampling Major Lazer’s‘Pon De Floor, Ass on the Floor is a bubbling, feel good number, vocally led by Dirty Money song birds Kalenna and Dawn, choral chants from Swizz Beats with a single, emotive rap verse from Diddy who croons: “How could you ever doubt me?/ when I stood by you proudly/  I would have gave my last breath/ now you can’t breathe without me.”

Diddy-Dirty Money comprises of Combs, singer songwriter Dawn Richard, a founding member of girl group Danity Kane, and songwriter Kalenna Harper.

On Ass On The Floor the trio dish up a stunning,  infectious and massive track that is equally suited to radio airplay as it is on the club scene, a floor filler wherever you may be. It is already a massive hit on YouTube, clicking up over 1,750,000 hits in three months. It is going to be a monster hit.

Diddy-Dirty Money – Ass On The Floor

Diddy-Dirty Money’s last single, Coming Home sustained a top 10 UK chart position for 4 weeks and continues to ride the official UK singles chart.

An electro hip-hop soul funk experience blending elements of UK grime, Mediterranean techno and the 808s of American hip-hop, the Last Train To Paris album represents a sound Combs calls “train music,” new dance music for the new decade.  Along with T.I., the album features an array of mega music stars including Lil Wayne, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Drake, Chris Brown, Grace Jones, Trey Songz and Bilal.  Among the illustrious roster of producers are Danja, Polow Da Don, Sean Garrett, Tricky Stewart, The Dream, Swizz Beats, Rodney Jerkins, D’Mile and Mario Winans.

Adam Williams and Heather Greene, the New York duo who make up the mellow, cyber-sounding Argon 40, created a handful of tunes simply by pressing the send button.

The 14-song record, celebrating Argon 40’s trademarked electro-synth style, boasts captivating melodies, cool grooves, and futuristic details all dancing alongside Heather Greene’s syrupy smooth vocals and airy keyboard work.

What started simply as a quirky experiment, the Argon 40 project soon developed into something significant. Williams would craft the electro lounge-friendly beats from his home studio in Los Angeles and send them to Greene, stationed in Edinburgh, Scotland, who would then write and record the catchy, infectious lyrics.

The combination of music and voice established a chemistry that was just too powerful to ignore. Upon returning stateside, Heather immediately contacted Adam, and the two finally began working together physically to create more of the magic they first generated over the web.  Over several months, the duo holed themselves in the studio using a hodgepodge of keyboards, drum machines, and other far out instruments to fashion the Argon 40 sound.

Within two months of wrapping, the group’s first single, When the Words Don’t Come released to critical acclaim. The single received BBC 6 Music support on Tom Robinson’s show and top UK music reviewer Toxic Pete lauded it as “…beautifully simplistic, yet thoughtfully complex.” The single is featured on their debut album Fair Lawn.

Argon 40 release the wonderful lo-fi track 44.66 Days in March 2011, here is the video to accompany the song:

Argon 40 – 44.66 Days

Prior to Argon 40’s inception, Adam Williams was one of the founding members of the platinum-selling rock band Powerman 5000, touring with the likes of Metallica and Kiss. The group’s commercial smash album “Tonight the Stars Revolt!” catapulted the band to mainstream success, due mainly to the huge popularity of their hit single “When Worlds Collide,” and the record went on to sell over one million copies.

Heather Greene, herself an accomplished musician and songwriter, already boasts two critically acclaimed albums – 2005’s “Five Dollar Dress,” recorded alongside guitar luminary Bill Frisell, and 2009’s “Sweet Otherwise,” a lauded success with audiences in Europe and the UK.

Ludwig Amadeus Pic

Following his hugely popular last single God Only Knows My Shoe Size, Ludwig Amadeus will release his latest single Don’t Wanna Feel This on March 7th.

With rave reviews from the music media and support from Kissy Sellout on Radio 1 among others for his previous single, Ludwig Amadeus’ latest effort co-produced with Mickey P, looks set to bring the young singer/songwriter even more attention.

True to his normal writing behaviour, Don’t Wanna Feel This was penned after staying awake for three days solid and the singer has every reason to be enthused by the release, saying;

“The track is probably the deepest track I’ve worked on. Generally I’m producing more upbeat material but when Mickey P sent over the chorus I got right into it and wrote the lyrics there and then. Since it’s inception over a year ago we’ve carefully fine tuned it, making sure not to over-produce. The beauty of it is its simplicity and sparse sound, and I think we’ve managed not to crowd the recording too much. The whole process of releasing it was a very creative experience too, I didn’t just slap the artwork on, I worked with an excellent photographer over 7 very late nights until we got the right shots for the cover and the promo pieces, same with the music video. All the feedback so far has been great and I couldn’t be more excited to finally release it.”

Ludwig Amadeus – Don’t Wanna Feel This

Don’t Wanna Feel This is one of 5 singles to be released by Amadeus this year, and will be launched at The Bowery on the 5th March, ahead of a debut album to be announced later in 2011.

Skinny Genes and Pack Up were both hits for the electro pop singer and she is currently giving away a music download of the track Rockin’ With The Best featuring Aaron LaCrate.

Listen and download the track from here;

lola dutronic

Touted on numerous Best of 2010 top ten lists, Lola Dutronic are German born singer Lola Dee and her composer  partner from Canada, Richard Citroen.

With bases in Berlin, Toronto and Paris, Lola Dutronic have already tasted success around many parts of the world with their infectious electro tastes which encompass French pop, lounge, Bond themes  and Euro disco-often  within the same song.

Presented as the latest discovery of impresario Marty Thau, who also brought us Blondie, The New York Dolls and Suicide, the music world is currently sitting up and listening to what the band has to offer.

But Lola Duronic are no newcomers to the world of  music, their debut album was released in 2005 and featured on ‘The L Word’ and the duo were nominated for a Grammy award in 2007.

Performing on stage since the age of five, Lola Dee has a background in opera and jazz and has released music in both French and English languages.

Their most recent release is the widely acclaimed EP Musique, which features the tracks Beautiful World, Whisper, which is co written with martin Rev from Suicide and has been banned from YouTube and the new single Best Years Of Our Lives, which you can see below:

Lola Dutronic – Best Years Of Our Lives

Lola Dutronic – Musique EP full track listing:

1.My Radio (French radio Mix)
2.Brigitte Bardot (Retro Future Mix)
3.Beautiful World  (Slight Return)
4.The Stranger (Imaginary Bond Mix)
5.Chanson D’Ete (Summer of Love Mix)
6.Whisper
7.The Best Years Of Our Lives (Electro Mix)

innerpartysystem

Three piece US dance music makers Innerpartysystem have been announced as support for 3OH!3 on their upcoming European tour which arrives in the UK during May.

Having played two sold out shows in London recently Innerpartysystem simply can’t wait for the tour to kick off, having experienced the time of their lives supporting 3OH!3 on their 2008 tour of the USA.

Jared Piccone, drummer with the band says; “To date, one of the fondest memories we have had as a band was the 2 months we spent with 3Oh!3 back in 2008 touring America. Not only is round 2 going to happen, but it’s over Europe, including the mainland which we have only gotten to play but a handful of times. I’m excited to return to the few countries we have hit before, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and of course our home away from home, the UK. It will also be great to test the waters in some new countries that we haven’t gotten a chance to hit yet, like France, and the Netherlands.”

Never a band to shy away from mixing up their sound and aesthetic, Innerpartysystem have been experimenting with their set of late. They’ve been incorporating more and more programming elements and diversifying their setup on stage by occasionally omitting the live drums and having all members involved more fully on the electronic side.

Theirs is an evolving outfit yet Innerpartysystem are a band who will always purvey a full-on sound. Couple this intensity of sound with an unrelenting light show and you have the ultimate IPS live experience.

With a mini album of new material called Never Content on March 6th digitally and March 21st as a physical CD. The mini album is preceded by the release of the single American Trash which will be available from February 6th.

The single American Trash will include several remixes of the track, including versions by Starkey and Adam Freeland.

Innerpartysystem – American Trash

Innerpartysystem will support 3Oh!3 at the following UK dates –

Mon      23/05/2011         Bournemouth   Academy

Tue        24/05/2011         Cardiff                  Solus

Wed      25/05/2011         Birmingham        Institute

Thu        26/05/2011         Norwich               Waterfront

Mon      30/05/2011         Glasgow               ABC

Tue        31/05/2011         Manchester       Academy 2

Thu        02/06/2011         Nottingham        Rock City

Fri           03/06/2011         N. Ireland            Belfast  Mandella Hall

Alexander Price

Following several years shaping his career around the clubs and gigs of the London circuit, Alexander Price got his big breakthrough in 2010 when he signed up to indie label Intense Pressence Records who were responsible for the release of the singers cover version of the Pet Shop Boys hit Rent.

Initially starting out as a performance artist with a backdrop of electronic music he made his debut at Amy Lame`s much loved Duckie night at the legendary Vauxhall Tavern, his stage shows became one of the capital’s most talked about gig going experiences.

Combining high energy choreography with self made and designed stage attire and a wild female dance troupe, the Designer Babies, he thrilled audiences with his audacious spectacles across the London club scene.

He has performed with the darlings of the London club scene including one of his own influences the fashion designer/musician Pam Hogg,as well as supporting artists including DJ Larry Tee,nightclub legends Princess Julia,Mark Moore and Scottee and for a wealth of acclaimed ground breaking musical talent including Client,Noblesse Oblige and Oral Oral as well as supporting Kellis at Manchester’s Big Weekend and making a sensational appearance at London FIlm Festival.

Price has also appeared in the pages of the fashion issue of glossy men’s mag reFresh, had his music played on international and national radio including BBC Radio, RTE Pulse and Australias JOY 94 and has received support from music industry bible Music Week as well as Gaydar Radio, QX and Bent.

He has continued performing at some of the capitals most noteworthy venues incluidng The Underbelly Hoxton Square, 333, Queen of Hoxton, The Lumianire, Madame JoJos, KOKO and Brixton Academy.

Price plans to use all of this as a platform for 2011 when he will release three new records, appear on the summer festival circuit and also launch his own range of clothing called ‘City Proof.’

In his guise as a singer Price’s first release will be an EP called Kitchen Sink Drama, representing the perfect mix of pop and dance music, produced by Ben Dobie and featuring six tracks including Rent in its original edit as well as an exclusive remix by Diarmaid o Meara.

New tracks on the EP are Chasing Nirvana, a whirlwind dance affair of epic proportions, Spend A Little Time which has already received favourable reviews, Curious George is a cautionary spoken word vocal and Hungover promises to be a grinding glam rock beast.

The EP is expected to be released this Spring, launching a summer of festival appearances along with his own clothing line. If 2010 was the turning point in Alexander Price’s career then in 2011 he will definitely be one to look out for.