Frameworks - Old Friend feat. JP Cooper (First Word Recordings)

I was chatting with Matt 'Frameworks' Brewer over the last few days. We got talking after I found out he recently recorded a track with fellow Mancunian JP Cooper, who featured at Wired in London last month.

The track is entitled 'Old Friend', a beautifully moody, cinematic soundscape with the most wonderfully moving video, available now via SLL faves First Word Recordings.

Produced by Picture Lock Productions, it was filmed in Fleetwood, just south of Blackpool, through the eyes of a despairing fisherman. It tells the story of an former fishing town and the community left behind, the industry having collapsed in '82. To quote Matt:

"Wanted the old guy to kinda represent someone from that community.. if that makes sense"



Spending much of my time watching umpteen music videos, this is a real treasure - in fact one of the best I've watched in ages.

The soundtrack perfectly compliments the subject matter and there's just something very real about the whole composition. I've never visited Fleetwood, but the emotion conveyed by the superb actor's facial expressions tells a million stories and really moves you. Indeed, there's not many videos that made me pant like an impatient dog so I could show my girlfriend when she got home from work. Safe to say she was equally impressed!

Matt and JP: a triumph. Congratulations!

'Old Friend EP' is out now via First Word | firstwordrecords.com

Ellie Mae - Without You (A Stop.Look.Listen. Edition) FREE DL

Apologies for having been out of touch this last week - I've spent the last few days head-down in the studio which has consumed all my brainpower. I figured seeing as I spend so much time passing judgement on other people's music, I should work on my own stuff and put it out there for scrutiny. Plus it meant I could start messing with my new Vocoder. :-)

The track is a remix of 'Without You' by the gorgeous Ellie Mae, a singer-songwriter who I first met when she played at WIRED a few years back as the vocalist for Rigolo. It's been fully approved for release by Ellie, who's likened it to the Gotan Project sound. Praise indeed.

We've kept in touch whilst Ellie has been working on some beautiful acoustic melodies, culminating in her first studio EP 'Wash Away My Love'. Without You was my favourite inclusion; minimal, moody and moving, I just had to give it a splash of broken beat flavour. Check it out, download it, distribute it, enjoy it - and don't forget to check out Ellie's FreEP via the link below - it's ace!

Wired Review - June 2013

I love Wired. I've been working closely with Kate and Michael for a number of years and there's no doubt it's been the most rewarding experience of all my years DJing and tinkering away on the London music scene.

So again I was totally gutted not to witness another clearly fantastic Wired show (logistically a bit difficult when you're 13,000 miles away!). But thanks to the wonders of the interwang, I can still keep in touch with the guys and the performances, and it sounds like June 2013 was another killer show. And in true keeping with the monthly musical theme, this month Kichael decided to focus on acoustic, vocal jams.

Check the wicked Ruth Anne who flew in from L.A. just for the show to perform her incredible acoustic mash-up of Robin S' 'Show Me Love' and Lauryn Hill's 'Doo Wop'. Sickness.



Then we had the incredible northern talent in the shape of JP Cooper with more acoustic gold on 'Whenever You Hold Me', a very personal story of unrequited love...



And last, but by no means least, one of my most favourite singer/songwriters in the whole world - the one and only Obenewa. Having been tipped for big things by the likes of Gilles Peterson, the lovely lady simply goes from strength to strength on this live performance, airing for the first time brand new material from her forthcoming EP, 'B'.

Check the video for the interview, but it's worth mentioning that Obenewa wrote 'The Answer' (along with the rest of the EP inclusions) in just five days, with just three days in the studio to record them. Impressive indeed!

From the interview, it sounds like Obenewa has referenced a range of styles and influences on this latest release, so I'm mega excited to hear the whole record. Obenewa has promised to send it to me while it's still hot off the press, so watch this space.



Again, gutted not to have been there. But that said, there's a chance I'll be popping my speccy face up at August's show. Hoorah!

Coming up, apparently a certain tinker named Shakka did a Wired-supported EP release this week. Green. With. Envy. More on that soon...

Thabo & The Real Deal - Thabo & The Real Deal (Free Download)

Released back in 2011, this album is what the band call 'bare knuckle soul', their guiding principle being 'to make the kind of music Bob Marley would listen to if he were alive today'. This mantra has given Thabo and The Real Deal recognition from some of the biggest names in soul, supporting the likes of Eric Robertson, Leon Ware and Cody Chestnutt, all big SLL faves.

Their self-titled freEP is pure stripped-back soul, the guys opting for Fender Rhodes, percussion, acoustic guitar and vocals in place of the typical drum patterns and deep basslines. The result is an exceptionally pure, organic sound, Thabo's vocals floating perfectly atop the heavenly backing tracks. As I write this, I can only draw comparison with Zo!, such is the immense quality of this 4-tracker.

Sitting somewhere between soul, RnB and acoustic, this is a jaw-dropping release that requires repeated listens. Enjoy, and spread the word. Expect to hear much more from these guys.

'Thabo & The Real Deal' is out now as a free download via Bandcamp | thaboandtherealdeal.com