Electro – Booze & Reviews

Punt Guns rewrite the rules of Rock

Cyber Rock band Punk Guns are back and as daring as ever. The band’s founding members, bassist and lead vocalist Marek Bero and guitarist Giampaolo Guarnieri, are joined by two new members, drummer Dan Western and guitarist, producer, and “synth maestro” Jiri Novotny, for these new releases. The band ties together a vast array of influences, from the classical, baroque, Balkan and Slavic music from their travels to directors Argento, Godard, Vadim and Bava to the world of sports (as Giampaolo was a world travelling extreme skier in a past life).

The first taste of their next album, due later this year, is the wild, engrossing new single Nemesis, featuring everything from classic guitar riffs to electronic beats under Sophie Bokor-Ingram’s narration. The song is entirely unique, and wholly Punk Guns to its core. It’s off-kilter and unique blend of sounds and genres is something that does not leave your mind after the song ends.

The band had this to say about the song:

“The main riff and harmonies of the verse came after a coaching session Giampaolo had with Jean-Marc Belkadi during which they worked on Ashkenazi and Russian chords and harmonies. Giampaolo translated such ideas from a standard tuning guitar to his baritone guitar. He played the tune to Jean-Marc who said that it was a “dark & unpredictable” vibe that reminded him of UK gangster style movies. This led Giampaolo to use part of the quote by Alan Ford defining Nemesis in the movie Snatch and use a voice-over actress, Sophie, to narrate it. Jiri started to create hooky electronic elements to the initial draft and Dan recorded drums for the chorus. Marek then laid down a huge bass line and a sick, slapping bass solo together with magical hooky lyrics that worked as a quasi-dialogue with Sophie’s narration. This track offers the “rock pedigree approach” of the band and then climbs to an electronic world reminiscent of the likes of Justice, Goose or Aaron”.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/puntguns
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/puntgunsband/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6wpDWFYK17GL9QVmgF1Ncm
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVPp66aAcyrvgdyVP79QzsQ

Words by Jacob Rousu

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Mind-Melting with Nej!Las

Electro, Spirits, techno

We’ve been trying to come up with an appropriate beverage to accompany an evening listening to Nej!Las (her name is a semi-reversal of her given name of Jen Sal), an American techno artist creating complex sonic vistas with magical machines. It’s hypnotic, slightly sinister and utterly overwhelming stuff and requires multiple listens to really get to grips with it…in a good way, it’s music that just keeps on giving. We recommend your Washout listening sessions to be accompanied by an appropriate brew which not only inspires but also numbs and and causes mild delirium. Please enjoy your tot of everclear responsibly – the music is chilling enough without setting yourself on fire.

https://soundcloud.com/nejlasproducing/washout

‘When The Innocents Go To War’: Marilyn Carino

Cocktails, Electro, Uncategorized

Having shared stages with the likes of Black Star and David Byrne, Buddhist musician Marilyn Carino has hit us with her second solo album Leaves, Sadness, Science. Also, featuring the talents of Mike Mills (bassist of R.E.M), the record is a unique fusion of electronic, hip-hop and soul vibes.

Carino’s vocals have been labelled, “powerful to the point of bringing you to tears” and it is easy to see why when listening to her music. The Brooklyn native wrote, recorded, mixed and performed all of Leaves, Sadness, Science – a collection of head-space grooves formed from layered, Moog-y synths and potent beats. Her long time practice of Nichiren Buddhism is the force that forms her songs into gripping monologues that explore themes of sex and radical self-expression.

Carino recorded her first album at Neil Young’s studio with Crazy Horse bassist Billy Talbot acting as producer. She then took a one-way ticket to London where she landed a job as an engineer in reggae recording studios. Upon returning to the U.S. she co-founded the vintage electronic group Mudville, producing three critically acclaimed albums and wrote lyrics for the great producers Sly and Robbie (Grace Jones, Simply Red). Mudville’s song ‘Wicked’ went on to win the 2008 Independent Music Award for Best Song. She recorded and produced her first solo album ‘Little Genius’ in 2011, and recently contributed vocals and lyrics to the Words Hurt indie hip hop collective’s ‘Fuck That Pretty Boy Shit’, featuring Samuel T. Herring, vocalist of Future Islands.

Consequently, you can see the experience that Marilyn has at her disposal as a musician and her latest album exhibits this perfectly. Certainly worth checking out if you fancy something a little different.

What Drink?

The craftsmanship in Marilyn’s music calls for something equally well made, like a cocktail- I’d suggest a manhattan.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/marilyncarinomusic

https://www.twitter.com/marilyncarino

https://www.youtube.com/marilyncarino

http://www.marilyncarino.com

1 of Us releases new EP CIRCLES

Cocktails, Electro, Electro Pop

What to drink with this EP? I’m feeling a Red Bull with Hennesey and a spot of Rose’s lime Juice. Something fun and bubbly, and equally sophisticated.

That is after all how I would sum up this new EP from Italian artist 1Of Us. The instrumentation is fun and bubbly, a backdrop of glossy electro that’ll get you putting your dancing shoes on. But the lyrics are very much sophisticated – the singer drawing influence from his life’s experiences and world topics such as the 2015 Paris Bombings (listen to track ‘Home’ below).

Previously signed to Warner, 1 of Us was forced to abandon his dreams of a music career 20 years ago. He has since poured his creative energy into a career in architecture. Now returning to his original passion, the artist shows us that he is still oozing with musical talent, but with a newfound maturity.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/1ofUsUk/?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

https://twitter.com/1ofUs_Music

Ragga Twins share new electro jungle dub track

Artist, Dub, Electro, reggae, Soundcloud, Spirits

Booze? Vodka Red Bull.

South east London duo Ragga Twins are set to release their new hard hitting electro jungle dub track ‘Vigilante’ with accompanying remixes from Serial Killza, Matron and Trufix.

Ragga Twins are a dynamic jungle/dub collective made up of Deman Rocker and Flinty Badman. Frequently attributed as being the founding fathers of jungle music, Ragga Twins have been crafting and building a genre for over 20 years from their humble roots in Hackney to festival stages at Glastonbury and Bestival and support slots with the likes of James Brown.

In a recent interview with Ragga Twins, Dazed commented on the duo describing them as: “bringing their reggae roots to the hardcore genre in the form of rewinds and lines they’d perfected from their sound system days, the siblings also helped the jungle scene to grow and become one of the most influential music trends in living memory.”

Citing influences ranging from Congo Natty to The Prodigy and heavily indebted to sound system culture, Ragga Twins have become a jungle staple in recent years. Contributing to Plan B’s Ill Manors and working with mega star Skrillex on his debut bolstered their resolve and swelled the ranks of their already sizeable fan base.

Ragga Twins are famed for their frequent collaborations with notable names which include; Aquasky, Deekline , Us3 , Skrillex. On their latest single ‘Vigilante’ the duo worked with producers Dean Ogre and Runone as well as US producers Must Die , Snails , wewik , Ookay and Matron.

“walking a steady line between classic jungle, and the future of this ever-evolving sound” – Thump/VICE

New single ‘Vigilante’ continues on same tangent as previous releases, adhering the basic genre based techniques commonly attributed with jungle but building on it creatively. Ragga Twins are like nothing else you’ve heard before; only in the delivery of a reggae influenced genre can they be aligned with other artists. Essentially, Ragga Twins have mastered the art of individuality in simplicity which is perfectly presented in their latest offering ‘Vigilante’.

New single ‘Vigilante’ is out on 4^th December

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/raggatwinz/