Cherish The Day (Live)

Sade. Show some respect.

Full update to follow on our November 14th session which was an interesting night by all accounts and has got us nicely excited about our birthday party on January 16th.

My head is pounding from seeing Digitalism last night and I'm fighting off the temptation to use loads of nu-rave words in this post so that's all from me!

Exceptional Disco Headpieces

inspired by rose royce (see below)

odd outfits too. boney m forgo their normally bizarre lyrics in favour of snippets of suggestive male vocal (saucy) and a brass led instrumental disco funk workout thing.

Bauhaus, Hairspray, Bats, Edits

Having stumbled across Fernando's recent Bauhaus edit, 'kick in the eye' (on the Redux label) this sometime bloggers goth leanings have been stirring.... it's not quite as bad as it sounds, and doesn't involve any crushed velvet or floor length pvc macs (although bats and belltowers can come into it and there are some interesting Elnett hair edifices involved....)


the original version of 'Kick in the Eye' (in tuxes, throwing shapes, smoke machines, amazing)



and if you're still here, another classic goth punk song thing from sue and the boys

November 14th ÜDIO

We are really looking forward to this now.. Jamie Woon (whose live skills you can see in the post below) will keep things interesting during the early stages of the night and Bill Brewster will undoubtedly live up to his name later on. Support comes from friendly yank Sativo who somehow had the normally chilled upstairs bar jumping back at our April gig. This time around we welcome his charisma and flair to the basement for a block-party beatdown of crunkdiscofunk satisfaction. Sign up here

Jamie Woon - Spirits

Fantastic talent from London. You can read more about him here and also be sure to check out Burial's remix of Wayfaring Stranger. Can't wait to see him live.

Let The Spirit

Today I have that restless feeling that you get in the few hours before you see you're favourite artist perform live. It's all about Roots Manuva tonight who headlines at the Warehouse Project here in my hometown of Manchester. His current tour is, of course, in support of his latest (and possibly greatest?) album; Slime and Reason which has birthed his latest single and video; 'Let The Spirit'.

After the jump I've also included the only copy of Blak Twang's mid '90s tune; 'Queen's Head' that I could find online. It features a skinny Roots, in his pre-Manuva days as 'Baron Smith', outshining a rough-around-the edges Tony Rotton.

P.S.- Look out for Ty at the start of the video too.

Black twang ft roots manuva - the queen's head
Uploaded by dougpark17

Mahavishnu Orchestra

Finally got my hands on the Mahavishnu Orchestra LP The Inner Mounting Flame the other day and thought I would post up a live version of the standout track "You Know You Know". Watch Billy Cobham the drummer go mental around the 7 minute mark.

Üdio updates to follow soon..

Love Lockdown

LOVE LOCKDOWN from kwest on Vimeo.

Just as I was starting to wish unkind things upon T-Pain and the spread of his autotune influence, Mr. West went and released the video for 'Love Lockdown'. Whilst I couldn't get onside with the change in direction at first, the video, I think helps make sense of Kanye's new, refined sound. 'Love Lockdown' is the first single off 808s & Heartbreak out November 25th.

Universal Mind Control

It's a good thing he's no longer with the self-proclaimed Analogue Girl aka Erykah Badu, as she surely would not approve of this video. It's digital as a mofo!

The eagerly anticipated video for Common's 'Universal Mind Control'; the title track of his upcoming album, has finally dropped and it's looking sharp. Look out for Pharrell the robot.

Road To Where - Free Download

The 39 Steps are here to introduce you to what they call 'Dark Soul'. Leeds-based producer Kato has created a place where jazz, hip hop, psychedelia and filmscores collide. Built to a blueprint of bottom-heavy beats and guest singer Laura Fowles' spine-tingling vocals, their debut album Coming Clean showcases his manifesto of thoughtful and emotive music. Despite a low-key arrival onto the electronic music scene with no live output as yet, their studio project has been steadily acquiring interest on digital domains such as MySpace, where enthusiasts from all over the world variously described their music as 'awesome', 'melancholic' and 'beautiful'. Coming Clean is currently being prepared for release. Expect an album of hazy pianos, scratchy horns, confusion and clarity.

Massive congratulations to The 39 Steps on being signed by up and coming Leeds-based label, Bad Sneakers records. Surely a contender for best label name ever?

Before the album is released early next year there will be several goodies made available for you to enjoy such as videos and behind-the-scenes insights. To get the ball rolling, the label have very kindly released an excellent preview of the album in the form of "Road To Where". Download for free here!

Many Moons

If Kanye was to ever to get his wish for the Bible to be modernised, and rappers incorporated into its stories, then P.Diddy has got to be the hip-hop Samson. When Puff's shiny suits disappeared so did his musical relevance.

In an effort to acquaint his Bad Boy Records label with the term credibility, Diddy signed Janelle Monae in 2007 and made a lot of people nervous for the singer's career.

For those who don't know, Janelle Monae's quirky style brought her to the attention of Outkast's Big Boi which led to her appareances on the Idlewild soundtrack. Her underground following has grown ever since, hence the apprehension that greeted the news of her signing with Diddy.

Her debut video for 'Many Moons' however goes a long way to dispel the fears of her followers whilst announcing Janelle as a futuristic soul star to the rest of the world.

With a new material due out next year, check Monae's EP; Metropolis:The Chase Suite and the plentiful Youtube footage in the meantime.

Talk To Me

Man, you played the Johnny Cashcard.. Weepy old me is ducking out of this one as that video is the epitomy of a solid tearjerker (plus all I had was Chris Isaac..)

On a serious note though, there is a good reason for me to be upset tonight. I've just come to learn that DJ Vadim has unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer. I really hope the hardest working man in Hip-Hop will come out of this OK and my thoughts are with him and his missus, Yarah Bravo. In case you don't know of his work I've posted up one of my favourite beats from his most recent album "The Soundcatcher". Enjoy, and if you subscribe to the power of collective belief, read this and get involved.

Never one to back down...

...from a challenge. Mr Paul, I see your Rose Royce and raise you a Janet Jackson, circa 1997. Taken from Janet's The Velvet Rope album, 'Got 'til It's Gone' probably isn't in the tearjerker class but is gently affecting with a masterpiece of a video directed by Mark Romanek.

P.S.- I'dve posted up Romanek's video for 'Hurt' by Johnny Cash (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go) if I'dve thought weepy Ricky could handle it.

Wishing On A Star

Not 100% sure why I'm posting this one up but it's Sunday night and it feels kind of right, so there you go. Make sure you stick around for the brief but excellent drum-break right at the end, and if anyone wants to step up and challenge this video with another tearjerker, give it your best shot!

Damme Chromeo

Grab a pen and take notes.

The Egyptian Lover Returns

This came out in 2006 on an album called Platinum Pyramids (Egyptian Empire Records). No idea what the rest of the album is like but if the artwork is anywhere near as good as the photo below, it might be worth investigating further. Listen to more of The Egyptian Lover on his Egyptian space.

Now On- The Willows

Now On - The Willows from Henry DeMaio on Vimeo.

A nice video for the easy-on-the-ears lead single from LA-based Now On's new album; Tomorrow Already. Check the Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/nowon) for more samples of the group's mellow brand.

New Q-Tip

The song itself has been knocking around for a while but the video for 'Getting Up', the first single off Tip's upcoming album The Renaissance, has surfaced online in the last couple of days. Feeling this song in an unhealthy way so it's nice to see the visuals don't let the audio down any at all.

I Wanna Kiss Myself

Spent the whole day in Phonica on Sunday so I'm feeling inspired enough to write a big post gorged full of all the badstuff I was lucky enough to hear. There's loads to get through so get nice and comfy. First up is Damian Lazarus' effort at the Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi series..


At first glance I wrote this one off, thinking that it was another instalment of the boring Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi series that generally equates to lots of average/semi-decent techno. To my surprise however, volume 2 of the more abstract Sci-Fi-Lo-Fi series showcases a bunch of genres, beginning with a tidy hip-hop number, sculpted by Sir Andrew Weatherall, which soon enough gets segued into Burial's "Etched Headplate". I pretty much handed myself over to old Lazarus from then onwards and was taken on an enjoyable ride through a soundscape which features MAW, Pulp, Jus Ed and Hercules and Love Affair amongst others. I really dislike Pulp, they have never done anything for me.. but the Moloko mix of their track on this compilation is bliss. Check out samples of the mix here and make sure you listen to the Kassem Mosse track.

Here's a couple of down-time albums:


Voice Of The Seven Woods - The Journey

This one floats by like a dream. It's only 16:48 minutes long but it feels much longer, and its length surprisingly doesn't take away from its value. You can hear some samples here - I'd say that "Breaking Moonlight" gives a good idea of the overall tone of the album/EP.


Lindstrom - Where You Go I Go Too

Not really one to bum Lindstrom, me. I can't say that I've ever bought any of his records (although I did pick up an album he did with Prins Thomas ages ago). Some of his work reeks of quality and norwegian dope but.. as is often the case, the hype around him unnerves me a bit. Perhaps I'm just a sucker for his buddy Prins Thomas who is still to this day one of the best dj's I've heard and he's also a savvy producer. Anyway, Where You Go I Go Too is an excellent listen, with 3 pieces ranging from 10 - 30 minutes in length and a relentless supply of great moments encompassing beat-less balearic rollers and ethereal disco chuggers. Have a mooch over here.


Dramatic Funk Themes Vol.1

Funk doesn't seem to be getting much of a look-in these days, it's all discotechnodiscoelectro on the blogs. This compilation is a deserving exception to the unwritten rule though, with bags of quality shining through on every single one of the 20 tracks it holds. Have a listen to the first track (reminds me of "jungle boogie") on the player here where you'll also find some informative blurb on how the release came to be.

I'm spent. Thanks for reading if you've made it this far!

(Just realised how dull all of those record covers were! I'll attempt to pick out some more colourful bits next time I post.. promise.)

Boom Bap of the Month

Whilst the 'Everyman' persona isn't the most identifiable image in hip-hop music, A tribe Called Quest made it look and sound like a natural element. What other group could make a video like 'Electric Relaxation' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERQzl4xDpXk), which consists of a cab ride to a diner, look like one of the illest days out ever? This month though, it's all about '1nce Again', the lead single off 1996's Beats, Rhymes and Life. The song was produced by Jay Dee/Dilla, who was a part of the production collective 'The Ummah' alongside Tribe's Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

Dorian Concept (Live)

Dorian Concept rocked the Gramaphone Club last night at Deviation's monthly forée into the soulful underground, as Benji B likes to call it. I find that some of his stuff can be too hectic but he's an indisputable talent who is more often than not capable of musically 'hitting the nail on the head'. Besides, anyone who can slam their head down on the keys of a microKorg and still create something melodic deserves some recognition, right? His last track of the night was perhaps a glimpse of a more up-tempo future direction and is only available to listen to here at the moment. It's called "Vertical Output" and has got me all excited about his imminent releases.

Jussa-Jus

Forgot to mention another new recruit on the blog - this time round its the lovely Justine, an aspiring journalist who works at Phonica and doesn't eat sugar. Welcome, Justine!

Just a quick post from me so I can bring 3 things to your attention:

1) The Deviation Soundscape Mixtape - Just had a quick listen through this relentless beat journey and it sounds tough and educational all at once.
2) Dwele - "Too Fly" - Anyone remember this one from a few years back? Quality rejig of Stevie Wonder's too high with Stevie's original bassline left untainted. Ouch.
3) I can't stop laughing at this video. Am I weird? Give it a go, and don't read the comments until after its finished.

Visitors from the Cosmos

Two small tasters of the phenomenon that is Sun Ra and his Arkestra.

Whilst declaring himself, quite seriously, a visitor from outer space (who by the look of his threads spent some time in ancient Egypt also), he and his band the Arkestra are without a doubt the purveyors of the most cosmic, wigged-out, trippy, psychedelic and inspired and joyous jazz music mankind has ever known.

Animated GOODness

Afternoon people.

The aforementioned Mr Palmer aka Henny Lenry here. Thought I'd ease into my first post with a couple of nice animated videos from Kanye's GOOD Music camp.

First up there's the man himself with a full length version of 'Good Morning', the opening track off Graduation. It's nice to see it in a higher quality than the camera phone versions that appeared on the net a few months ago.



Then there's Common's video for 'Announcement' ; a track produced by and featuring Pharell. The new album, Invincible Summer apparently drops on September 22nd.

On-Point

Great blog by Alex Deforce from Belgium. Hours of perusal pleasure and plenty of interviews with people like Fly-Lo, Trus'me and Âme.

ICC gig next Friday..

..has unfortunately been postponed for reasons beyond the promoter's control.

On the plus side, the next Üdio is set to take place on November 14th and we have a great booking lined up. Stay tuned.

Savath Y Savalas

Forthcoming album on B-Music/Twisted Nerve records. Listen to samples here. Lush, Latin-Psych sounds from Guillermo Herron (the man behind Prefuse 73) and friends. Have a read of the blog on there called 'GSH talks about bad news and school..' which features the exceptional line: "All he did is smoke cigs and beat the shit out of Dennis."

Lacrimal

Dissident has become a bit of a buzzword here in the capital. They've been causing waves for a while now with their relentless supply of limited edition black-crack 12"s, and subsequently my music-savant friends have been cursing me for not being "italo" enough. Might get my eyes poked for saying this.. but I haven't been going loopy for every release on the label. This one however really got my attention: have a listen to 'Lacrimal' on Ali Renault's myspaz. Can't wait to hear it out somewhere and get my slow-mo chicken-wing groove on.

Also, who said Kompakt were allowed to release such an ace compilation in Total 9. I thought Techno was supposed to be going out the window?


Best track on there is fellow umlaut rocker Justus Köhncke's "No Thanks For The Add" - can't believe I'm sharing that one with you..

Calypsoul 70

Calypsoul 70: Caribbean Soul & Calypso Crossover 1969 - 1979

Absolute pleasure to listen to. Loads of uptempo funkyness as well as a few really nice emotive numbers. One of those albums that doesn't invite you to skip any of the tracks at all. If you could see me now I would be smiling with two thumbs up - genuine. Click the above link to hear some samples.

Welcome, Mr Palmer

Today we're lucky enough to welcome a good friend and talented writer to the blog: Elliot Palmer. He'll be bringing his own unique brand of optimistic cynicism and bags of knowledge on the realms of moving image, music and theatre amongst other things.

A few posts ago I made a reference to a friend of mine reminding me of Lenny Henry.. this had nothing to do with Elliot. Honest.

Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On)

.. by Talking Heads. This is one of those records I can't wait to play at the ICC gig. Heard it on an excellent compilation called Funky Nassau: The Compass Point Story which came out a while back but I've only just managed to pick it up. I defy you to listen to this and not feel the urge to strip down to your discopants a do a little discostrut around your bedroom or office.. there's something wrong with you if you don't act on this urge.

I Can Count

Heard only good things about these parties so really looking forward to September 5th now. Got so many ace records lined up even if I do say so myself. Come down and say hello - its free!

Check out I Can Count music and clothing here.

A Guy Called Who?

The voodoo shaman returns with a new EP on Perlon Records by the name of In Ya Head. Someone give me a warehouse so I can play Moon Jelly to a bunch of acid boogaloo fiends. Ta.

We Got Them Hot In This Bitch..

Busta Buss does it again. Watch out for the eyebrow.

Curzon

Don't know much about this beatmaker from Notts except that he/she has made a killer track called Curzon - listen here. Reminds me a bit of Forss but still fresh regardless.

Low, we salute you.

Tell No One

Amazing French movie that had me paralysed all over right up until the end. Tell everyone.

Hot Buttered Soul RIP

Isaac Hayes died yesterday from unknown causes at the age of 65. Read more about his life's work here.

I only really cottoned on to his work around a year ago but no matter what record I pick up by him, it's full of heart and soul. The Chocolate Chip LP remains my favourite so far but Isaac's legacy goes beyond his music in many ways.

Slinkachu

Slinkachu's exhibition Ground Zero kicks off on the 28th August at Cosh Gallery on Berwick Street (just off oxford street). It's invite only, but all you have to do is e-mail Cosh. Details here

Vibrant Thing

The photo above was taken from Nicky Peart's portfolio which is evolving nicely at the moment and has plenty of warm pieces to offer. You'll be able to see more of her work on the üdio walls later this year.

If there are any aspiring artists out there we would really like to see your work and potentially offer you similar opportunities. Word.

CLASSIC BOOM BAP

Every month I'm gonna post up some classic ish that will get your head bumping, nar mean? This month it was a tough call. Elevators by Outkast came at the top of my list although I can't post up the video for some reason (you can check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tptPj6K_jJQ&feature=related). Second place goes to the epic opus that is The Blast, produced by Hi-Tek and words from Talib Kweli. Speakers up now..

The Pirate's Dilemma

Matt Mason is a smartypants. His blog is constantly questioning and exploring contemporary conundrums and technological advancements. Who would have thought that the new Batman movie questions a fundamental economic principle? Who knew that media pirates have rescued dying industries time and time again? It's all on his blog and in his book which he's made available for free from here.. kind soul. If you want to know about how David Mancuso got his party ideas from his pre-school and how Madonna committed a faux pas and got cyber-slapped by hackers all over the world, you should definitely give this book a go. Happy reading.

La Haine

Thought I may as well back up that comment about La Haine by searching out one of my favourite clips from the film. Hubert, the guys who's cutting up the resin, really reminds me of a good friend of mine. But then so does Lenny Henry. Anyway I digress.. the Isaac Hayes cut at the start is called "That Loving Feeling" and is one of my favourite tracks by the big man.. but most people remember this scene for Cut Killer's special moment and not without good reason. Enjoy.

JR

I imagine JR will soon be tagged as the French Banksy if he hasn't been already. His work is mainly photo-based but he goes around sticking his pieces up on walls all over the world. Tempting as it is to come up with a real arty description of his work, I'm going to play it safe and just say that I really like the simple, nitty-gritty nature of his content. Check out more of his stuff here.. in particular check out his photo's of Paris (go to Themes on his website). His black and white stuff reminds me loads of Michel Kassovitz's movie La Haine (1995), which is something else you would do well to check out if you don't know it already.

a+

Gig : Hypnotic Brass Ensemble at The Albany 18/07/08

Last week I won tickets to go and hear HBE at the Albany courtesy of Destinationout.com (tidy club listings website). The Albany is a weird venue. Looks like the inside of a circus tent and the crowd was the most diverse I've ever seen at a funk gig anyway: old couples, young kids, divas, dreads, homies, homos and one geezer who bumped and grinded his way to the stage in an attempt to get the seated crowd dancing - which he did.

HBE have indie spirit in abundance, and considering the size of their collective they are doing really well to tour without the support of a record label. Check out their Myspace and pick up their live CD if you can.. Not much else to say except that they were exceptionally tight on-stage, skillfully navigated their way from afrobeat thumpers to astrofunk excursions and provided a great show at the same time.

Hypnotic we salute you.

Cool Outrageous Lovers Of Uniquely Raw Style

Sa-Ra on the beat!

Alice

Essential 7" for a lovely day like today. Listen to the samples here

brief ramble

It was a not so impressionable young boy who returned home from big lights of the bright city for this summer. A portfolio filled with nonsense and various creative activity banged against his supple calfs as he trudged through the front door of the pleasant suburban threshold which he once called home. Slowly it came back to him, the smell of cow, of unwashed cow and human living side by side. The people are shorter in my home town than in the city, less beef more leaf i expect. I was worn, dissilusioned and dirty. The city has probed me this year, its thick concrete has entered me and i am changed. More sceptical, weary of the fickle, the cool and the beautiful. 

  

Shocking Confession

Our Jim has been learning some next-level stuff at Art College this year. This is actually a "future self-portrait", says Jim.. "I keep thinking that one day like I'm just gonna end up a mess after listenin' to this italo disco muzik right, and just lie around for hours on end with me disco panties on - thinking: I could have made something of my life. If only I'd got off ma disco booty and posted some blogs on that eckshelent udio blog thing. Oh dear.."

Come on Jim. You have our support. Make something of your life.

x

Pandayoghurt

He's completed work for Amon Tobin, TM Juke, Cinematic Orchestra as well as other stuff that you can see on his homepage here

"You Guys Are Gonna Like This One"

Silent Distance

The recent post about Clara Hill's new single on the Wuzz blog reminded me that I have a little thing for her voice.. granted it's one of the most hit and miss voices ever, but she unmistakably nails it in Silent Distance.. don't you think?

By Your Side

I'm not sure how but I've just watched every second of that video and now I'm truly bamboozled. Is this guy a genius or just a bona fide plum? Anyway listen to the shmoozik.. Coco Rosie are making lovely sounds right now, check out their most recent ltd edition 7" here

Just attempted to watch it again.

Plum.

Üdio's Out for Summer

Image courtesy of Debbie Scanlan (Rogue Photography)

By midnight it was looking like the Shoreditch summer lull was definitely going to take its toll on our normally healthy turnout, however several dance-happy revellers came out of the woodwork to help us finish our fourth and final party for the summer in style. Following on from Nick V's disco-strut workout, Kato began the closing set of the night with the excellent Alphabet Aerobics by Blackalicious before launching into two hours of bugged out technotronica, with closure arriving in the form of Crosstown Traffic by good old Jimi!

We're chuffed to have raised £140 for the National Deaf Children Society and MIND, and we're definitely considering keeping the fundraising going in the future. In fact several potential changes are already at the forefront of our minds - there are some excellent ideas being thrown out there which will hopefully become more and more visible as we progress through the year. Suffice to say we already have some impressive malarkey planned for our next affair in October/November.

On the music front, we're pleased to announce that The 39 Steps project is now complete and the album release is imminent. Check the website here for samples and also more info on the release date. Also, Nick V has been kind enough to come up with a disco-heavy contribution for our podcast series which can be found on our podcast page here. Enjoy!

Keep checking back for more news and mixes as well as other important titbits.

Word.

Update for Friday's Session

Photo courtesy of Rogue Photography

Set Times:

Jonny5 9.30 - 10.30
Earfworm Jim 10.30 - 11.30
Desi Punk Contingent 11.30 - 1.00
Nick V 1.00 - 2.30
Kato 2.30 - 4.00

If you haven't done so already, get your names over to guestlist@udio.co.uk for fast and easy entry.

Hope to see you down there!

The Natural Yoghurt Band - Away With Melancholy LP

Huzzah, muthafudgers! A funk band emerge from the leftfield with an album composed of contemporary psych-rock infused hip hop for different purposes, be it dance-floor decimation or summertime laziness.

Listen to samples here

"I'm Supertramp"

A slight departure from normal posts on this blog, granted, but I saw this film and couldn't resist sharing it with you. It came through my letterbox a few weeks ago courtesy of lovefilm and since watching it I've tried to post it back to them a couple of times, however it still resides on my desk waiting to be watched again (and again..). I'm a stickler for films that you need to psych yourself up for and Into the Wild doesn't disappoint in this respect. Here's a quote that will hopefully raise a few eyebrows:

Two years he walks the earth. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta. Thou shalt not return, 'cause "the West is the best." And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. - Alexander Supertramp May 1992

Invest.

Fieron's Funky Cold Manuva

Fieron drops his long-awaited contribution to the üdio podcast series and gives us an introspective 1 hour glance at his record collection. Featuring tracks from Lou Reed, The Beat and the Archie Bronson Outfit, as well as the moorish tones of Fieron's own voice, we hope you enjoy this session of diverse sounds. You can listen to it using the podcast player above or go here and subscribe via iTunes etc

Use the 4th Muhhfugga's

Hope you all dig Earthworm Jim's latest effort above. As you can see the line up is confirmed: Kato promises to bring his bag of psychrockboogiefunk bombs and Nick V will be airing some of his finest records too, with full support from the üdio residents. We will be contributing some of the takings on the night toward towards MIND (mental health awareness charity) as well as the National Deaf Children Association.. so dig deep people and come and join us for a boogie.

The Rip

Radiohead cover Portishead's forthcoming single 'The Rip' here. Lovely.

UB40

Definitely laying my street-cred on the line here.. These boys were one of the few fruitful things to have come out of my hometown Birmingham, and listening back to 'Don't Break My Heart' now I still think it's a great sounding record. Give it a chance!

Rogue Photography

Our friends Debbie Scanlan and Ben Cole have set up an events photography agency. We have a lot of faith in their ability, especially after their shots at our opening party back in January, so we've decided to invite them back for July's üdio. The above picture is just an example of their work - even fieron's looking pretty smart eh? Go check out the Rogue Photography facebook group to see more of their endeavors. Debbie (pictured below) is looking to get more work for Rogue so if you know anyone who needs quality photos taking, be sure to get in touch with her (she's the admin on their facebook group).

Va Va Voom to Paris

Our resident monk of funk, Jamie Fieron, has been invited to the super soave Bar Baxo in Paris on June 6th where he will be laying down 4 hours worth of his finest musical nuggets and spreading the good word of Üdio.

Keep your eyes peeled for Fieron's new podcast which employs a new and more personal style; should be available for download in the coming week. If you haven't already had a listen to our podcasts all you have to do is follow the link below:

www.udio.podomatic.com

ÜDIO - July 4th 2008

Our fourth and final party before the summer break will see the return of Kato who destroyed the Gramaphone club back in February with a bugged out mix featuring everything from Michael Jackson to Audion. We've also booked Nick V, one of the pillars of Parisian clubland who has his fingers in too many funky pies to mention. Suffice to say if there's a good party going on in the French capital Nick will be involved. I saw him play one of the sets of his life alongside co-resident Laurent Garnier at the revered Ballroom party and he dropped The Fly by Syclops (http://www.last.fm/music/Syclops/_/The+Fly), which was totally against the grain on the night but still rocked the place silly.

More info to come very soon, including news on new podcasts by both Nick V and Kato respectively.

Word.

Zatoichi vs Madlib the Beat Konducta

Not for the squeamish..

April Party and Future Movements

Despite a couple of fleeting technical difficulties, our third party was pretty fun and we received lots of good feedback so well done to everyone involved and thanks to all those who made it down. Earfworm Jim rounded up the night nicely and followed on impressively from the Desi Punk Contingent who played everything from balearic disco treats to breakbeat monsters with a cheeky chemical brothers mix of Kylie thrown in for good measure. Big thanks to New Bohemia for looking after the upstairs bar. Sativo from homegrown hip hop outfit ASM particularly impressed and will hopefully be guesting downstairs in the club sometime soon.

Just so you all know.. our next party at the Gramaphone club will be taking place on Friday 4th July - we are already expecting a solid turnout for this one so keep an eye on guestlist details to ensure easy entry. There are also plans for Üdio to host a daytime garden party somewhere in London so keep checking back for more details on that one.

word to bigbird

üdio 3

The third instalment of üdio is now less than a week away and we hope you’re as excited as we are! Here’s the lowdown on what to expect next Saturday:

For the first time, we’re hosting both floors of the Gramaphone, with an awesome soundtrack over both floors. DJing alongside residents Earfworm Jim and the Desi Punk Contingent, we welcome back Danny “the Djembe Destroyer” who will be warming us up earlier on and providing the rhythmic djembe action later on. We also have Noah from New Bohemia playing downstairs with the rest of the New Bohemia crew rocking out the upstairs bar. Another first for üdio is a live set downstairs. We have the privilege of previewing Soundspecies’ new album downstairs, which is a great listen and certainly worth checking out (http://www.myspace.com/soundspeciesUK).

All in all it’s gearing up to be our best party yet, so get your glad rags on, bring your friends and prepare for the aural assault üdio style.

Cheers

Team üdio

Podcast Series

We're happy to announce that our podcast series is finally available for download via iTunes. All you have to do is follow the appropriate link on our podcast website:

http://udio.podomatic.com/

There's a brand new mix available courtesy of our lad Earfworm Jim (pictured above). We have plans to host mixes by several accomplished jockeys of the disc from all over the shop so make sure you subscribe to the service to get the most out of it. Word.

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Earfworm Jim - Keys to Zeal

1. Harvey Mason - Space Cadets
2. Lewis Taylor - Lovelight
3. Vansbro Boogie - Unknown
4. Sweet - Funk It Up
5. Beyonds the Wizard's Sleeve - Words
6. Cromagnum - Unknown
7. Johnny Horns - Paint it Black
8. The Sweeney - Soundtrack from The Sweeney
9. Quantum Jump - Lone Ranger
10. Hugh Massarella - North Side
11. Donc Boys - Cypestre
12. Senor Coconut - Behind The Mask (Ricardo Villalobos remix)

The 39 Steps

"The 39 Steps are here to introduce you to what they call ‘Dark Soul’. Leeds-based producer Kato and veteran singer Laura Fowles have spent the last year and a half creating a place where jazz, hip hop, psychedelia and filmscores collide. Built to a blueprint of bottom-heavy beats and spine-tingling vocals, their debut album Coming Clean is currently being finished and aims to showcase their manifesto of thoughtful and emotive music. Despite a low-key arrival onto the electronic music scene with no live output as yet, their studio project has been steadily acquiring interest on digital domains such as MySpace, where enthusiasts from all over the world variously described their music as ‘awesome’, ‘melancholic’ and ‘beautiful’. Buoyed by this response, the duo have written an entire album of songs and have recorded a video (not yet screened….!) to promote the album. Coming Clean is shaping up to be a personal, thought provoking and nocturnal album."

excerpt taken from www.the39stepsmusic.co.uk/

Don't let your eyes or ears stray too far away from these guys. You only have to take a brief look at their myspace to see just how much praise they have already garnered. We have every faith that the album is going to be an excellent listen and would like to wish Laura and Kato all the best for the future.

New Bohemia London Launch - Sat 29th March - Cargo

Not content with being the number 1 institution for all things funky up in sunny Leeds, New Bohemia are set to put their stamp on our first city on March 29th at Cargo. We wish them all the best and are looking forward to having Noah and co. involved with Üdio in the future. New Bohemia will be hosting the upstairs area at our next party which takes place on April 26th. Hold tight for more info..

2dio

Massive thanks to everyone who came down and helped us shake the foundations of the Gramaphone club. Here's how the night unfolded..

Danny the Djembe Destroyer got everyone's heads nodding for his 2 hour special.. Earfworm had the beard strokers trying to sneak a peak at his records.. between 12:30 and 2am, Kato's critical beatdown blew everyone away as he hopped from psych rock funk bombs to acid house anarchy. The Desi Punk Contingent somehow followed on and kept people dancing right up until the club closed at 4. Plenty of lovely feedback and plenty of smiling faces.. perfect. One lonesome punter was so impressed that he sat down, put his hands in his pants and had himself a game of pocket billiards.

This went down a treat:


St Germain - Rose Rouge

Stay tuned for the third installment..

Kato

For the second episode of üdio we have invited DJ Kato to come and play us some of his favourite records. He has been rocking floors in Leeds for a while now, holding down residencies at legendary clubnight Funksoulnation at the HiFi Club and also Funkywormhole at the Mint Club. Recently, Kato's music production has flourished and his efforts have culminated in the almost finished studio project known as The 39 Steps, which he likes to describe as "dark soul". We think that it's sounding pretty good so far and that anyone who is into downtempo, hip hop, jazz, soul or whatever should check it out. DJing is still an important facet of his passion for music and he recently supported German production supergroup Jazzanova, so we warmly welcome Kato down to the Gramaphone Glub on Feb 29th. Godnose what he has got up his sleeves for us but expect to hear a wide variety of sounds ranging from heavy funk through to classic hip hop, funked up house, broken beats and beyond..

The 39 Steps:
www.myspace.com/the39stepsmusic

Have a listen to some of Kato's own beats here:
www.myspace.com/chairmankato

Üdio Number 2io

Like what we did with the title there?

Hope you guys dig the flyer above. It was designed by our resident fartist, Earfworm Jim, who you'll find unleashing his own take on the üdio sound between 11 and half 12 on the 29th Feb @ Gramaphone.

Also just wanted to mention that it might be an idea to e-mail udioinfo@googlemail.com for guestlist and concessions. If you send us 7 names, one person will get in for free and the rest just pay student prices (4 squid!).

x

Danny The Djembe Destroyer

Those who were lucky enough to make it down to our opening party may have noticed a certain bongo enthusiast giving the DJ’s records a live accompaniment for hours on end. It just so happens that Danny is an accomplished DJ himself having been a resident at the memorable Funkywormhole clubnight in Leeds and also the outright winner of The Telegraph’s regional DJ competition. Danny’s hands were pretty much bleeding after their relentless beatdown on his own Djembe drum so we thought we would do him a favour and this time ask him to come and build the night up with a special 2 hour set of both past and contemporary inspirations that will go from one end to the other of his musical spectrum. With a keen interest in photography and a discerning ear for beats, we hope that Danny will remain an integral part of Üdio’s evolution.

You can see some of Danny’s influences as well as photography here:
www.myspace.com/daniel_wood_london

VIDEO

Titbits

A small dose of the badstuff..

1. A Mountain Of One - Collected Works CD
Listen to Freefall.. beautiful, really well written song that I don't think I could ever get tired of.
www.myspace.com/amountainofone

2. Lykke Li - Little Bit
This lovely lady (in the picture above) sang on 'young folks'.. really looking forward to her solo material. Think she has a 10" out right now.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUC0ezAlHwE

3. Little Dragon - Twice
Can't get over this song, great video too. Thanks to future guest dj Kato for putting me on to this one.
Watch out for when the tears start to flow..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yedD4JsZyT0

4. Spitalfields Market in Shoreditch on a Sunday morning..
I think they call places like this "wallet bleeders"

5. My new Numark portable turntable!! Time to get my dig on, innit









6. This little stomper came out in 1999 but I've only just seen the video. Homophobes avert your eyes now.
The Jag by Micronauts
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yedD4JsZyT0

That will do.

cheers, Ricky x