üdio

History

2010-01-05T16:16:00.003Z

Short but sweet video for one of the standout tracks from Mos Def's latest album, The Ecstatic, featuring Black Star cohort Talib Kweli.

Live To Listen Podcast 001

2009-11-23T15:04:00.002Z

'Live To Listen' Podcast 001 by {Work:Ethic}

Creative Source- "You Can't Hide Love" (Sussex)
Paul White- "Dragon Fly" (One Handed Music)
Group Home- "Livin' Proof" (Payday)
Pointer Sisters- "Pinball Number Count (DJ Food Re-Edit)" (Ninja Tune)
Joseph Koo- "Theme From The Big Boss" (Tam)
Take- "After Words" (Eat Concrete)
Blue Daisy- "Hunterz" (Black Acre)
Frank Hebly- "De Tuinslangboogie" (Magnetron Music)
Dam Funk- "Hood Pass Intact" (Stones Throw)
PMD- "Straight From The Heart" (Boondox)
Fulgeance- "Smartbanging" (One Handed Music)
Connie Price And The Keystones feat. Percee P- "International Hustler" (Ubiquity)
Mount Kimbie- "Serged" (Hotflush)
Homecut- "I Don't Even Know" (First Word)
Dramatics- "The Devil Is Dope" (Volt)
J Dilla- "Over The Breaks" (BBE)
Amanda Blank- "Something Bigger, Something Better" (Downtown Records)
The Flaming Lips- "Convinced Of The Hex" (Warner Bros)
Silver Apples- "A Pox On You" (MCA)
Architeq- "Fox Tails" (Tirk)
Andreya Triana- "Lost Where I Belong" (Ninja Tune)
Alice Coltrane- "Blue Nile" (Impulse!)

The first of many podcasts from Work:Ethic.

Digibooty Digibooty

2009-11-23T15:00:00.000Z

Earfworm Jim on artistic duties.

Üdio 27th November @ The Gramaphone

2009-10-27T11:20:00.004Z

Euan Indecision (Skylarkin' Soundsystem / Disco Shed)

Chris C-Top (Space Bass)

For the November party we've invited 2 of our good friends to play some records in the early hours. Euan recently left his position at the Gramaphone as bookings manager and considering how supportive and encouraging towards Udio he's been in the past we had to get him back. His excellent blog What Is Wrong With Groovin' is testament to the depth of his record bag so we're looking forward to seeing what he comes out with on the night.

Chris C-Top is part of the ebullient SpaceBass crew who can be found rocking east London warehouse parties and also the occasional Sunday at the Big Chill Bar. He played just before me at a mutual friend's fundraiser for the National Deaf Children Society which featured the likes of Gilles Peterson, Kode 9 and Lukid, and not only was his track selection really good but he also struck me as being an extremely genuine geezer. Again, looking forward to C-Top's interpretation of the Udio sound (if there is such a thing) and also hoping he pulls his finger out and delivers a podcast for us in the near future.

Other than inviting these two chaps down, we don't really have any special plans for the November affair mainly because we feel we've done enough in the last 2 years to justify a residents & friends party from time to time. We hope you don't get put off by the lack of a big name and promise to deliver something extra-special for our birthday celebration in January.

Bridging The Gap @ Market Place 23/10/09

2009-10-16T01:42:00.009+01:00

I've been looking forward to this for a long time.

When I went to BTG for the first time the residents had all my friends dancing on the sofas which is no easy feat. It is quite simply a great party with a basic but effective formula: Free entry, cheap drinks, loads of girls and a basement fit for the finest boogie > house around. This springs to mind:

Should be a fitting precursor to the next Udio on November 27th! More to come on that later......

Work:Ethic

2009-10-14T12:06:00.004+01:00

work:ethic is a website that paints portraits of creative people and their creative environments.

Whether they are electronic musicians, bands, or visual artists, these individuals have devoted their lives to creativity and have an innate understanding of the hard graft and sacrifice that such a pursuit entails. It is those people we pay tribute to and discover what makes them tick. We want to know about their working methods, about their inspirations, about their creative frustrations and how they overcome them. We also want to tell everyone about the things going on that we like, whether it's up and coming music that interests us, or interesting events that we think people should know about. Ultimately, though, we want aspiring musicians and artists to visit our site and to come away stimulated and inspired, inspired to pursue their creative urges and enjoy their work.

Email us on info@work-ethic.net

Plenty more features to come including CD-R, James Holden and Kid Kanevil. Enjoy!

You Got The Love

2009-10-07T00:43:00.002+01:00

My friend Claudio has a thing for The XX... I am sceptical to say the least. 'Crystallised' is a treat to listen to but will the album be a let-down? I'll have to investigate further. Anyway, Claudio mentioned this track to me and having checked it out, I'm sure it deserves a post. It starts off almost as if it were a return to form from The Streets, but before you know it The XX have put their undeniable stamp on it. Looking forward to the album now.

French Wave

2009-09-28T23:49:00.004+01:00

You'll either love it or hate it.

The Mizell Brothers

2009-09-25T14:42:00.004+01:00

Had a Mizell Brothers jazz fusion morning today and what fantastic producers these lads were. Here are my highlights:

Ike White - Changin' Times

2009-09-15T19:46:00.004+01:00

Many thanks for the introduction Ricky. What better way to start than with some music. This rather excellent and widely undiscovered album has been a permanent feature on my player over the last couple of years. Since hearing the title track on the Sean P guest mix over at sixmillionsteps, I was well and truly hooked by the haunting and addictive vibey echoes prominent in both the intro and outro as well as the laidback but genuinely retrospective lyrics and tone that seemed to eminate so naturally from Ike. 'Changin' times' which was released on L.A International, was the one and only album he released. Considering that it was written at Tehachapi State Prison where Ike was an inmate at the time, the level of sincerity is clear. It was actually Stevie Wonder who wrote the sleeve notes:

"There are many Ike Whites' in this world, let's give these men a fair chance making not the colour of his skin final fate for being behind bars"

Stevie Wonder

The album is probably best known for the more famous 'Love and Affection' which has made the tracklistings of many a rare groove compilation, a real dancefloor burner that will hopefully rock the basement of the gramaphone club in the not too distant future ;)

Anyway, if you see this LP anywhere, do buy and cherish it, it's definitely one of those albums for life.

NonCollective

2009-09-14T11:02:00.003+01:00

Earfworm Jim put me on to this nifty website - nicely presented and chock-a-block with interesting mixes:

www.noncollective.com

You can find their tracklists here but my pick of the bunch is Broken Psych. Get involved!

Ladies and Gentlemen, Eddie Roscoe...

2009-09-11T14:57:00.006+01:00

Very happy to welcome Mr Roscoe on the udio blog. Anyone who knows him can testify to his extensive musical knowledge and his ability to cook up a storm (and create a mess) in the kitchen, so expect some great links to all kinds of boogie-mischief and perhaps the odd recipe as well. Welcome on board Eddie.

Boom Bap of the Month

2009-09-10T21:37:00.000+01:00

Outkast - Bombs Over Baghdad
by lasc35

Kato & Bat Fellatio

2009-09-09T13:04:00.005+01:00

Haunting re-work of the opening vocal from Bat For Lashes' Two Suns album by Kato. Proper.

Duke Etienne

2009-09-08T19:49:00.006+01:00

I haven't heard many good mixes recently for some reason - but this little opus from Duke Etienne, stalwart over at the Heads-High music website, certainly got my attention. Afro-bump of the highest order!

1. Lizzy Mercier Decloux – Hard Boiled
2. Pearson Sounds – WAD
3. Sole Fusion – Bass Tone
4. John Robertson – Blame
5. Reggie Dokes – Walk In Deepness
6. New World Aquarium – Tresspassers
7. Block 16 – Morning Sun (Pepe Bradock Refix)
8. Lightening Heads – Message Beats
9. Nanyo Addo – Wo ba wo ba shue
10. Jimi Tenor & the Kabu Kabu – Fast Legs
11. Silkie – Purple Love
12. Elemental – Braindrops
13.James Blake – Air and Lack Thereof’
14. Build an Ark Remix (Unknown – Help us out!)
15. Amede & The Soundsmith – Tip Toe ft. Shanazz Dorsett
16. Sa Ra Creative Partners – Soul’s Brother

Andreya Triana

2009-09-08T14:17:00.005+01:00

Looks like Bonobo is producing Andreya Triana's debut album. I'm intrigued.

Qlocktwo

2009-09-08T12:07:00.003+01:00

Only 885 euros...

I'm just a sucker, looking for some sugar...

2009-09-04T15:02:00.002+01:00

This fantastic discoboogie record has just been repressed, yay xx

20 Years of Warp

2009-09-04T12:00:00.002+01:00

20 years and an unbeleivable number of amazing records. Many of which are handily compiled onto the Warp Classics double CD, available at Phonica now along with reduced price back catalogue from the likes of Aphew Twin, LFO, Squarepusher and Boards of Canada (to name but a few).

Here's a taster from the Classics album, Nightmares on Wax 'A Case of Funk'.

Enya's Niece?

2009-08-26T17:42:00.001+01:00

Bat For Lashes' Mum?

2009-08-26T16:35:00.006+01:00

Desi Disco Alert.

Kleeer Dominoes

2009-08-18T13:44:00.003+01:00

Following on from Justine's post here are two tracks that have got me by the nuts this week. Enjoy

Strawberry Letter 23

2009-08-18T10:57:00.003+01:00

I heard the most amazing edit of Brothers Johnson's Strawberry Letter 23 on Sunday, which as well as being a really worthwhile edit also sent me back into the arms of the original, fantastic, song. Enjoy the original and seriously, check out the edit too.

D-Lo

2009-08-12T12:53:00.004+01:00

I had the fortune of meeting NYC breakdancer D-Lo on the tube the other night as we were making our way to a great house-party in North London. He confessed that he really liked my trainers and was shocked that I bought them from M&S (for all the ubercool sneaker-freaks out there, that stands for Marks and Spencers). Anyway, we made a deal that he would come and dance at Udio one day if we decide to keep the night going. Surely the idea of having D-Lo in the club is motivation enough? We'll have to wait and see.

God Bless..

2009-08-11T22:34:00.004+01:00

.. Rob Da Bank

n.b did anyone else realise pilooski's remix of Crawfish took a vocal from an elvis presley movie!?!

Disco Loops For The Troops

2009-08-10T18:33:00.003+01:00

Wicked selection of up-tempo disco breaks and house jams featuring tracks by Daft Punk, Soundstream, Steel An' Skin, and capped off by the sickest remix of True Faith's 'take me away' to date in my opinion. Nice work Tom Trago. In other news...

Claudio from monthly basement-rave Bridging The Gap has asked me to join him and his comrades for a session in room 2 of Koko this Friday. In room 1 there is some standard NME thing going on but room 2 will be a blast I'm sure. Hope you can make it.

Strangeloop

2009-08-06T19:27:00.001+01:00

cephalapodophilia from Dr. StrangeLoop on Vimeo.

(I had my eyes closed for most of this)

WOON

2009-08-06T18:53:00.003+01:00

New material from Jamie Woon and his band.

Tit

2009-08-06T00:42:00.002+01:00

Such a tit.

They're Back

2009-08-06T00:29:00.002+01:00

Machine Dreams due out soon...

Boom Bap Of The Month

2009-08-04T15:08:00.003+01:00

Devil Dancer

2009-07-31T15:33:00.003+01:00

Loved this video as a kid and watching it now it's quite cool to see how the dancing style was heavily informed by MJ himself. The best bit comes just after the 4 minute mark. Amazing.

Tussle

2009-07-31T15:02:00.004+01:00

The above track is Transparent C by a band called Tussle, comes highly recommended from earfworm Jim. Worth staying with all the way to the end. Also, Tron's back...

And for some reason, the new film about Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Junior contains loads of apocalyptic kung-fu shenanigans? What would Watson think!? Still.. looks prettay good.

I Am Love

2009-06-26T14:14:00.001+01:00

From the "Dancing Machine" LP.

RIP MJ

Reflection Eternal- Back Again

2009-06-24T00:49:00.002+01:00

I couldn't help picturing the sunniest of summer days every time I heard this tune on Benji B's show. So naturally the video takes places in a daylight-deprived studio setting. Ah well. Anyhow, this is the lead single of the long-awaited new Reflection Eternal album.

Honkytonk

2009-06-18T14:07:00.000+01:00

Great song.

June 23rd / Warp Records

2009-06-16T00:04:00.001+01:00

Album of the Summer?

Double OUCH

2009-06-15T18:45:00.001+01:00

Credit has to go to BeyondBody&Soul who is uploading these beasts on to youtube. Enjoy.

OUCH

2009-06-15T17:52:00.004+01:00

I'm going to do an 'OUCH' every month from now on. It's the word that corresponds closest with a certain look I've noticed on the faces of people who like music so much that when they hear something they really like and there are no words, their faces crumple up, and it looks like they're suffering. Also known as the pleasure/pain principle. Anyway, I hope you can see why this song deserved the OUCH gong.

Mos Def/Zack Morris/The Roots collabo

2009-06-10T20:38:00.002+01:00

Live performance of 'Casa Bey' by Mos Def from the new album The Ecstatic. He's backed by The Roots who are the house band on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show.

I was more impressed though with the appearance by Zack Morris from everyone's favourite yesteryear show, Saved By The Bell (shout out to my Channel 4-on-a-Sunday-morning-back-in-the-day crew). He talks about what he's been up to since leaving Bayside High, his divorce from Kelly Kapowski and even brings out his brick mobile phone before getting down with ?uestlove and co.

DumboSex

2009-05-28T14:02:00.004+01:00

Tough Tough Tough. A Two Tits and Count Chocula mix...

FRIENDLY FIRES - IN THE HOSPITAL
HOLY GHOST! – HOLD ON (TWOTITS EDIT)
THE JUAN MACLEAN – HAPPY HOUSE
ZOMBY – NEED UR LOVIN’
ZINC (FT. NOLAY) – KILLA SOUND
STANTON WARRIORS – GET WILD (BASSBIN TWINS REMIX)
DON RIMINI – LET ME BACK UP (CROOKERS TETSUJIN MIX)
BENGA & COKI – NIGHT (GEENEUS REMIX)
/ JANET JACKSON – GO DEEP (DUBBEL DUTCH BMORE DISCO EDIT)
THE PRODIGY – BREATHE (NUMBER NIN6 REMIX)
KID SISTER – PRO NAILS (RUSKO REMIX)
CHASE & STATUS – EASTERN JAM
/ LIL WAYNE – A MILLI
BURAKA SOM SISTEM – KALEMBA (WEGE WEGE)
/ BURAKA SOM SISTEMA – LUANDA LISBOA
SOLO – CONGOLOID (MINIMOW REMIX)
/ LOCO DICE – PIMP JACKSON IS TALKIN NOW (DUBBEL DUTCH BOOTLEG)
SOLANGE – SAND CASTLE (MACHINE DRUM REMIX)
KREON – CLORPE
NB FUNKY – RIDDIM BOX
HARMONIC 313 - CYCLOTRON
DORIAN CONCEPT – THE FUCKING FORMULA

Catch them live at Cargo this Saturday:

Natural Cleanse

2009-05-21T12:40:00.000+01:00

James Yuill

2009-05-21T12:28:00.002+01:00

Heard this on the new Prins Thomas live at the Robert Johnson mix (RATED.) and can't get enough of its sickly sweet stench. Enjoy/Vomit.

Dark Star. May 30th at Cable

2009-05-21T12:25:00.002+01:00

Üdio on warm-up control and very much looking forward to it.

Casa Bey

2009-05-13T19:52:00.002+01:00

After the non-event that was his third album in 2006 (yeah, it exists) it's just nice to get some new Mos Def material in a visual form. This is taken from the new album The Ecstatic; out next month (apparently).

Proto Techno (and some serious moves)

2009-05-12T23:34:00.004+01:00

I'm sure some people have seen this before but for those who haven't it's footage from a Detroit TV dance show in the early 1980s (82 i think) when the hyped up and enthusiastic crowd show off their moves to Sharevari's classic 'A number of names'. The mood of the crowd is kind of infectious.

Cosmodelica

2009-04-21T21:04:00.004+01:00

Back in the Gramaphone basement on Friday May 1st with a serious party on our hands after jam-packed parties with Greg Wilson, Trevor Jackson and Bill Brewster! Expect: Cosmo to bring down the house with her choice selection of Electronic Dub, Cosmic Disco, Acid House and Psychedelic Rock; Kato to showcase some low-slung beat therapy from his new album which is garnering massive praise on electronic forums all over the world; Ali Gudgeon to warm things up with the tastiest discofunk around and udio residents to fill the gaps with their trusty formula > LightsDownDiscoCosmicFunkAcidHouseBoogiePsych + Beyond!

Full Line-Up

C o s m o (Bitches Brew / Cosmodelica)
http://www.cosmicmusic.co.uk/
- you can normally find David Mancuso's protegé Cosmo rocking out loft parties in New York with psychedelic disco sounds, or destroying Plastic People with acid house bombs and electro breaks.. suffice to say we are massively excited to see what she can do at udio!

K a t o presents T h e 3 9 S t e p s (Bad Sneakers)
http://the39stepsmusic.co.uk/media
- we have great memories from both of kato's previous DJ sets at udio but this time around we're looking forward to hearing his new live show which showcases some tracks from his forthcoming album and also some stomping new material. If this video is anything to go by we are in for a treat..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvmtzu9lLRs&feature=player_embedded

A l i G u d g e o n (Kapüt)
http://www.myspace.com/aligudgeon
- ali has been seen lurking behind the udio decks for a while now, casually waiting for a chance to slip one of his own records on to the turntables. We're fed up of watching our backs so we've invited him down to show us what he can do!

plus the udio residents > Earthworm Jim and the Desi Punk Contingent

Also, we're going to double the soundsystem in the basement and there will be an exhibition from our friends at Rogue Photography (http://www2.clikpic.com/bencole29/section213428.html)

£5! Free entry before 11pm!!!!!!!!!
We're expecting a healthy turn-out once again so be sure to arrive early.

Friday May 1st Üdio

2009-04-16T17:22:00.003+01:00

Live mix from electric boogaloo!

“Colleen Murphy aka DJ Cosmo has never been one to play safe. Her sets are a reflection of her geographical and musical roots that find themselves standing somewhere between the post-disco of New York and the sharp-edge of London. Cosmo's skill at linking the past with the present to create something altogether more edgy is not completely uncanny given the fact that she remains a protégé of both David Mancuso and François Kevorkian, being one of the few guests at both the renowned Loft and Body & Soul parties. Her appearances across North America, Asia and Europe have crystallised her reputation as being a DJ who is as comfortable with the cutting-edge as she is with the rich musical heritage of her East Coast upbringing. Her instinctive leaning towards eclecticism rather than short-sightedness is again borne out by her Bitches Brew record label - itself named after the ‘difficult' Miles Davis album that crossed the boundaries of rock and jazz.”
Rob Wood, Jockey Slut

As well as Cosmo, we have a wicked live show from Kato with his 39Steps showcase:

J Rocc

2009-04-15T15:20:00.000+01:00

J Rocc's Stones Throw podcasts are definitely worth a listen (specifically the 2099 mix).

Geek to the Beat

2009-04-13T16:30:00.002+01:00

Sick video for 'Geek to the Beat' from The Takeover by Zion I.

Zion I "Geek To The Beat" from Okayplayer on Vimeo.

Being the music video junkie I am, I always wished they made a video for 'Boom Bip' which is my favourite song of theirs.

The World is a Ghetto

2009-04-02T11:24:00.004+01:00

Finally picked up Loft Classics 2 on CD and have found myself going back and back to the first track, 'The World is a Ghetto' by War. An instrumental funk track with a slightly melancholic, insanely catchy horn thing going on (kicks in about about two and a half mins). There is another version of the track with a vocal but for me it's all about the horns. Enjoy.

La La La. Ho.

2009-04-01T14:23:00.002+01:00

Jack Peñate - Tonight's Today

Sun's out.. cue summer tunes. This one was apparently produced by Paul 'Phones' Epworth and is currently getting a fair bit of radio-play and rightly so. The single's out today and there's a really strong edit by Leo Zero which is tasty as a muhfugga. Enjoy.

The Art of the Documentary

2009-04-01T13:05:00.003+01:00

High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music from Plexifilm on Vimeo.

Plenty more to be found here including Punk's Not Dead, Marvin Gaye, Bill Bailey, Just For Kicks and Wildstyle amongst others! Nice work On-Point.Be.

Sample Spotting 2

2009-03-30T20:20:00.001+01:00

OZO

2009-03-30T18:34:00.003+01:00

Anyone who heard our most recent podcast probably heard my lacklustre recital of a poem taken from the back of an Ozo compilation cover. Here's a much better rendition of that poem!

Deodato

2009-03-30T18:29:00.002+01:00

I got into Deodato through listening to his gorgeous 'Love Island' LP because I heard that 'Whistle Bump' was a Loft classic (what disco song isn't?). Enjoy.

You Better Watch Your Soul

2009-03-30T18:26:00.004+01:00

The Wire is as good as they say so believe the hype! You can start watching it from the beginning tonight on BBC 2 around 11pm, and here's a teaser..

Boom Bap Of The Month

2009-03-28T11:32:00.003Z

J5JayDeeUltramagneticMCsBeatnutsEricB&Rakim&MobbDeepCommonNice&SmoothBustaRhymes
Free Download

With Summer just around the corner, fans of old-school hip hop (that's the stuff that doesn't go KERPLUNK WHIRRRR WOW WOW BOOOOOOM - no offence Fly-Lo, you're untouchable) will do well to get on Chris Read's new mixtape opus which serves as a sequel to his Diary of Rap megamix that cleverly went through a gazillion tracks in the space of an hour. Some reviews of The Diary Vol. 1.5 >

"This CD just shows how much Chris Read knows about historic Hip Hop production techniques - It's just a shame he wasn't producing this stuff during the eras that he's covering as we would probably rate the man as being up there with Paul C, Pete Rock, Premier and all! - I can't think of another Hip Hop CD I've played so much in years!" (Andy Smith - Portishead)

"Chris continues the rap anthology concept of his super-dope 'The Diary' megamix in the shape of a remix project, re-lacing acapellas from 89-2009 with historically accurate beats. 'The Diary 1.5' serves as a great platform for Chris to showcase his ample beat-making skills whilst referencing those who've inspired him."
(DJ Woody – Former World ITF Champion)

"Crazy! This is Rap History in the making. Chris proves his production skills on this one to the fullest. A wonderful and refreshing journey through all eras of hip hop. Double thumbs up!"
(Marc Hype – MPM Records / Former ITF Champion)

Footage From March 6th

2009-03-28T03:22:00.008Z

You can't see much in this video but.. the drop is worth the wait and our old trusty blue siren does us proud. Roll on May 1st!

Mount Kimbie (and Lily Allen)

2009-03-27T20:50:00.004Z

Mount Kimbie previews here - be sure to listen to 'William'. Also, this is surprisingly good!?

'Two Suns' - out April 6th 2009

2009-03-26T15:42:00.006Z

Bat for Lashes are back! Fucking A. See FACT magazine or Dazed and Confused for great articles with more interesting reflections on the new album than my own.

Daniel - Bat For Lashes

Oops

2009-03-26T15:35:00.004Z

This one slipped under the radar! More clips and only a tenner here.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

2009-03-22T15:21:00.009Z

We've received footage of The 39Steps' debut live performance in Leeds last Thursday and are now really excited about the prospect of them joining us at Üdio in May (fingers crossed). Kato, the beat-geek behind the outfit, can be seen blasting out one of his recent productions in the first video and he's joined by Sarah Johns (of Mr Beasley and Leftfield fame) for a rejigged version of Ghostwriting in the second clip. They are playing their first London gig at the Bad Sneaker's Showcase at Barden's Boudoir on Thursday 26th March along with Mr Beasley and some other talented folks from up north. See you there!

Kôze

2009-03-22T13:30:00.004Z

Low swung late-night listening:

"Music for nonexistent dance floors? Not really! I think I wanted to do a mix like a good radio show. It's more to listen than to dance, but who's dancing to the internet?"

Mount Kimbie – William – Hotflush
Soulphiction – What's Your Name - Musik Krause
Moodymann - Freeki Mutha F cker - KDJ
NSI - Hassel - Cadenza
Lowtec - I Remember - Playhouse
Syncom Data - Beyond The Stars (Speedy J Remix) - SD
Ben Klock - OK - Ostgut Ton
Modi and Fegiz - El Solitaire - Vinylclub
The Missing Link - 911 - Wagon Repair
Lazy Fat People - Low Profile - Perspectiv Records
AntonZap - Pm Please - Underground Quality
Fail Forever - When Saints Go Machine (dOP Remix) - EMI
Lowtec - Workshop 006 - Workshop
Animal Collective - My Girls - Domino Recording Company

Codebreaker ft. Kathy Diamond

2009-03-12T14:07:00.004Z

Fire (Jimmy Edgar Remix) from Erik West on Vimeo.
Great video and equally great remix from Jimmy Edgar. Is it real or animated? Hmm.

New Prefuse 73!

2009-03-10T11:45:00.002Z

Wasn't too sure about his last effort ("Preparations") although his previous collaborations with School of Seven Bells have always been a great listen, for instance the track 'The Class of 73 Bells' which actually gets rejigged for So7B's debut album...

Mark Pritchard left behind a promo copy of Prefuse's new album when he played at the Gramaphone for Deviation on March 4th, and Euan who runs bookings at the venue left it behind for us to gawp over. Thank you Euan! I have listened to the album about three times all the way through now and feel confident enough to say this is a great return to form for the producer behind Prefuse 73, Guillermo Scott Herren. The entire time I was listening I was scratching my head over how he got the vintage sound of the album, and a bit of research on the Warp website provided me with an answer:

For the 29-track Prefuse album, Herren rejected the idea of straight digital recording and instead went the much more intensive route of recording to analog Ampex tape, giving the album the sound of a lost tape of exploratory studio musicians from the not-too-distant past. In addition to the recording process, Ampexian also differs in its composition, existing as a tapestry of tracks of varying lengths and moods, albeit with a remarkable linear flow and, of course, unmatched rhythmic bump.

The album, entitled "Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian", comes out mid-April and will not be posted on this blog so make sure you kop it otherwise you'll turn into a plum.

Trev's AcidFunkDisco antics: March 6th!

2009-03-09T17:24:00.007Z

Thank u Trevor Jackson and the üdio massiv for another big fun night! We are back in May with something special, butt in the meantime keep checking back for new podcasts and other news, x

Astrofunk Adventures Podcast

2009-02-25T00:17:00.015Z

We had a really good laugh doing this. There may even be an out-takes podcast to follow..

Anyway have a good listen because we're quite happy with it and would love to make a regular thing out of it so get involved people and let us know your thoughts! The podcast starts out with an impromptu phone-call from nice guy all-rounder resident Earfworm Jim who later comes through with a broad selection of dub-heavy music (or as he calls it 'dubby dubby disco'), but before that I put together a bunch of current favourites and even deliver a bit of poetry (you think I'm kidding don't you?). Hope you enjoy it!!

Syclops - The Abdoer (complete with Jim's ramblings about his college's super-dooper 25 quid project)
Ozo - Night Of The Black Mamba
Playgroup - Behind The Wheel
Beatsy Collins vs. Marvin Gaye - Holla
Micronauts - Jag
Eric B & Rakim - No Omega
Hell Vice - Crawfish (Pilooski Edit)
Zoot Woman - It's Automatic

>>>

Erol Dunkley - Satisfaction
Eurythmics - I've Got An Angel
Nite Jewel - What Did He Say?
Tekka - Didn't You Notice (Dub)
Vera - Take Me To The Bridge
Gary's Gang - Runaway (Dub)
Idjut Boys - Smokin' Balls
Hong Kong Syndikat - Come Together
Way Of The West - Don't Say That It's Just For White Boys

You can either listen here or alternatively you can download the podcast through iTunes using the link below. Nifty innit. Enjoy!

DestinationOut.com

2009-02-23T22:57:00.002Z

This should be your first port of call for finding quality parties inside and outside of London. Signing up to their mailing list is a good idea as well because you'll regularly get the opportunity to win free tickets for great gigs and clubnights, and they could be your only way of getting in somewhere that's sold out. You can find our 6th March session here. They will be offering free tickets for üdio in the future so sign up quick sharp for your chance to duck out of the £5 entry you tight mo fo you.

Get Thy Bearings

2009-02-23T13:00:00.004Z

One of those tracks that I wish I could keep for myself but it's just too good and needs to be heard. No point listening to this unless you're going to wait for the sax finale. It's the best song on the 'Hurdy Gurdy Man' LP which I also recommend, but I should probably mention that a lot of the album is quite different to 'Get Thy Bearings', instead falling into the brackets of [psych pop]. Enjoy.

Next up is Bjork's 'Army of Me' from her album Post. There's supposed to be a Donovan sample from 'Get Thy..' in here apparently? I just haven't got the foggiest where. But the video's one of Michel Gondry's finest and let's be honest, when has Gondry ever made a shit music video? What's your favourite?! Let us know and we'll do a Gondry special soon perhaps.

Notorious

2009-02-23T12:47:00.003Z

Somehow I never really doubted that the new Biggie biopic would be anything but good. All in all the film's done quite tastefully. That said, the scene where Biggie is getting boned relentlessly by Lil Kim was a little bit harsh on the eyes. Apparently the street battle above was adapted for the movie but I don't have any recollection of this. Makes good viewing and listening anyway, especially the bit right at the end when his opponent casually slumps off.

Let's hope Notorious doesn't inspire a similar biopic about Tupac. What a numpty.

FPS

2009-02-20T12:06:00.003Z

Love Me Like This by floatingpoints

Floating Points, self-confessed jazz fiend cum mad scientist, does a great job of rejigging Reel 2 Reel's 'Love Me Like This' into an addictive slow-bump proto-house jam and you can pick it up on EgLO records when it comes out on a limited edition 7" very soon. FPS has had mixes and tracks featured on the likes of Gilles Peterson's Worldwide show and also Mary Anne Hobb's, testemony enough that you should be keeping an eye on his future! The aforementioned Worldwide guest mix is below and the tracklist is as follows...

Tanganica - Luiz Carlos Vinhas (CBS)
So Chilled Yo - BadFx (CDR)
Barefaced - Teknical Devlopment & Hey!zeus (To:Am)
Payroll (Paul White Remix - street) - Tranqill (One Handed)
For You-floatingpoints (Eglo)
Beat 15/Tape16-Paul White (CDR)
Theme Music For A Pariah-K15 (CDR)
Understanding-Eric Lau (CDR)
Beat for Fatima-floatingpoints (CDR)
Love Me Like This (Nonsense Dub)-floatingpoints (eglo/R2)
Shanghai-SoundSpecies (CDR)
Mintleaf-Aaron Jerome (CDR)
Essence of Sapphire-Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic)

floatingpoints - GP WW Mix Dec 08 by floatingpoints

Day 'N' Nite

2009-02-20T00:16:00.002Z

The Kid Cudi-approved video for the original version of Day 'N' Nite is finally here. The album, Man on the Moon: The Guardians is apparently coming soon.

Cudi also features on 'Welcome to Heartbreak', the latest single from Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks

Sample Spotting

2009-02-18T16:39:00.002Z

>>>

Both great tracks if you ask me. I mean it.

Some news for whoever is reading: we've finally got our act together and recorded a podcast! Happy as Larry with the end result so keep checking back for updates or alternatively sign up to the podcast via iTunes using the link on our podcast page (see links on the right).

K-OS- 4,3,2,1

2009-02-18T16:12:00.002Z

k-os - 4,3,2,1

Genre-defying Canadian emcee and personal hero of mine; K-OS, has dropped the video for '4,3,2,1'. This is the lead single from his fourth album Yes! (out March 31)

For those who don't know here a couple more videos from two earlier albums.

'Superstar pt.0' (Exit, 2002)

'Sunday Morning' (Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, 2007)

Half Asleep

2009-02-17T22:54:00.002Z

... by School of Seven Bells from the album Alpinisms. You can hear more here.

Quirk

2009-02-17T11:00:00.002Z

Some amazingly naff record covers here but also some ace ones too.. Get stuck in!

Üdio Returns - Friday March 6th 2009

2009-02-12T14:44:00.007Z

This is what Greg Wilson had to say about our b'day party :
"Really enjoyed the night. You never know what to expect in January, but Friday was a brilliant vibe. Really good crowd you've got there – definitely a good thing going on. Perfect prelude for being back at the hotel listening to my mix going out live." Chuffed.

We're back on March 6th in the Gramaphone basement this time with special guest Trevor Jackson (Playgroup)! He's well known for his music productions under the guise of Playgroup (and remixes for The Gossip, Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture and more), his now defunct record-label Output (previously home to LCD Soundsystem, Four Tet, Black Strobe and mentalist bird Mu) and also his excellent graphic design work (campaigns for Soulwax, Vice, BMW, Nike and DFA Records amongst others). If you've heard his awesome DJ Kicks mix you'll know how much of a treat we're in for.

People interested in his graphic design work can see loads of it on his website but here's one of our faves (move away from the screen):

Son Is Shook

2009-02-10T15:02:00.007Z

The 39Steps - Coming Clean from Bad Sneakers Records on Vimeo.

Holding onto something that was nothing in a dream....the universe of The 39Steps is calling. Scratchy horns and spring pianos, red reverbs and talk of ghosts- the details are sketchy but you know what they are saying.

The 39Steps are set to release their album Coming Clean in April on Bad Sneakers records and you can download the title-track on iTunes now. Since moving to Bad Sneakers their visual aesthetic has evolved and you can see just how on their new website and also their myspace.

Enjoy the video - it's worth watching just to see what Kato's up to when he's not making beats.

Eight-Oh-80's

2009-02-10T14:12:00.007Z

Click me and listen to me nice and loud

Excellent CutTheFuckUp 80's party mix from Trevor Jackson (Playgroup) that he did in 2001 - 60 minutes of 80s disco punk funk breaks and more. Here's an excerpt of the tracklist:

...Rolling Stones - Miss You
Mikey Dread - Saturday Night Style
Pigbag - Papas Got a Brand New Pigbag
Double Dee & Steinski - Lesson 1
Coldcut - Say Kids
Afrika Bambaata & Jazzy Jay - Death Mix
Run Dmc - Sucker MC’s
Tear For Fear - Shout (Acapella)
Word of Mouth - King Kut
Biz Markie - Nobody Beats The Biz
EPMD - It’s My Thing
Schooly D - Saturday Night
Boogie Down Productions - South Bronx
Fred Wesley & The JB’s - Blow Your Head
Big Daddy Kane - Raw
Rob Base & DJ Easy Rock - It Takes Two
Sugar Bear - Don’t Scandalize Mine
Uptown - Dope On Plastic
Danny Krivit - Rock The House...

Following on from the best birthday ever back in January, our next session takes place on March 6th. Wonder who's playing..

Not your average pizza and lazer quest birthday

2009-02-01T23:37:00.005Z

Utter elation must fall just short of an orgasm in an adjectives scale of positivity. Both would naturally precede "holy" with, i suppose other biblical terminology dominating that top portion. So then what, i ask are we left with to proclaim of Greg Wilson's gracing of the Udio den? To make a narrative of the whole thing I might begin with myself grinning in the back of the taxi all the way home (except as we are reversing here, back to the club). I would then recall the absurdities of a stunning patchwork of bubblegum pop (its ricky's party and he can cry if he wants to) and thunderous acid house courtesy of Ricky's closing set. Then but two funks of a clock earlier we have Greg's last few songs -being an extremely extended and particularly echoey Aint no Mountain High Enough, Voodoo Ray, Todd Terje's beefed up I Want Your Love and The voice of Q. Maybe then some time would be taken indulging in a compare and contrast of the different facial reactions to my distributing of Haribbo about the dancing bodies. Time of course must be taken out in remembrance of the cosmic/hiphop warm up, of Ali's successful deflating of each of our successully inflated balloons, and before that my pre party toilet extravaganza of nerves, hormones, anticipation and of course their secretion.

jim

G r e g * E l e c t r o F u n k * W i l s o n

2009-01-13T16:55:00.003Z

Footage from various gigs to raise brows and get everyone nicely excited for our birthday this Friday!

Sign up here!

Üdio 1st Birthday with Greg Wilson!

2009-01-01T11:41:00.004Z

Our last party was perhaps the best yet. We had Bill Brewster bringing some great afro-inspired house music to the Gramaphone basement and Sativo shaking the whole place nicely with his lively showcase of pitched-up bumpty hits. Massive thank you to everyone who came down and helped make the night what it was.

On the 16th Jan we are really happy to be celebrating our 1st birthday in the Gramaphone basement. We set up Üdio to push the funk (in all its incarnations... from deep funk to techno, disco to breakbeat) and with this in mind, who better to invite to help us celebrate our first year in London than one of the pioneers of the UK electro/funk scene... G r e g W i l s o n. There's loads of footage of him doing his live thing on youtube, suffice to say we are expecting a lovely night full of ace music and happy faces. Hope you can make it down too! The facebook event profile is here. Its rare to be able to see a dj of Greg's stature for a fiver in London but we are all about keeping the door prices down. We said that right at the beginning and there's been no deviation since.

I'm lucky enough to be following on from Greg on the night and have so much music that needs airing on the new improved Gramaphone soundsystem. You can see a couple bits on my phonica chart here. Just a slight correction... ignore the hercules LP right at the end - it was meant to be a nod to their "classique 2 / ROAR" EP. Most of the music is from later in the year because I didn't really have my thinking cap on but there's plenty of samples to get stuck into. Enjoy.

Happy new year!

Cherish The Day (Live)

2008-11-22T11:31:00.002Z

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

2008-11-06T22:51:00.002Z

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

2008-11-04T11:16:00.011Z

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

2008-10-20T12:24:00.005+01:00

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

2008-10-16T18:13:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-11T14:05:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-11T12:16:00.002+01:00

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

2008-10-08T23:39:00.003+01:00

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

2008-10-06T19:03:00.005+01:00

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

2008-10-01T21:11:00.003+01:00

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

2008-09-27T18:27:00.004+01:00

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

2008-09-26T00:44:00.003+01:00

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...

2008-09-25T00:02:00.002+01:00

...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

2008-09-21T19:24:00.004+01:00

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

2008-09-21T19:07:00.003+01:00

Grab a pen and take notes.

The Egyptian Lover Returns

2008-09-18T18:23:00.002+01:00

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

2008-09-16T13:35:00.002+01:00

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.