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.