I've been meaning to write a new post for the last couple of weeks, but I've been suffering with writer's block - and no, I don't mean I've been listening to that album with the one good song on it by Peter, Bjorn and John! LOL!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!
No, readers, I've been struggling to even start a post over the last couple of weeks. I think that Meet The Team post was so strong that it knocked me off balance, and that, along with not having loads of decent new music to listen to lately (that new Arcade Fire LP isn't giving me a cultural lob on, sorry DJ Windows 98 - I love your first three albums, though) had me stuck in the mud at the bottom of a massive writing rut.
I did try to start a couple of posts, but look at how rubbish they were:
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| Crap |
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| Absolute crap |
As you can see, my writing went from bad to worse, and there was no way on earth I could have published them, but I think I'm better now. Life is on the up again. I've got a couple of holidays booked (one foreign) for August, got a table at the front for Frank Skinner at the Phoenix Arts Club in July, seeing my idol and spiritual Guide Dog, I mean Guide God, Russell Brand at the end of this month, I've bought a new top hat, I'm going to see Guns 2 Roses in Bilston next month with my little sister and I've got loads of good new dance music in my inbox this week.
Cost of living crisis? WHAT cost of living crisis?!
One thing I haven't got lined up is any clubbing nights or festivals. Email me any good tips to BestPromos4Eva@gmail.com or put me on your guest list and I'll write about it on THIS website, I mean, blog. Even if I don't end up going to it *shrugging emoji *
What I like about Dispersion PR is that they don't bombard me with promos every ten minutes, but the ones they do send are always right up my street. Just last week, I received an email from the bad boy of dance music promos, Will Hofbauer, with a link to the new EP called High Street by Nowt on the brilliantly illustrated-logoed Third Place Records.
Who's Nowt?
Obviously, Nowt is Chris Watson.
Obviously, Nowt is Chris Watson.
Who's Chris Watson?
Seriously? Chris is one half of FYI Chris. Chris Watson's edits and features could previously be spotted on Rhythm Section, Banoffee Pies, Eclipse Tribes, and his own West Friends imprint. He's now preparing his first full solo release under his new Nowt alias, and the Rye Wax mainstay delivers a set of dreamy house cuts for Will Hofbauer’s Third Place...
...hang on...
...no, it's ok. Sorry. Ignore me.
The first song on the High Street EP is called Polestar and it's got them old hip-hop conga beats and a bloke rapping about the orienteering marks of a compass and telling us to "come on". I love it. It's also got some nice flute bits and a bass line that just won't stop going around in an identical loop, like a circle.
The second song is called Owt and it sees Nowt in a playfully playful mood. It's got some of them disco toms at the beginning, someone playing the triangle and a woman huffing and puffing with some phaser effects running through her. I can just imagine the funny looks on Nowt's face as he knocked this one up in his studio-cum-larder. The drum beat is strong and the low-end is very low-slung. The press release tells me that the drums are bouncy, but they're not. They're strong. And tribal. It's the kind of record Danny Tenaglia would have started one of his 72-hour New York tribal Twilo sets with in 1994.
After that one it's shimmering percussion, deep lows, and choppy breaks meet on ‘Magnasound (Lazerdub Mix).
After that one, no, I've already used that line. Erm. After that song, you're looking at and listening to an ambient track called Docks n Locks. It's really good if you like short bursts of ambient noise and quiet gunshots and a bird chattering away in the background. I unwittingly enhanced this one by having the washing machine finish its cycle downstairs as I listened. It fitted together beautifully and I'll only listen to Docks n Locks now if I'm doing my laundry (which is every Tuesday morning, fact fans).
At the very end of the High Street EP is a digital exclusive only to those who buy it on Bandcamp. Nowt has somehow got Leonard Nimoy to record some vocals for the Nimoy Mix of Magnasound. How he transferred the audio files to earth from Heaven is beyond me...LOL. Only joshing, guys! The Nimoy vocals are copied using the Any Video Converter software, I mean, sampled from an advert he did for the CRAP LaserDiscs in 1981 - and what a tune! I won't describe it here because I don't want to spoil it for you.
Overall, the High Street EP by Nowt is great. I absolutely adore it. I'd never heard of this bloke before today, but I reckon it's the kind of stuff Soul Clap and/or Wolf + Lamb would have played when they all knocked about that trendy hotel in New York. And for that reason, amongst many others, I grant the High Street EP by Nowt a WHOPPING 10/10 !
It's out on Third Place Records on Friday 10 June 2022
I can't see any previews or pre-order pages. There's "nowt" of that anywhere, but keep refreshing their Bandcamp page until "owt" appears.
Follow Third Place Records on Bandcamp: thirdplacerecords.bandcamp.com
Follow Nowt/Chris Watson on Instagram: /fyichris_/
Follow Third Place on Instagram: /thirdplacerecords/
Ben Folds Five super fan, Man Power, real name: Herman Power, is not only a nice bloke online, he's probably a nice bloke in real life, too. I can't speak from experience, and I don't know anyone who can vouch for him, but I feel like, you know, getting to the age I am now (15)...I just know people. He seems like a nice bloke and I'm sure he is. Yes, he might have his moments, we all do, but let's not let the fact that, in our heads, he may or may not have unnecessarily lost his temper at a young subordinate or two over the years for not fetching him his CONTENT REMOVED BY BEST PROMOS LAWYERS before even playing a record colour our judgement of the man, Man Power. We've all laid into the next generation from time to time. It toughens them up.
Anyway, it's all in my head, that. I bet he's a nice bloke in real life. Maybe one day I'll find out. If only there was a way of getting close to Man Power in the flesh, not just on Twitter and other inferior, and younger, social media channels. I've got it! I'll pre-order a ticket for an upcoming gig of his and force myself to the front of the mosh pit. When I'm there I'll maintain eye-contact with him for the duration of his set. I'll be smiling and I'll be holding one of them 90s "CHOON" signs aloft from beginning to end as I march on the spot to his relentlessly useful choices of music. After he's finished his set, I'll beckon him onto the dancefloor where I'll scream plaudits in his ear and scratch the back of his head, asking him repeatedly how he's feeling. I will high-five him on more than one occasion whilst nodding my head and we will hug, and with my jaw going ten to the dozen, I will turn the "CHOON" sign over to show him the side that reads, "MAN POWER = 10/10".
And when he gives me a thumbs up, only then will I know for certain that Man Power is a nice bloke in real life. I cannot fantasise any other outcome.
Man Power is playing with DJ Harvey at the World HQ in Fulchester, Newcastle on Wednesday 1 June 2022
Buy tickets for it here: Me Me Me presents DJ Harvey - All Night Long
Follow Man Power on Twitter: @Man_Power_Music
Follow Man Power on Instagram: /manpowermusic/
Buy his stuff on Bandcamp: MeMeMe.bandcamp
BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS BREAKING NEWS
Additive PR have just emailed me some new music by a young man called Tim Engelhardt on Poker Flat. It's not out for a few weeks yet, but you can listen to the previews on their SoundCloud page. The EP is called Follow and it's main track is one of them moody pumpers that make you dance with your deadly serious face on. Do you know what I mean? Have a listen so that you know what I mean:
Do you know what I mean now?
The second song on the EP, Burning, is also a bit moody. It's one of those pieces of music I can imagine Ricardo Villalobos playing at fabric around 9am before bringing George Morel in on those famous under-floor speakers. It's got the odd rising synth pad thing that always feels good when you're having a nice time with your pals on the dancefloor and there's also an orchestral vocal which wouldn't sound out of place on a Paul van Dyk song, so I'll keep hold of that "CHOON" placard for a little while longer. LOL!
Overall, if I had a gun to my head, I'd give the Follow EP by Tim Engelhardt a respectable 10/10 because it's a right pair of really great dance music tunes.
It's out on Friday 17 June 2022
Pre-order it here: Tim Engelhardt on Bandcamp
Follow Tim Engelhardt on Instagram: /_timengelhardt_/
Follow Poker Flat on Twitter: @Poker_Flat
And finally, a "nice" band called Knice have a NICE new album (I think) coming out on 3 June and it's called Cornershop Spudgun. If it's anything like their previous releases, Surfin Skeg and Hit The Showers, then I think it's going to be a really NICE album, or EP or something.
Knice make the kind of music you'd play to annoy your stuffy dad in a wacky American sitcom, or the kind of music you'd finally snog your blonde cheerleading girlfriend to on the bonnet of a massive open-top red Cadillac as your gang of speccy nerd dweeb mates with over-the-top braces on their teeth cheer from behind a bush in an American coming-of-age sitcom. It's rock n roll with a punk edge, coated with hard rock guitars and punkish rock screaming, and it's really, really great.
There is also lots of shouting in their songs.
If I had to score the band, Knice, out of ten I would definitely give them a NICE 10/10
Follow Knice on Instagram: /kniceband/
Buy all of their stuff on Bandcamp for zero pence: knice.bandcamp
I'm done now. It feels good to be back, though. Thank you to the many tens of you who read Best Promos for keeping us going.
Logging off now. Bye.
Email me: BestPromos4Eva@gmail.com
Tweet me: @BestPromos4Eva
Instagram me: /bestpromos4eva/
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