SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND? (PART ONE)

AMBITIOUS Glasgow-based electronic music mavericks SCARAMANGA have one simple aim in life – to take house music in a new direction.

“We’re trying to get away from the gloss and make it more indie/homegrown and colourful,” said Stephen Gallagher. “So much of it is still based on samples of 70’s records and stock vocal samples. We’re trying to do stuff that challenges those conventions and be a little bit more creative.”

Starting out as a two piece with Paul Alger on vocals and Gallagher on keys and production, they also regularly incorporate the vocal talents of Vivien Scotston and Susanne Bell.

Their sound is influenced by The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Disclosure, Groove Armada and New Order, and with as much focus on the song writing as the groove. There are elements of Trance, House & Electro, while ‘You Took Control’ and “Fear of Landing’ possess a more ambient and downtempo feel.

The current single, ‘Play in Paris’ (Jouer a Paris) contains a nod to French disco pioneers Daft Punk and Justice, but also incorporates a sample of Ray Manzarek discussing Jim Morrison’s fatal last trip to the City of Light.’

The Manzarek sample is the only one – so far – the group have used, preferring record their own lines, and not rely heavily on sampling. The vocals are recorded rough and ready in the home studio without autotune or the usual ultra-polished dance aesthetic.

Catch Scaramanga live at McNeills, Glasgow, on May 20th.

Learn more here: @ScaramangaBand

T W O

GLASGOW’S MARTIN LEARY is back with a new single ‘Waiting For,’ a follow-up to February’s ‘Do You Question?’

And it’s a welcome move away from the slower tempo of his Valentine’s Day release – and a step towards what has the potential to develop into one of the summer anthems of 2022.

“I actually wrote the song at the end of last summer and got a rough demo down just on the acoustic guitar,” he said.

“The lyrics were kept pretty simple and relatable, the summer holiday romance type of song, missing it when the holiday ends and people go their separate ways home, wondering if it can continue and questioning if it’s just lust, which is usually is! 

“Musically, the Stereophonics and the Courteeners were a big influence for me with this one – think Dakota and Not Nineteen Forever – I love those tracks and how everyone feels singing along to them. I wanted something fast, an ‘indie festival anthem’ type tune which I could imagine a crowd enjoying.

“When I took the track into the HQ Glasgow recording studio where I work with producer and owner G Man, he come up with the little riff you’ll hear clearer at the end, but that also runs through the chorus.

“It gave it an indie rock disco feel which then led the track to sounding the way it does and bringing in synths which play on parts of the melody. We ended up speeding the track up to 140BPM from the original 132BPM recording, that wee nudge seemed to make a big difference on the energic summer sound too.”

Spotify – Martin Leary

T H R E E

OUT of Dublin’s impressive FlutterTone stable of artists, comes the sound of CHRIS KABS and his latest single, ‘More.’

A groove laden Afro infused track, ‘More’ features a crisp production paired with silky vocals, creating a seductive, sunshine, ambiance.

For his latest song, Kabs ditches his usual pop sound with the catchy lyrics and production evoking a sense of escape and nostalgia.

‘More’ is the first release of three singles taken from the forthcoming EP due out in October, via the ‘TEMO Universal’ label. 

The song was also produced by Kabs and co-written by Jyellowl.

Connect with Chris Kabs: Instagram   Facebook  Twitter  Spotify

F O U R

LONDONPEAKY favourites THE PAINKILLERS are back with their first official release of 2022.

‘Purple Sky’ takes the post-punk, new wave sound of ‘Sit Down’ and adds an extra layer of polish to further boost the bands distinctive sound.

The single is the first track from The Painkillers second album, and as on previous recordings, retains the unmistakable sound of songwriter and producer, Jason Hughes.

“The story behind the song is a mix of two things,” said Hughes.

“Firstly, I was in the car with my kids, and we were listening to my daughter’s playlist, and we started talking about songs that repeat the chorus over and over and whether we preferred that to long instrumentals. So, I thought for my new song I’d challenge myself to do both in one song and I think I did a good job.

“Secondly, the theme of the song is about myself and my other half. We’ve both been through the mill and obviously new relationships after shit ones can be sceptical ones as you are essentially waiting for shit to go sideways.

“So this is me reassuring her that we will write our new story together and I’m not going anywhere. She is basically stuck with me now – and I hope that’s helpful!”

Music | The Painkillers (bandcamp.com)

F I V E

ONE BLIND MOUSE is a new and welcome shining light in the experimental world, he makes minimalism look busy while composing idiosyncratic, genre confused music, often fuelled by objectionable human behaviour.

‘Soliciting Chapter VI’ is a themed collection in which the tunes both borrow and lend musical strategies from the tracks immediately prior to and following them, where appropriate.

Timing is not considered important to the pieces – although some are relatively ‘typical’ – and both time signatures and key may be arbitrary, even within a single tune.

It is experimental. But it is music.

Soliciting Chapter VI [ALBUM] | ᗝᑎᗴ ᗷᒪᎥᑎᗪ ᗰꖏᑌᔕᗴ (bandcamp.com)

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