THEY'RE GRRRRREAT

The people behind Barely Legal have done a mix. You can download it here.

The music, if described using words, would take this appearance:

not so pretty (feed me remix)- rogues
true romance- golden silvers
rich girls (la castle vania remix)- the virgins
bulletproof- la roux
work it out (the shoes remix)- esser
vision- frYars feat dave gahan
1901- phoenix
no kind words- the maccabees
stuck on repeat- little boots
heads will roll- yeah yeah yeahs
orange shirt- discovery

HOUNDS OF LOVE

NN has learnt that the re-opening of the North/Isobar site under Afflecks for the Delphic party was not a one-off.

Apparantloid, the owners of the Purple Pussycat have their paws on the site currently monikered Blink. The club will operate for 3 months as is, with the Northern Quarter basement due for a Gok Wan-esque facelift in the late summer.

Sadly, the new place won't be a club as such, more a late night drinking den. We hear that one of the latest linceses in the city is being sorted, allowing punters to, well, drink until sunrise. We have also heard there will be a pool table presence in the establishment.

Oh, and the name of this new gin palace?

The Black Dog Ballroom.

RIP KML

Anyone else see this?

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REUTERS 0943 27-04-2009 : Manchester's pointy shoed denizens and fur coat clad fe-clubbers were in mourning today as it was announced that Keys, Money, Lipstick will be closing after a final show-down on the 29th May. A source close to the club told us "it's up with the anglez now".

The discoteque - which spawned the useful acronym KML to describe three potential items found in ladies purses - will be giving up their odd-Friday night spot to new twee-mageddon promoters Asparagus Next Left. The swap in night ironically representing the loss of the infamous old adage no nostalgia, no throwbacks with the replacement of, literally, nostagia and throwbacks.

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Yep.

WISSEN DIE SPRACHE

If you were wondering, it's;

SEAHORSE
UNTIRING
FUCK

See you on the floor.

DIVINE INTERVENTION

The promoters of Eat My Beat vs Sex With Robots have had to cancel an event that was due to take place at The Chapel 24/04/09. Basically it's due to licensing problems. This means that A1 Bassline and L-Vis 1990 won't be making a trip to Manchester. We actually have an interview with the latter which was set to go up on the site today today too. Oh well.

A1 Bassline will now be making his debut in the city later in June at the Mad Ferret Festival.

TOUCAN PLAY THAT GAME

Toucan Rave residents Scarecrow Audio - a.k.a. Justin Culkin and Joe Gabbitas - have done a new mix that you can download here.

Also keep your eye out for an exclusive series of mixes that I Am Sam is currently coordinating for Northernights. These upcoming sets should demonstrate the calibre of local DJ talent and provide a bit more insight into some of those nights that we bang on about all the time.

THAT IS THEIR NAME

Ever since The Ting Tings did that ill-advised "collaboration" with Estelle at The Brits, some of us have been regretting ever having said those three little words: Next, Big, Thing.

But now there's current Next Big Thing Delphic - a Manchester band that came to the attention of resurrected Belgian techno label R&S. And they actually appear quite unlikely to ruin what could be a half-decent performance of 'American Boy'. Check them out. Especially as the current single 'Counterpoint' is produced by the lovely Ewan Pearson [who I Am Sam has just interviewed for an upcoming special on the main site, btw]. Meantime that particular single also comes with remixes by the likes of Paul Woolford and The Chain.

HOWEVER

Delphic are also offering the parts of that track as mp3 and wav files so that you can rework it in any way you fancy before uploading it, calling yourself 'flavour of the month' and taking an Ibiza residency or whatever it is those people do these days. Get them here.

AND

Delphic play at Blink 25/04/09.

HAC ABOUT THAT THEN

This is what the Haçienda looked like, if you were wondering.

Famously designed by Ben Kelly in 198 ... something, it is easy for us to laugh at the Hooky owned parody of the the club these days, but when it was built it must've been like a spaceship landing on Whitworth Street.

To quote Kelly himself;

"Within a cooled-down space (painted in blue and grey tones) the emphasis was diagonal and vertical, with brightly clad balcony supports and diagonal stripes painted on columns setting-up various “journeys” through the building. Siting the stage to one side, and using fly bars for theatre lights, made the space both flexible and dynamic — visual compositions of colour and texture were everywhere. Directional and warning markings created an inside/outside tension — bollards and cats-eyes delineated the dance-floor — a city within a city, of pathways, plazas and bars, which acted as intimate refuge amid the cavernous space."

Beyond the bastardised, Voodoo Ray soundtracked, mad for it aesthetic was a very beautiful collection of contemporary design. Oh well, we've got the Printworks and Deansgate Locks now, so all is not lost, eh kids?

AA MEETING

Couple of days late with this post, but if you're clever and shift the frame of reference 48 hours backwards then you'll see where we're coming from.

Here is an Easter mix from the beaux garcons at Akoustic Anarkhy. This selection of laptop-folk is mixed by resident DJ slash promoter Lego ... you see now, easter, lego ... yeah?

If you're still on a come down from the weekend, this mix is the audio equivalent of a mug of hot honey and lemon like your Mum used to make when you lied about having a hangover.

Sounds like this infact;

THE LOW ANTHEM - TO OHIO
MV & EE - THE BEST IT EVER WAS
STAX DEMPSEY - MONET SKY
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - BLUSH
YELLOW MOON BAND - FOCUSSED
THE PHANTOM BAND - THROWING BONES
ONO & LENNON - HOW DO YOU SLEEP
THE SUPERIMPOSERS - DON'T LETCHA
BRIAN WILSON - VEGETABLES
THE POLICE - SPIRITS
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - MY GIRLS
INSTRUMENTS OF RAPTURE - DO IT TO THE MAX
KENNY LYNCH - HALF THE DAYS GONE
JAMES PANTS - WE'RE THROUGH

Woooooooooh capital letters.

Download here.

MOVING HOUSE

Known for his material on 2020 Vision, local lad Danny Ward has got his latest Moodymanc cut now coming out on Steve Bug's very tasty Dessous label. Release information is to be found here.

LOCAL TALENT

We've been nominated in the Best of Manchester Awards within the music category. This is good. But as it's a reflection of the city and also includes prizes for innovation in fashion and art, we thought that we should further their call for entries. Only competition - particularly when related to creative endeavour - is a very wonderful thing. Last year Rich from High Voltage/Night & Day scooped a prize. This made us happy.

Anyway, here's the message:



MANCHESTER’S ART, MUSIC & FASHION AWARDS – FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES - ENTER NOW

They’re open - but not for much longer. The Best of Manchester Awards are accepting entries until 1 May, as it searches for the artists, musicians and designers whose boundary-breaking work deserves the Best of Manchester crown.

Organised by Urbis, the annual awards celebrate innovation in art, music and fashion. Anyone working within the fields of music, art and fashion, and who lives or works in Greater Manchester, can enter.

Looking for original and imaginative work throughout the field of music, from up-and-coming guitar-based bands and live acts to electronic music and sound art, (including performers, producers and promoters) are: Luke Bainbridge (Observer Music Monthly), Justin Crawford (DJ, producer and Director of Electriks Ltd.), Caroline Elleray (Head of A&R at Universal Music Publishing), Yvette Livesey (In The City), Dan Parrott (Channel M), Miranda Sawyer, DJ Semtex (BBC Radio 1Xtra), and Tim Thomas (Blueprint Studios).

The Best of Manchester Awards are more than a pat on the back from the industry. They’re about more than the winners’ £2,000 cheque and a major exhibition at Urbis. The awards are a chance for the winners to kick-start their career with the kind of contacts and professional development that money can’t buy.

The awards are open for entries until Midnight on 1 May 2009. Entry is online, at www.urbis.org.uk/thebestofmanchester

TWO LOUDER

MAKING LAMBS ANGER (ok quality) from oizo mr on Vimeo.

A while ago Mr Oizo played at Bugged Out and ahead of that date we tried to interview 'him'. Anyway, we got this message back saying that the timing was all wrong as Mr Oizo was finishing his Lambs Anger album and now we've been presented with a video documenting that process instead. Enjoy it.

CAT GOT YOUR TONGUE

Felix Da Housecat is playing Area51 on Sunday. This should be good, although we have no idea what he is playing these days. In some ways, it's a bit like a Dad turning up at your eighteenth birthday party and putting on 2Unlimited or something because the guy has been around for yeeeeeears.

Now, rather than go into a full-on attack on DJ's touring the world and wearing clothes/girls more suited to their offspring, we have to remember that Felix added a lot more to dance music's eclectic spectrum than your average Tongs or Judges.

Although a well respected second-generation Chi-town producer/DJ from the late 80's, it was his, and small group of other like-minded electronic producers, passion for synth pop, punk and leftfield hedonism that spawned the early noughties 'electroclash' scene. Though much derided, the genre fused house, punk, italo, disco, techno, acid and raw electronica to firmly stick 2 fingers up to the then ruling cognoscenti of prog, funky house and trance.

The legacy is obvious. Electrohouse is the dance genre du jour, while the underground is littered with a new wave of non-ironic bubblegum pop. For most, these sounds are nothing new, but nearly 10 years ago, to walk into a club and hear something like the Thin White Duke remix of Felix Da Housecats Silver Screen Shower Scene was really something mind blowing.

We could go on for hours, but fuck that, here's a couple of special songs from our feline friend to get you in the mood for Sunday.

MP3 : Felix Da Housecat - Madame Hollywood (Tiga's Mister Hollywood Remix) 2002

MP3 : Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene (Malibu Remix) 2002

THE ENEMY OF BUTTER. PROBABLY.

For practicality, the following entry will be in bullet points;

• Hot Knives are a great new band from Manchester.
• They have got one of their records mixed by cool blog-house type Neo Tokyo, who in the past has mixed Tronik Youth, Foals and Britney Spears.
• Hot Knives are supporting bands such as The Whitest Boy Alive and Telepathe in town soon, check their myspace innit.
• Hot Knives could be described in some circles, especially this one, as well tony.
  

You can download the mix from this here website, there it is, just underneath here.

MP3 : Hot Knives - Solstice (Neo Tokyo Remix)

CRASH BANG WALLOP

It's Friday. The sun is shining. And, once it's dark, we're off out.

Anyway - given that we've not done one of these for a while - here's a bunch of internet rave hits cobbled together rather clumsily with some wonderfully terrible sound quality just to celebrate the weekend. Stream or download from here.

Tracklist:

1. Schneider TM feat. KPT Michigan - 'The Light 3000'
2. La Roux - 'In For The Kill (Skream remix) [Foamo edit]'
3. Skream - 'If You Know'
4. Mystery Jets - 'Two Doors Down (Duke Dumont reconstruction)'
5. Little Boots - 'Meddle (AC Slater & DJ Skeet Skeet remix)'
6. TC - 'Where's My Money? (Caspa remix) [Jack Beats edit]'
7. Lady Sovereign - 'I Got You Dancing (Jack Beats remix)'
8. Bat For Lashes - 'Daniel (Duke Dumont remix)'
9. Metronomy - 'Radio Ladio (Radioclit remix)'
10. Scott Cooper & Edu K feat. Lella - 'Crank It (Trevor Loveys remix)'
11. Jesse Rose feat. Dieze Tigrona - 'Toca Pri Mim'
12. Esser - 'Work It Out (A1 Bassline remix)'
13. Boys Noize - 'Shine Shine (AC Slater remix)'
14. Beyonce x Tomb Crew - 'Single Ladies Hate Beyonce'
15. DJ Mujava - 'Township Funk (Phra Crookers Supertrance refix)'
16. Hijack - 'Keep It Real (Oliver $ remix)'
17. AC Slater - 'BanGer (Drop The Lime remix)'
18. Shake Aletti - 'The Way He Does (Toddla T remix)'
19. Caspa - 'Big Headed Slags'
20. The Temper Trap - 'Science of Fear (Herve remix)'
21. Cagedbaby - 'Forced (Foamo remix)'
22. The Chemical Brothers - 'Life Is Sweet (Remix 1)'
23. The Kills - 'Cheap and Cheerful (Fake Blood remix)'

BARELY ANY STUDENTS

'When the students are away, the workers will play' as the well known idiom doesn't go.

And never has this mistruth been more prevalent as en vogue indie-disco Barely Legal stick two fingers up to the myth that promoters should go home for the Easter break along with their soap dodging clientele.

The pair of odd Urmstonians behind Barely Legal will be opening the doors at Joshua Brooks tonight as per usual, expect dancing noises oft associated with the genres indie, electro and pop.

It's very good actually.

NB : When searching the thesaurus under the word trendy, it came up with tony ... ? Have any Northernighters ever heard the term tony as a positive adjective? Let us know, the best example wins a cookie, you tony bastards.

JUANCHESTER

.

The original version of this record was a bit special, so imagine our delight to find a very nice radio edit and reasonably nice video. It is the new single though, so it kind of makes sense.

Sorry, it's by The Juan Maclean and it's called One Day. We think it sounds like Metronomy + Madonna + Human League.

The band are playing Now Wave in April, and we're catching up with them soon for an interview on that front page bit of the site.

TURNED OUT NICE

Above is the latest Mr Scruff single feat. the inimitable Roots Manuva. The video was filmed at, proper nice boozer, The Salutation. Or 'Sally' to her friends.