Rock 'n Roll is Safe This Decade...Phoenix

Do not fret! Of course, terrible music is becoming the ever more popular, and of course, it just doesn't make sense. But thanks to the cool cats of France, Phoenix, our fears are far from realized. Rock 'n Roll has never been easy to define, people simply point out at an act or a moment in time and label it just that. That's fine. As long as these times of definition are still in abundance, we have nothing to worry about. So, without anymore nonsense-talking, MusicDesk presents the Rock 'n Roll moment that will set the standard this decade. If you please...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpYYG8uJKHo

Meet DEADMAU5: He faxed Berlin!

The progressive and electro house scene has never been in a better place in its ,musically speaking, short history. Electronic music has rapidly grown into the club dominating party essential genre that it is today not by chance but by demand. With technology allowing aspiring dj's to create production quality tracks in their bedroom, alone, it is no wonder that the scene is growing at such a crazy pace, and if in this vast and sometimes confusing world of electronic music you plan on keeping your eye on one person; make sure it's DEADMAU5.


It would surprise most people to hear that the most listened to radio station in the world is a trance dedicated super station, hosted by none other than the 'best DJ in the world' - Armin van Buuren's "A State of Trance", but such is the growth and widespread appeal of this music that has allowed for such facts to be just that. When Deadmau5 featured on this station in 2008 with tracks from his debut album, Random Album Title, "Arguru" and "Not Exactly", acclaim grew and saw him list at #11 on DJ magazine's highly rated Top 100 DJ Poll with him rising five places to #6 in 2009. Deadmau5 (pronounced Dead Mouse) is also recognized for his seamless collaborations with other top industry artists such as MC Flipside, Kaskade and most notably Rob Swire of Pendulum helping him spread his appeal across continents.


Born as Joel Zimmerman in Ontario, Canada, Deadmau5 prides himslef on electronic live production with a unique twist every time he plays under his super large comic style mouse head,, an ode to the eternal legends of electronic music, Daft Punk perhaps? Armin van Buuren named him DJ of the year 2007 ahead of Tiesto, as well as winning 2 Juno Award for Dance Recording nominations and taking home one trophy for the good work he did with Newton-Davis. Deadmau5 is now the most awarded artist on the beatport music awards.



His first studio album he ever created in this genre was "Faxing Berlin" on almost no funding and using the name 'Deadmau5' after finding a dead mouse on his computer one day it all seemed to be fate after sending it to Chris Lake who then got it played by Pete Tong in the UK. It quickly became one of the biggest dance records in '07 with its fusion of trance chords and house beats. Imitators weren't far away, but it soon was clear that Zimmerman's expert knowledge of the technology combined with his incomparable ability set him apart from anyone. "Its quite a buzz knowing that I have influenced the course of dance music" says Zimmerman, we can only imagine!


Zimmerman hates being called a "DJ" as he feels that, for him, the term is outdated, much of his appeal lies in the technology he uses and his unique ability of playing actual live sets for his audiences; an issue that many DJ's fall short on. He assembles his sets as he goes, making use of cutting edge computer technology, some of which he helped write himself, allowing for the perfect integration of DJ with equipment. As he says, "when people come to see Deadmau5, I want them to see Deadmau5", no cd's are used at all, something very rare in the electronic music industry.

Next was Deadmau5' image, dance music had always been accused of lacking the theatrical element that live bands held, but Deadmau5 wised up to this and converted his logo, a comical mouse head, into a Deadmau5 head, first created by local Toronto movie prop makers.


Deadmau5 is fresh, arrogant and beautifully unique. He is a treat to new comers on the electronic music scene and old timers alike. Few hate him, many are jealous but most are enthralled and unshamefully obsessed. There are very few Deadmau5 in all of music and there will never be enough. A must see live; he next plays at the 02 Acadamy Brixton on the 30th of April; if you are nearby, go!


Check out his MySpace page on this link to hear his tunes, see his dates and even check out his tour bus; one of the best MySpace pages MusicDesk has seen in a while.


His website on this link is also sick!


Favourite tracks; ["Ghosts n Stuff" ft. Rob Swire], [Deadmau5 re-mix of Calvin Harris' "I'm not Alone"], ["Catbread"], ["Where is Here"]


MusicDesk has another favourite...show love for DEADMAU5!

MusicDesk

Legends of the Present: Dave Matthews Band

Formed in 1991 in Charlottesville, Virginia (USA), by Dave Matthews, a South African (educated at St Stithians in Johannesburg) born singer songwriter, the Dave Matthews Band introduced a unique sound of pop rock with heavy influences from genres such as jazz, folk and funk as well as clear connotations to works of Paul Simon and Sting.

Bringing together a unique group of local musicians including a violinist (Boyd Tinsley), a bassist (Steffan Lessard), a drummer (Carter Beauford), saxophonist (Leroi Moore) and a short lived keyboardist and himself on guitar the band began touring heavily while being non-discriminate of an audience to play in front of. They quickly developed a buzz through word of mouth, prompting them to record an independant album which ultimately went a long way to getting them signed by the major label ,RCA, under which they released "Under the Table and Dreaming" which sold over 4million copies in the U.S alone and placed them firmly on the path to greatness. Next the band released "Crash" in 1996 which went double platinum and included the song "Crash Into Me" which is a MusicDesk personal favourite as well as being grammy nominated. 1996/7 also saw Matthews launch an attack on music bootleggers together with the American Federal Government which led to the large scale crack down on piracy which included numerous arrests and new legislation. To further combat piracy, the band released three double disc live albums; "Live at Red Rocks", "Before these Crowded Streets" and "Listener Supported" to large unexpected sales, they continued to tour, fostering huge support.

Three albums between 2000 and 2002 saw much acclaim, notably "Everyday" which heard Matthews using the electric guitar for the first time on any of their recordings to date. Matthews went solo for the first time in 2003 and won a Grammy for his vocal performance on the track, "Gravedigger". The band then reformed in '04 to tour with Bruce Springsteen on the Vote for Change tour. In 2005 they then began work on "Stand Up", their first album of all new material since 2001 and during the recording process fans could access a website which offered sound clips and videos of the work in progress. When "Stand Up" dropped at number one on the charts, DMB became the 3rd band in history after U2 and Metallica to land four consecutive number one albums.

The band continued to tour and released two more live albums together with a best of album entitled "The Best of What's Around vol. 1". The band continued to make touring their priority and when the sax man Leroi tragically passed away, he was replaced by Bela Fleck before releasing another live album, "Live at the Mile High Music Festival". The following year the band paid their tribute to Leroi Moore with , "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King".

A truly epic band, benefactors of their own hard work and internationally successful. A legitimate live act concerned only about their fans and the quality they produce; no surprises that they have one of the biggest fan clubs in North America and still growing. Proud to say that Dave Matthews was even born in South Africa. Timeless music and a timeless act.

Click for their website!
Click to listen to them on Myspace! 

MusicDesk's favourite tracks: "Crash Into Me", "Dream Girl", "Two Step"

Legends of the present!


MusicDesk

Unknown is the new Superstar

The days of sitting waiting next to your radio/CD/cassette player for your favourite song are over, nobody does that anymore; music sharing, radio, MTV and VH1 have killed that excitement. We hear too few tracks too many times forcing those in clubs, bars and pretty much everyone else to cringe when the current number one plays. Luckily, this decade of 00's has past and the unknown is the new superstar.


Music is categorized, for whatever reason, into decades, and by the time 00's came and went a collective sigh of relief was felt by music lovers everywhere, because the current was always boring and overplayed. Respect was lost instantly for tracks after they were heard 12 times in a day; it even got to a point where radio stations were promising that they would only play songs once every twelve hours (why even say that!). The best new songs and musicians became those who were new, for however long that lasted.

As decades of music will be remembered, there will be mixed feelings; the advancements in production, recording and sharing were groundbreaking with ipod's, itunes, mastering and recording dominating the core of the behind the scenes industry but it still does not create. The widely respected Rolling Stone magazine recently listed what they thought were the "100 Best Songs of the Decade" and put Gnarlz Barkley's ,"Crazy", at number 1: what the hell? It was catchy, but not even in the same league as "My City of Ruins" by Bruce Springsteen which came in on the list at 91, behind Pink, Britney and Christina. Who judges what we hear? Kanye placed twice ahead of the Killers and Coldplay even after he admits to making tracks off GarageBand; I don't mind Kanye, but that arrogant self proclaimed "saviour of music" is far off the pace set in the 60's and 70's: the real music era, a time when the Stones, Beatles, Zeppellin, Dylan, Joplin, Elton, and the boys from Queen were driving cars into restaurants and camping in hotel foyers, coked up and ready to burn. There must be a reason why the Rolling Stones are still the biggest live act of all time - they had music, leather jackets, good dealers, proper groupies and not a care in the world, a far cry from studio-publicist-packaged world that the teenagers obsess over today.


If there is a decade that is going to bring parity back to modern music it is the 10's. Like our adored musical forefathers, our world is in an uncertain place and as they ranted about war and peace we can too. A world that is dying before our eyes, problems exist today that the Beatles could only dream of on LSD. For once the material is there and again the young have the passion to talk about it. The frontier has been reached and what an exciting time it is.

To the next John Lennon, Freddie Mercury and Bob Marley, 
                                                                            happy new year. 


May this be the best decade of our lives!


MusicDesk

BLUEJUICE_got to get this medication!

Definitely the best find in years! No thanks to Cavan, the Bluejuice craze has begun and it probably wont end until they die of exhaustion, this stuff is hectic!


Still listening to the rest of their offering trying to be disappointed and all I can say is that anybody should consider moving heaven and earth to see them live as I suspect only Daft Punk (in the archives, go take another look) could rival a live act that sounds like them. Their sound is truly unique but in the best and most refreshing way!


Only they could describe themselves properly so thought I might as well let them, below is their biography as written by them, its good!


Bluejuice by Bluejuice...

An aggressive mix of pop, rock, hip hop, electro and disco, Bluejuice are in their element making you dance in a retarded, unselfconscious way. The combination of drums, bass and keys and two harmonizing singers sounds unique, but it's the violence, energy and humour with which the band attack their music that makes them stand out. Latest single 'Broken Leg' sums up the attitude at work - cathartic and silly, emotionally complicated, mental and sweaty. Bluejuice turn entertainment into a contact sport.

The single comes from the band's second long player 'Head Of The Hawk' - a mixture of old and new, pop and dance elements delivered with the melody, cheek and psychosis fans expect from the band. Songs like 'Head Of The Hawk' and '(Ain't) Telling The Truth' see the band take on new forms, mixing hip hop backbeat with 80s melody (REO Speedwagon meets Mad Professor) to deliver surprisingly emotional pop, while 'Little Emperor' and 'Miss Johnston' weld ska and pounding disco to Iggy Pop's raucous punk, and 'Broken Leg' makes Van Halen, Thin Lizzy and The Who tear their collective hair out on the dancefloor.

"It's a break-up record for people who'd prefer to be drunk and dancing," says singer Jake Stone. "A lot of good things turned bad in the year that led up to making this album. I was losing my mind. I wanted the lyrics and the energy in the record to reflect that, but not at the expense of melody. We still wanted to make an album that sounded really pop and upbeat, you know?"

Brooklyn-based producer/engineer Christopher Shaw worked to translate the band's rough demos into a polished production; his discography a clear indicator of his ability to deal with Bluejuice's tangled references. Chris is most recognized for his work engineering the early Public Enemy records, as well as spending the past decade recording Bob Dylan. In between he has been on the desk for a list of artist that includes Weezer, Super Furry Animals, Ween, Chemical Bros and Dashboard Confessional.

"I was attracted to Bluejuice," says Shaw, "because their high energy on previous tracks like Vitriol and the Reductionist. The new demos were even better. Working with a band that had no guitarist seemed to be an interesting prospect as well. (Plus Jerry kept offering me a Ferrari during the recording process. Especially while playing Grand Theft Auto.)

I tried to deliver a more polished/varied sound to the band without dulling any of the things that make them such a great live band. I think we succeeded. There is a great variety of keyboard, bass and drum sounds but yet the record has a very consistent vibe. I pushed everyone in the band to deliver their best performances, almost to the point of exhaustion, and they delivered in spades."

On the visual front the band have continued collaborating with their friend and colleague, Sydney director Sam Bennetts. The band’s video clips are becoming notorious - from ambushing innocent bystanders as a cult in Pitt St. Mall for 'Vitriol', to miming whilst skydiving for 'The Reductionist', and now skipping their way to disrepute in 'Broken Leg', Bluejuice blur the line between televised entertainment and what people expect of a band. Bluejuice and Bennetts are long term friends but the combination works best because "Sam shares the same absurd sense of humour as us, and he manages to make our mental problems look charming"say Bluejuice.

Bluejuice formed during a residency at a terrible pub on George St in the Sydney CBD, from which they were soon fired and replaced by a Neil Diamond covers band. Despite the unlikely start, the five friends released two independent EPs and in 2007 their debut LP 'Problems' hit with an unexpected level of success, with the lead single 'Vitriol' becoming the highest played song on Triple J for almost a year, and charting at 11 in the 2007 Hottest 100, an unprecedented level of radio play of an unsigned band.

The band were also shortlisted for the 2007 Australian Music Prize, and won The Best Emerging Artist section of that same award. In addition, Bluejuice supported major names like Tricky, We Are Scientists, The Specials, Dizzee Rascal, Souls of Mischief, Diverse, and played big gigs on festival bills such as Big Day Out, Splendour In The Grass, Homebake, Falls Festival, and Southbound.

In 2008 the band took that momentum through a sizzling performance at the Splendour festival to sign a record deal with Dew Process (The Panics, The Grates, The Living End). The result of all that is the release of ‘Head of the Hawk’; the second record that will thrust their raucous pop derangement into ever-increasing public consciousness.

"'Head Of The Hawk' is as close as we've come to a 3D document of the band - the stupidity and jokes and the darkness behind the material, the pop melodies and the aggression in the playing, and the dancing. Ah yes, the dancing."

...well put boys, you are truly awesome! There is nothing wrong with you at all!

Click here for their site to check 'em out fully or click here for their myspce page.
MD's favorite tracks: Head of the Hawk, Work, Broken Leg.



Enjoy! these dudes are truly an epic find...




MusicDesk