Marc O’Tool : Serious – Review
Long term progressive-house producer Marc O’Tool returns to the fray with an album of mixed house sounds.
It’s been out on Circle Music since the end of March and is available to purchase here.
[I would personally recommend buying a few tracks that you like, rather than the whole thing, unless you're a super fan. Read the review to find out why. ]
Musical Rant #001: Moved To Tears
“I am regularly moved to tears by particularly beautiful pieces of music. There I’ve said it. Nothing to be ashamed about. And if you think that as a man I should be ashamed, if you think that crying to music is effeminate or pansy-like, then you’re a log-headed half-wit and should probably think about leaving town. Seriously. Going all blubbery and misty-eyed is one of the finest evocations a piece of music can have.
But wait, I’m not talking about sentimental garbage like going all weepy over Céline Dion or the ‘heart-breaking’ stories that all the X-Factor candidates all seem to have. No, I’m talking about an enigmatic component within a composition that triggers the floodgates. It doesn’t have to be lyrical either. Take the opening keys of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘All My Friends’, simple, wistful, and somehow nostalgic. Gets me every time. Or how about the abrupt guitar riff of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’ that fits perfectly with Thom Yorke’s melancholy? Powerful stuff. What’s more this emotional response unlocks layers and subterranean ironies that you might not have been aware of previously, an experience I can attest to first hand when moved to tears whilst watching The Cure perform ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ live at Bestival 2011.
The reason all this emotion has been dredged up is thanks to Scottish indie outfit Belle & Sebastien. They’re releasing a new Late Night Tales compilation in late March and one of the cuts they’ve included is the 1967 track ‘Darling Be Home Soon’ by the psychedelic group The Lovin’ Spoonful. It ‘s the first time I have came across it, and something about the lyrics and the staggered orchestral elements had me reaching for the (man sized) box of tissues. It’s moment like that when you remember why you feel head over heels in love with music in the first place.”
First published in Inquire Newspaper in early March 2012.
Eight Years Of ‘Mulletover’ Feature
The London club night Mulletover turns eight-years old on the 5th April. Something of a dance-music institution in the capital, the party has evolved from its beginnings as a series of illegal warehouse parties, comprised mostly of friends and family, to a mammoth institution selling thousands of tickets and booking headline acts.
I caught up with the brains behind the Mullets, Geddes and Rob Star, chatting with them about the history of the party and what they see as the future for the events. You can read the full feature here.
Tickets for their eighth birthday, featuring performances from Carl Craig, Maya Jane Coles and Midland, are available here.
