It’s getting hard to write about singer-songwriters. Not that Monument Valley, the musical alias of the promisingly talented Ned Younger at all deserves to be pigeonholed into being just another post-Mumford singer-songwriter – he has a band for a start, and rather than being all hushed acoustics his music is something more intricate and electrified, and all the better for it.
It’s just that there’s only so many times the same adjectives can be used. Younger’s music is sincere, timeless and quite beautifully crafted storytelling. But you’ve heard us say all this kind of thing before. To save me having to be a bit more imaginative, we thought we’d get Ned Younger himself to do the talking.

So when I Google Monument Valley, I just find out a lot about Utah. Who exactly is Monument Valley?
It’s not particularly google friendly is it? Monument Valley, as well as being a tourist attraction in Utah, is the name under which I release music. It’s been going for a few months and Tongues, which is my first EP, came out in November.

What or who inspires your music in general, and specifically Tongues?
That’s always a hard question to answer because I think you’re expected to name bands and musicians, and obviously they do play a big role, but I think for me other things are just as important. I think broadly what inspires me are stories, whether those are in songs, books, photos or films. With this record in particular, the songs are based on photographs that I found in markets and car boot sales. I found, and still do find, that kind of image really inspiring in terms of writing songs.

The physical version of the EP has been released with a book, how does that tie into the music?
It was always conceived as a book because the songs are so intrinsically linked with the visuals, both in terms of the photographs that inspired the songs and the illustrations that accompany them. We pushed the book idea really hard and I can’t imagine it being in any other format. Once people see the book they tend to get it straight away.

I’ve heard you used to be quite into UK garage, what caused the detour from that route to your style of music now?
Well I never actually made any UK garage, though I would have liked to and would still like to at some point, so it was never a conscious choice to leave it behind. I think it’s probably influenced what I’m doing now in some way, though I’d be hard pressed to tell you exactly how.

What are your plans for the future? Is there a plan yet for an album release or another EP after Tongues?
There are plans afoot to record again in January, so you should be hearing from me again sooner rather than later. We’re just talking about what form that might take at the moment, and there are some ace ideas flying around. In the meantime I’m also continuing to work with my friend Mikey Smith, who did all the illustrations for the TONGUES book, on something longer form. I’m excited about that too.

Tongue’s is out now, and the first track Round & Round (from somewhere between Benjamin Francis Leftwich and toned down Los Campesinos!) is quite possibly the highlight, check it out below.

Following last years ‘Love Pattern’ EP and before that ‘Interplanetary Music’ (described by The Guardian as “the thinking fan’s pop moment of 2008), Ed Banger has just released Mickey Moonlight’s debut album ‘and The Time Axis Manipulation Corporation’…

Renowned for his esoteric but ecstatic DJ sets and highly imaginative re-rubs for the likes of Connan Mockasin, Franz Ferdinand, Tame Impala and label mates Justice, as well as uncountable producing credits, we thought it was time to have a chat with Mr Moonlight…

Hello there, hows things?

Great! Thank you!

You have an oddly titled album coming out, can you explain the name?

It’s the name of the company I work for as a technician.

Any singular influence on the album?

My biggest influences in making the album were Science Fiction authors, not musicians.

To me the album is like a collection of images, fragments of stories. There’s tales of biotech companies, artificial lovers, voluntary euthanasia, cosmic ambivalence, Discordian folk songs, time travel field recordings and psychedelic pattern-music.

Favourite collaboration on the album?

I don’t think I can really pick a favourite. I loved working with everyone! ‘Close to Everything’ featuring George Lewis Jnr (aka Twin Shadow) was the first single.

How has it been working with the Ed Banger crew?

Great! It means a lot to me to be on Ed Banger. Pedro and Amandine are the nicest people. It’s a pleasure to deal with them and that’s more important than anything. Of course it’s lucky that they also do an amazing job! There’s nowhere I’d rather be.

What’s been on your stereo in 2011?

Loads!

My favourite albums of the year are Rustie – Crystal Swords and Grouper – Alien Observer. My favourite club singles for DJing are Blwan – What You Do With What You Got and Sam Tiba – 420 (all Marble releases have been amazing). Other stuff I’ve been listening to a lot…. Kool Keith (to me he’s the greatest MC ever who shames all the boring unimaginative big names), Julie London, AFX Analord vinyls, Sandro Perri, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Justice, and Jon Hassell.

and… what do you fully expect to dominate your playlists in 2012?

I hope to be surprised. But otherwise… the Kindness album should be dominating everyone’s playlists. Also: Breakbot, Zongamin, MC Gaffe, Aphex Twin, and Kwes.

What does 2012 hold for you? Big tour?

I’m DJing lots. Finishing producing the Hypnolove album for Record Makers. Helping with the Zongamin album. A few interesting remixes. Then I want to record my next album, which I intend to do really quickly. I’m writing things at the moment.

Hope it all goes well man, keep it up & take care.

Thanks!

‘AND THE TIME AXIS MANIPULATION CORPORATION’ is out now on Ed Banger, you can find out more about Mickey at mickeymoonlight.com and check out the oddball album preview (infomercial) below.

If you’re heading to one of Hospitality’s nights in Prague, Liverpoool, Bristol or at the Warehouse Project in Manchester over the next month, maybe you should ask yourself “who is London Elektricity?”. Whilst a legend to many, London Elektricity’s recent nomination for Mixmag’s ‘Who Is The Greatest Dance Act Of All Time?’ poll may come as a bit of a “who the hell?!” moment to some readers, even some dance aficionados, but not when you know what he’s famous for.

As well as winning the BBC 1Xtra Xtra Bass Award 2007 and releasing three studio albums with former band London Elektricity Live, Tony Colman has toured for several years as a DJ and released two albums as London Elektricity. This includes the recording and release of 2011′s ‘Yikes!’ which, as he tells us, “remarkably smooth. I felt technically better with the mixdowns etc. and I absolutely loved writing with Elsa [Esmeralda, vocalist] because it’s so simple when someone is that talented. We kind of had a cliché radar and didn’t want to state the obvious too much. It’s always good to come at stuff from the leftfield a bit and add in the pianos and guitars with a drum track, something to spring a surprise with”.

Opening track ‘Elektricity Will Keep Me Warm’ certainly does that with Esmeralda’s downbeat vocal, a slow piano riff and simple synth, as does following track ‘Meteorites’ with hints of trance mixed with looped vocals and a drum track you’d be likely to hear on a Camo & Krooked album. Yet to mention modern artists as an influence seems ridiculous when you consider that arguably Colman’s greatest achievement, the creation of Hospital Records, gave them the impetus to begin their careers. Hospital Records, alongside it’s huge club night ‘Hospitality’ which runs across the UK, has been bringing UK production talent to audience for ten years and more, so why have they only come to the forefront now?

“Probably because we didn’t have any kind of plan,” laughs Colman, “we just started up and we’ve been growing ever since. A lot of people will say people are only just getting into drum and bass in a big way, but it helps that there’s a huge amount of great talent out there right now. There are new challenges all the time with trying to keep you’re identity and ideas in the right place but the past few years have been amazing and we plan to keep on growing”. London Elektricity is certainly a name associated with adapting. Originally a live band with bass, drum pads, rappers, synths and pianos on stage, Colman has now brought it down to just a DJ act and doesn’t regret it.
“In the live band, we just felt invincible. There were so many of us and you go out fighting every night and come off stage feeling great, but then you have the long build up in between and the difficult tours. Being a DJ and being in a band is chalk and cheese. I love both but I couldn’t go back to being in the band because I’ve got such good memories and I don’t know if I could make them any better. DJ-ing to a crowd still makes me feel great and lets me have fun without all of the stress. I love to mix and play great songs and when the crowd gives you a good reaction it’s still hugely rewarding.”

It’s not just about the DJ sets though. A huge range of acts have sprung up and made their names through Hospital Records and Hospitality and you have London Elektricity to thank. When you consider that their roster currently contains London Elektricity, Danny Byrd, Logistics, Nu:Tone, Netsky, High Contrast and Camo & Krooked, you can see where the legacy comes from. Has the success of the label and its achievements surprised it’s creator?
“You know when we were still pretty unknown I’d be playing small clubs and no-one knew who you were but there was one kid in a Hospital t-shirt and that really excited us. Now there’s loads of them and that’s even better because people know what Hospital is all about, but it’s always fun to play somewhere new and get people who don’t know who you are to turn round and say ‘who’s that?’.
The added bonus of fame, of course, is the huge venues and audiences you get as a result.
“I just love playing places like Warehouse Project where they put a huge amount of love into the sound. Sometimes you play a big club and they’ve not got it right and it really kills the atmosphere, but at Warehouse they really make an effort. I’ve not played there in far too long actually, it’s an amazing club night with great curators and the DJs appreciate it as well as the crowd.”

Not much better endorsement could be needed for one of the biggest nights of the Warehouse Project’s final season in Manchester, but what is next for London Elektricity and Hospital Records after that?

“My diary is packed with DJ dates at the minutes but Hospital has the ’15 Years of Hospital’ album coming out in November, 15 old tracks and 15 new so look out for that. After that, 2012 should be a very big year for us. Some Uk festivals and some big news coming up so very exciting times.”

For more information on Hospital Records, Hospitality and the Warehouse Project, check the links below.

Hospital Records
Hospitality
The Warehouse Project

Shake Aletti are Steve & Scott, they hail from Sheffield and the boys have already made significant waves in a short time. From working with the like’s of Roots Manuva & Toddla T, remixing Tinie Tempah, Ellie Goulding & Róisín Murphy, been chosen to play the Radio 1 introducing stage at Sonar Festival, receiving a nomination from the Mercury Music Prize panel as a “one to watch”, not to mention putting out some banging singles and EP’s.

We thought it was time we had a quick chat to find out more…

Hey guys, Hows things at the minute?

Hey! Yeah things are great right now!! Merci!

For anyone that doesn’t already know, where does the name come from? Bit unusual isn’t it?

Ahh. Yep the name is taken from the legendary Vince Aletti. He was (and still is) a proverbial ‘Big Dog In The Game’. Look him up!

You’ve got a new EP out, Inside Out, how does it differ from your early releases?

It came out on Monday yeah! I think its more the direction we’ve always wanted to go in. It’s more of a song than anything we’ve released in the past maybe?

Is this the perfect example of your sound? if not how would you describe your sound?

Well our sound has developed quite a bit recently. We spent some time really getting into the route of where we wanted to be with it. Our influences are still the same though I think!

You guys are part of that fast becoming rare breed that’s making electronic music as a live band? Did you want to avoid the DJ route for a reason?

We love to DJ as well, so its not that. I think we went the live path because its fun above anything else. Its a great way to put your music out there too.

You could only do a DJ set of all your own material if your Tiga.

How’d you guys get hooked up with the MODA guys?

Andy and Jay were into what we we’re doing, so they put us in touch with the label side, and it just went from there really!

What’s next for you boys? Album in the works?

Exactly that! We live in the studio most days right now getting it all together!

I look forward to the 2012 and seeing what you guys bring, take care.

Thanks very much! We appreciate the support!

His second album, ‘Good Things’, has earned the Orange County Californian critical acclaim across the board. Going from being one half of the hip hop duo Emanon, Blacc took up an internship with business consultants Ernst & Young, still secretly performing gigs on the side. When the recession hit and he found himself out of a job, hit single ‘I Need a Dollar’ – soon to be re-released on May 1 – was born.

We caught up with Aloe Blacc as he was admiring the sights of London – from inside the Sony building.

So, you’ve got a pretty big UK tour, and the official release of I Need A Dollar, coming up, how are you feeling about all that right now?
Very good, I’m enjoying the fact that my music is becoming popular, because for so many years I’ve just been an underground artist.

It’s certainly made an impact already. What do you think about critics calling it ‘the anthem of the recession’?
You know what, I kind of feel it is an anthem for the recession. A lot of people have been struggling, and it’s a song that actually discusses their situation.

I’ve introduced a few people to I Need A Dollar, who haven’t really been affected by the recession and they agree that it’s a great song. Are you hoping that it will achieve widespread popularity, that it will be a big hit with the official release?
I hope so. I really hope so, because it will give me the opportunity to present more songs that are relevant to people around the world. Especially in my country.

You certainly have a very interesting story. You were an MC at the age of nine. Do you think you could quickly talk us through how you went from that to soul singing?
I started rapping when I was really young because I was really interested in hip hop, and so I joined with a DJ in high school and started recording and making hip hop songs. And through making hip hop songs I became interested in the music that I was sampling, like soul, and jazz, and classic rock and singer-songwriter folk music, and I became interested to try and write those songs. So I began writing folk songs and recording them on my own in secret, but eventually some of my singing was heard by an indie label out of Los Angeles called Stones Throw. They’re mainly known for hip hop but they wanted to try their hand at finding a singer.

When you were working for Ernst and Young were you always hoping that one day you would go on to this career in music, or was it always more of a side project?
Music has always been my side-project, it was a hobby of mine. Instead of getting high or drinking, and sports or videogames, I was making music. But when I got laid off, it became my full time occupation.

Also, as a Velvet Underground fan I have to say your cover of Femme Fatale is very impressive, it’s an interesting choice of song to cover, what made you choose that?
I think really the story behind the song, is that there were a lot of songs I had on a list to try and cover, but when it comes down to it, the idea thematically of Femme Fatale in the album Good Things is America and capitalism and the allure of streets paved with gold and the American dream. And so, with the femme fatale being the Statue of Liberty you’ve got this very attractive promise of living the dream, but a lot of people come to America and end up living a nightmare because they either get sent back home or struggle for a long time.

I’ve read also that you share a lot of the money you make with various charities, what’s that all about?
You know you can’t necessarily believe everything you read, because I haven’t made a lot of money yet! But I do participate and offer my time to the unfortunate youth. I’ve spent some time going to the juvenile facilities where there are seven year olds that are incarcerated for crimes that they have committed – but at seven years old, what’s a crime? The real crime I think is that there’s no support in the neighbourhood that he grew up in to make sure that his parents had jobs, so that they felt a sense of pride and to make enough money to look after their children properly. Putting a seven year old behind bars doesn’t make sense, because the brain isn’t even hard yet. It’s still kind of moulding into what a human adult can be.

Interesting, I’ll check my sources next time.
No I’ve read the same thing! I’m not exactly sure where it comes from. I offer my time, but I can assure you that as soon as the label accounts to me my first cheque I will be donating to various organisations.

So do you still need a dollar?
No, no, no, no, I don’t, I’ve never actually needed a dollar. The sentiment of the song is more about looking for a helping hand, not necessarily a financial hand but a social hand. I think that capitalism really created this huge disparity psychologically between the haves and the havenots. Even the people that have a lot are in dire straits. They need support as well. They say in America about 50% of marriages end in divorce, and a lot of it is because of money issues.

On a final point, Good Things has earned you a lot of comparisons from critics with legends such as Curtis Mayfield, and Gil Scott Heron, you know, artists who really changed the world, how do you feel about those comparisons?
I think that they’re really really nice compliments, maybe a little overstated. But I’m happy to hear them because it means I’m doing something right, and I’m honouring the tradition of soul music.

Do you hope to achieve that status in the future, do you think you could?
You know what. I think I can. I hope I do, not for status’ sake but because ultimately what these characters mean for music and what they mean for people. Curtis Mayfield was the voice of a generation, he told stories that were not represented elsewhere. I want to be able to do the same. The same time ‘I Need a Dollar’ was released there was another song on the radio called ‘Billionaire’. It goes to show that there are different stories being told, there’s the exaggerated stories then there’s the down home gritty bare-naked truth. Someone’s gotta represent what real people are feeling. I think a dollar makes a lot more sense than a billion.

It started off in Australia for a hardcore 7 day tour supporting N.E.R.D., but after that I had a 2 week holiday and now I’m back in Berlin and starting to work on my music again, so all is fine

Your latest project is an Acid House compilation celebrating 20 years since its birth, what made you want to celebrate the genre?

I was making my new acid track “1010″ in my studio and my good friend Housemeister came by
and he said “wow this is future acid” and he was like “ok I want to make a new acid track too”. we were looking at each other saying why not ask everyone on the label and our friends to produce a new Acid track for a compilation of super acid like no one had ever heard before.
In fact no one has done an acid compilation since the beginning of the ’90s. although there were many acid revivals every now and then, producers from today don’t actually need the Roland TB-303 to produce acid sounds. Jan Driver’s acid track is done with an iPhone and to be honest I couldn’t believe it when he told me.

What element of Acid House defines why you love the genre?

Acid is timeless, it’s always cool to drop 1 or 2 acid tracks in a dj set and that’s what i’ve always done.
But first, it’s not acid when there is no acid sound. Last year there was a house record by a good producer and he called his album “acid house” but there was not even one acid sound on it haha. the sound of the Roland TB 303 is the best, if it’s not the main theme of a track it always fits somewhere in the track too. I’ve had acid lines in many of my tracks but i’ve never had it as the main feature like in “1010″ because it’s not easy to program a rocking acid sequence, especially with the Roland 303 which is no fun to program.

What are your favourite Acid House tracks of all time?

There are many great ones, too many to mention but Bam Bam ‘Where’s Your Child’, Essit Muzique ‘Essit Muzique’ and of course Josh Wink’s  ’Higher State of Conciousness’ are bombs! I like alot of AFX acid too.

Did you have a specific set of rules in mind for the tracks you picked for the comp?

Wwell the only rule was to use Acid, not eat it.

What’s next for you?

I’m starting the year slow with some gigs here and there and towards the summer i’ll be hitting the road harder again. i’m currently in the studio working on new music for myself. There will be a couple of releases like the 3 tracks I did together with Housemeister, Our Maix 12″ will be out end of February. Also I might release 2 tracks on BNR TRAX with a different name i’m still trying to figure out. Anyways, the next releases on Boysnoize Rec and BNR TRAX look dope

Another full length in the works?

Yes!

You teamed up with Erol (Alkan) on the comp for your track ‘Death Suite’ are you planning any more work with him throughout 2011?

Yeah, we already have some great new ideas and we’ll definitely release a new 12″ but before that we will re-release “Avalanche” & “Lemonade” with a really cool feature on “Avalanche”.

Its been great to chat to you sir, take care and I look forward to seeing what’s next for Boys Noize.

You can check out ‘Death Suite’ the Boys Noize & Erol Alkan track from Super Acid below, or head out and grab it now!

The often criticised, lamented and unfairly labelled Kele Okereke is still a person to pull no punches. With his debut solo album ‘The Boxer’ receiving critical praise and his commitments to Bloc continually in doubt owing to scathing comments in the press and a planned move to Manhattan later this year, fans of the band might feel they have a lot to worry about. Kele, however, remains fiercely independent and not at all flustered by mounting speculation.

“We decided when we on tour in 2009 that we wanted to have a year off and that’s where the idea for a solo album came from really, I felt like doing something by myself. I’m just recording some stuff this afternoon, I usually am when I have some free time. It’s just for myself really, just ideas I have,” he explains, unwilling to link current projects to any specific plan or record label. “When I went into the studio there was no real preparation and I didn’t take any ideas forward from recording with Bloc Party. I just went in with an open mind and started using these machines which I had no idea to work and thought I’d see what came out.”

The results of this in his solo effort is a mixture of the more electronic-progressive sound of Bloc Party in the direction they have been heading for a while (‘The Other Side’ could quite easily have been a ‘Weekend In The City’ / ‘Intimacy’ era B-side) and a far heavier 90s house on tracks like ‘On The Lam’ (vaguely reminiscent of ‘T2 ft. Jodie – Heartbreaker’). The key idea Kele picks out as an influence is ‘gestation’; “It was recorded and then I went out on tour for a month and came back to listen to it to see how I felt. That was kind of the way it worked, the biggest thing was letting things simmer. I think that the music of Bloc Party was quite melancholic and anxious and that’s what people liked but with this I wanted to do something joyous and celebratory.”

Those acquainted with the album or the live shows would probably have to agree. The timbre of ‘The Boxer’ is still urban and full of shadows and that melancholy rears its head relatively frequently, ‘Everything You Wanted’ another delicate exploration of a broken relationship. Okereke, though, has always been a vibrant live performer with or without his band and the further step taken in his solo work is to develop the art of the ecstatic epilogue as ‘Everything You Wanted’ explodes into a chorus of “Day-o, Day-o” backed by Kele’s lamenting vocal “I could have given you everything you wanted / Everything you needed.” ‘Walk Tall’ is a pseudo-military call to arms but where, on a Bloc Party record, this might have been a lethargic criticism of a police state, this opening track is a statement of independence and an opportunity to dance. In live performance, Okereke has always been vibrant and mixed grandiose displays of brilliant pop music with tender ballads to great effect but with a personal edge which leaves traces of sadness. In his solo work, that impression of giving too much of himself to his music has relaxed and although this album lacks the depth of previous efforts, it certainly makes up for it with a more comfortable nature and a greater appreciation of rhythm.

“I think it’s just being old really, I’ve being doing a lot of stuff for the past five years. It just feels fun now. It was fun working with [producer] XXXChange and he just helped me re-jig things when I went to New York and organised things better through the record.”

There has been something of an 80s revival with We Are Scientists and the Arcade Fire both proclaiming dramatic Bowie, Springsteen and Eno influences in recent works but Kele, perhaps not surprisingly, remains a child of the 1990s. “It’s from DJ-ing a lot recently really, a lot of classic vocal house, 2-step and garage and drum and bass which I used to love as a teenager and all the kind of music that makes you want to dance really.” This, in fact, is one of the great ironies of the album in that by stepping away from his hugely successful band, Okereke has created a more musically relevant album than ever which evokes the nostalgic club sounds his fans have grown up with whilst retaining his emotional perception which makes it a hell of a lot more interesting than, say, Tinie Tempah or N-Dubz.

With work like this though, there is a nagging feeling that it gives a striking amount of potential for any future Bloc Party work; surely these beat-laden, electro dazzlers would get even better with a classic Lissack guitar line, Moakes bass riff or some Tong drum crashing? The “Hmm, I think so, maybe, I think so, hmm” before Kele tackles the issue of his band and friends is telling. “I think we needed the time and a different perspective from things. We work really hard, toured pretty much non-stop for five years and it was important to have some time to enjoy life.”

So, speculation of turmoil and disturbance in Kele Okereke’s life seems largely unfounded. He states that he has “never had a single problem with [record label] Wichita” and appears relaxed, continually creative and comfortable with where he is at. The media perception of an arrogant, closeted artist can be hard to dismiss with a person who does not give information away readily but Okereke does the business where he needs to; ‘The Boxer’ is a real opening up of his true influences and should these be worked back into work with Bloc Party they will continue to go from strength to strength

So, did you guys have a good Christmas and New Year?

We did. Though it seems a long time ago now.

Your album is complete and released into the wider world, are you happy with the outcome?

The response has been overwhelmingly positive in the main, so yeah, we’re in a good place right now. Even the criticism is cool with me, it’s just nice to be part of the discussion. Though there was one review that read more like a poison pen letter to me than an appraisal of the record – it was almost completely empty of any context or information. That did rile me a bit, because it seemed kinda cheap and silly and unhelpful to any potential readers, plus a little unfair to the rest of the band! But I shouldn’t dwell on it, because generally we’ve been shown a lot of love.

No hiccups or compromises?

Those are two very specific words! What have you heard? There are always hiccups and it’s pretty rare that anyone in a five-piece band doesn’t have to compromise somewhere along the line when making an album. But we’ve learned a lot this year and we’ve done some good stuff and I think we can hold our heads up going forward. And I’m very excited about what’s ahead.

Give me 5 words to describe the album?

I get asked this a lot and I’m running out of new ways of defining it, so forgive me if any of these are repeated elsewhere… Lush, loud, layered, lovelorn, literate? That seems fair to me.

The name ‘Palace’ am i right in saying that was originally the bands name? Why the change?

It had already been used by Will Oldham. Can’t steal from Bonnie Prince Billy.

Your about to embark on a huge UK tour? Excited?

I am excited, yeah, the most excited I’ve ever been for a tour. Hopefully a lot of people will have heard the record by the time we start and it’ll be a real celebratory atmosphere. We’ve worked hard over the last year, trying to convince people we’re worth their time. Hopefully now at least some of the audience will arrive at the venue already convinced and we can all just enjoy ourselves!

Do you consider yourselves a live band? or more of a studio act?

Both, I guess. Ultimately, I probably prefer the studio because I’m pretty self-conscious and shy – plus I enjoy writing new songs more than anything else. But when the live shows are working – and they do tend to work more often than not, I think – they have a magic of their own that’s quite hard to match. Plus it’s always fun to meet the fans.

What’s on the Chapel Club stereo at the moment?

Vincent Gallo, Gene Pitney and Joao Gilberto.

If people are checking you out for the first time, live or on record. What would you say to them?

Enjoy, but don’t get too comfortable. Next time around will be different again.

You catch Chapel Club around the UK now (Dates Below) and click below for the lead single from the excellent ‘Palace’ which is out now on Polydor.

Chapel Club’s UK tour dates are:

Bristol, Thekla – February 3
Liverpool, Academy 2 – 3
Leeds, Cockpit – 7
Nottingham, Bodega – 8
Glasgow, King Tuts – 10
Dundee, Doghouse – 11
Newcastle, Cluny – 12
Birmingham, Hare & Hounds – 13
Southampton, Talking Heads – 15
London, Heaven – 16

Tom Jordan sat down for a quick chat with him to find out what’s being going on…

What have you been up to the past two weeks?

I’ve been working on a few remixes and recording a couple of mixes. I’ve spent quite a lot of time sorting out the next few releases on Urban Scrumping for this year. I have managed to find some time to start some new tunes, but hoping I get more time for that soon, feels like it’s been a while since I got lost in music for a few days.

When did you start making music?

In terms of producing, I guess I started dabbling in cubase when I was about 14, but didn’t really take it seriously until years later. I’d previously played guitar and other instruments in various bands.

How would you describe your music?

I think a lot of people view my music as quite melodic, emotional electronic music. It can go in different directions though, from astral ambience to quite heavy tunes.

Has this style always what you’ve produced?

I’ve always produced quite a diverse range of styles, but guess electronica was the first style I worked with, though this would include downtempo, dnb and breaks inspired stuff. I went through a phase of writing a lot of jungle to play out at parties which was a lot of fun.

One of the my personal highlights to your music is your work with Soundmouse, when did you start this collaboration? Is there more to come?

A mutual friend linked us up in March last year and the result was Afterglow. We’re working on a few things at the moment, so I’m sure you’ll get to hear some more soon, plus there were a couple of bits left over which didn’t make it onto the album, so hopefully get a chance to go back to those at some point.

Big Influences?

The following were all big influences when I started making tunes.

Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Plaid, Waiwan, LTJ Bukem, Prodigy, Breakbeat Era, Red Snapper etc

Favourite genre of music?

It all depends on what mood I’m in, so hard to pick one. I could easily listen to most electronic stuff, jazz, funk, minimalism. hiphop, classical, anything really. I think there’s a time and a place for everything.

What are your favourite tunes at the moment?

I love the recent output of DJ Madd and TMSV, both of them seem to consistently make tunes I really rate. The new Lurka tunes on Box Clever and the Kahn release on Punch Drunk I can’t get enough of at the moment either.

He kindly gave us some stuff he’s been working on.

Check it:

MP3 (320kbps): http://www.sendspace.com/file/u8g0ni

FLAC: http://www.sendspace.com/file/v7kgvx

They’ve recently released the ‘Black Billionaires: The Remixes EP’ the follow up their critically acclaimed ‘Black Billionaires EP’, it features huge remixes from Laidback Luke & Green Velvet and a brand new track ‘Politrix As Usual’.

I had a quick chat with Riton to chat about the EP, the guys working methods and plans for the future…

So…What have you been up to the last couple of weeks?

I’ve been throwing out my Christmas tree, djing in Japan and selling Mehdi’s unwanted Christmas jumpers on eBay.

How did you guys meet? Did you know each other well before?

We met whilst training on the beach in between DJ sets in Miami winter music conference… We both admired each other’s upper body work and taste in house music.

What made you want to work together?

International race relations.

Are you based together now (studio wise)? Or do you have separate focus on your individual persona’s as Mehdi & Riton most of the time?

We like to keep ourselves busy working on our own music – see the new ‘Let The Children Techno’ compilation for details. As we write this email I’m chunneling my way to Mehdi’s beatlab to start on our follow up to Black Billionaires.

Do you have a long term plan for Carte Blanche or are you playing it by ear?

2 basic priorities for Carte Blanche a) have the time of our lives b) make sure the fun never stops.

Any chance of a full length album?

We’re enjoying the EP format right now. Feels like we can say all we need to and make sure they’re all going to add to the live shows.

What are your main influences for the project?

Wine, weather and Wu Tang Clan.

I have to ask, where did the name Black Billionaires come from for the EP?

Mehdi’s fascination with facts let him to find an interesting tit-bit regarding the number of extremely wealthy black people in the world. Plus we get to put the ill in ILLiteration.

I look forward to what guys are have got coming up, anything you can tease us with?

Roller skates.

Cheers man, take care.

Carte Blanche have just dropped their latest single ‘Do! Do! Do!’ ft Kid Sister, you can check out the video; directed by renowned french graffiti artist Fafi – below.

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