EDIT: Jai Paul shared an official statement on the release. It is NOT his debut album and the work was illegally leaked. With this said, we are removing the player that was embedded below. Please do not purchase the music as it would be supporting someone other than the artist.
Man…Coachella, new Daft Punk, new Basement Jaxx…now, seemingly out of the blue, Jai Paul (or someone on his behalf) uploads an LP worth of music.
There are a lot of conspiracy theories bouncing around regarding the mysterious singer/songwriter/producer and his strategy for releasing his music. Additionally, his current record label, XL Recordings, has not yet confirmed that these tracks are official or just demos. Either way, there are some absolute gems here.
For those not familiar with Jai Paul’s work here is some context. An early demo “BTSTU” hit the web in 2010 and immediately garnered attention by the blogosphere. Subsequently, it hit playlists of BBC Radio 1 DJs which continued to fuel the fire. A year later, XL Recordings signed Paul and offered up an edit of the track as a digital download. Fast forward to 2012, and another stunning demo from the artist hit the web, “Jasmine.” It set the music blogosphere a buzz (generating nearly a million plays on SoundCloud thus far), bubbled up on the pages of The New York Times and The Guardian, and saw a proper release from XL. Then….nothing…until now.
Last night at Coachella, Daft Punk hit the 100,000+ people in attendance with a surprise teaser trailer for their new album, “Random Access Memories.” The video popped up on the screens across festival’s various stages for all to enjoy. A superstar band appears in sequined suit jackets with Pharrell Williams taking the lead vocalist spot, Nile Rodgers on lead guitar and Daft Punk on bass and drums performing the lead single “Get Lucky.” Now that we’ve gotten a proper preview of the tune (more than the 15 second loop from the SNL ads) it is clear this will be the soundtrack to the summer. It’s been reported that Thomas Bangalter, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, and Pharrell were all in attendance to see the crowd reaction to the video from the VIP section.
The next bit of news also comes from this video. As you see, gone is the Hedi Slimane designed leather gear Daft Punk wore at the historic performance at Coachella back in 2006 and subsequently on the worldwide tour that followed. The Saint Laurent by way of Dior Homme designer is also behind the new look. Certainly more fitting for the new band centric approach to “Random Access Memories.” Although there are no plans for a live tour to promote the new album, we’ll most likely see these suits again in forthcoming visuals from the group. See the video below for the full look.
This has been a great week for music news. Amongst all the Daft Punk hype we get a long overdue new tune from fellow house music innovators, Basement Jaxx. Felix and Simon have been hauled up in the studio for some time now working out some new material for a forthcoming album. While taking a break recently for some DJ dates in Africa, Felix recorded some amazing instrumentals in Kenya. Some horns from those sessions can be heard in “Back 2 The Wild” which premiered today on Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show.
I’ve been eagerly awaiting for the Jaxx to come back and give house music a swift kick in the ass. No better time than now. It’s truly great to have the two production duo’s whom not only spawned my love for the genre back in the early 90′s, but also eventually inspired the inspiration for humble beginnings of this website.
“Back 2 The Wild” is truly a globally influenced tune crafted for the dance floor. Tribal percussion, those Kenyan horns mentioned above, and many of the trademark Basement Jaxx sounds we’ve come to love over the years. Vocals are provided by Korean singers Miss Emma Lee and Baby Chay from New York whom were introduced to the band via a mutual friend.
Look for more details on the new album soon! Grab “Back 2 The Wild” now via 37 Adventures.
Things are ramping up quickly! A second episode of the “Random Access Memories: The Collaborators” series this week. Love it. Next up is the legendary godfather of disco, Nile Rodgers. Nile was the first to speak publicly regarding his work with Daft Punk on the new record which set the internet on fire a couple of months back. This interview certifies that the new album will be grounded in a hybrid analogue/electronic world of funk and disco.
The interview spans a spectrum of topics. From his early days as a musician, the development of the disco sound he is so widely known for, his approach to collaborating with other artists, and how he came to meet ‘the robots.’ This guy has had a hand in crafting some of the great tunes of our time with the likes of Donna Summer, David Bowie, Duran Duran, Madonna…the list goes on and on. Even more exciting/interesting is that the recording session with Daft Punk was in the exact same studio in New York where he recorded some of the original Chic tunes so many years ago.
Beautiful British soul songstress Jessie Ware will finally release her critically acclaimed debut album “Devotion” here in the US on April 16th. Our version will feature two previously unreleased tracks, “Imagine It Was Us” and the “Wildest Moments” remix that’s been bouncing around featuring verses by A$AP Rocky. The Mercury Prize-nominated album has already spawned five singles in the UK which will all appear on the US version.
Ms. Ware has shared the visual for the Julio Bashmore produced “Imagine It Was Us.” Loving the vibe of this tune. Video is a great match. Dance party vibes. Check out some behind-the-scenes footage and the official video below.
Ware is currently on the road here in the US making stops at the forthcoming Coachella weekends and will return this summer for Lollapalooza.
Episode two is here! I’ve had the great pleasure of spending some time with Todd Edwards, and without a doubt he is one of the sweetest guys you’ll ever meet. That certainly comes across in his interview as part of Daft Punk‘s “Random Access Memories: The Collaborators” series. It’s amazing to hear about the “west coast vibe” being injected into the forthcoming record. When the names Fleatwood Mac and the Doobie Brothers join the conversation, you know we are in for a treat. “The androids are bringing soul back to music.”
As an added bonus, Todd shared a remix for another one of our favorite French bands, Phoenix. He’s given “Entertainment” a sprinkle of the Todd ‘The God’ magic. Today is a good day!
