Miami-based ANR’s record label (also home to Passion Pit and Ellie Goulding) recorded the pair covering one of one of Kelis’ lesser-known hits at the end of last year. I’ve had it on repeat since then, and it’s about time I blogged it.
The video below is just beautiful. Talk about eclipsing the original.
Sometimes all you need is one moment to make something worthwhile.
Last Sunday I travelled out to Chelmsford for my first taste of Virgin Media’s V Festival. It’s not normally on my radar, but with a Louder Lounge invite in hand and just a half hour train ride ahead, I couldn’t say no.
The pop-heavy programme isn’t typically my sort of thing, but The Manic Street Preachers were my shining highlight of the day. After years of discussing the merit of its record-breaking title, listening to If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next in the blazing sunshine is something I’ll remember for years to come.
A few weeks back, my Saturday was all about the music.
Sure, this isn’t an entirely unusual thing for me, but still.
Yelp hosted one of its HUGE parties at the British Music Experience within the O2, serving up delicious treats from the likes of Gelupo and helping me to discover cornmeal crust from the fabulous Otto Pizza.
I was impressed by the interactive nature of the exhibition itself, with try-it-yourself dance pods and a ‘studio’ laid out with instruments for people to play. Much fun, though possibly not worth £15 had I been paying for entry.
Seeing as we were halfway across London ANYWAY (West is best kids), we tagged on a trip to XOYO – my first – to see A-Trak play. It was a ridiculously small room for an artist as big as him, and as such, was pretty special. He played a blinding set for almost two hours, and I could basically touch him. If I was that was inclined/some kind of weird super-fan.
Then last week, when the hunger pangs started to kick in, Mr Matt Brawn sent me a new mix from A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label. Perfect. Play below and download to listen to whenever you like.
When you have to get on a plane to go to a festival, the excitement increases tenfold
Sonar’s organisation is incredibly impressive. You can’t use cash at the bars, so instead buy tickets for specific drinks ahead of time. A combination spirit/mixer (with what I can only assume is a quadruple measure) was €8, a small cup of beer at €4. This cut down on queing for everything, the drinks were strong and it seemed like pretty fair pricing.
Festivals in hot climate are amazing. No pre-planned layering and bringing several jumpers to banish the cold at 4am.
Day one (of Sonar by Night at least) was definitely quieter than day two.
Diskjokke wasn’t given prominent enough position on the schedule, but was brilliant and I loved the Disney-themed SonarCar stage.
Having bumper cars at a festival is FUN.
SonarPub was easily the best area. It was the perfect size, therefore retaining a sense of atmosphere, while not feeling like you were getting crushed.
I didn’t see anyone get insanely messy or need medical attention, which was a welcome surprise.
Trentemøller was fantastic live. His band added to that; starting with a girl playing guitar with a bow, an incredibly energetic drummer and a host of others on stage. Moan sounded amazing as a crescendo.
Annie Mac fell a bit flat on the crowd. I’m usually a fan, but it was just too average. Katy B’s live bit with her was fun, but I’m not sure if it really had a place on the programme.
A-Trak was the best set of the entire festival. He’s been a favourite of mine since remixing Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Head Will Roll, and his Duck Sauce project with Armand Van Helden is huge, but to watch him mix live was in a different league. I’ve never seen a DJ work so fast, or with such little guidance from cans. He obviously knows his tracks inside, out, back to front, and blindfolded. Props for playing in a dinner jacket too. I’ll be seeking him out again.
The sun comes up quickly in Barcelona. At 5.40am A-Trak finished and it was pitch black, by 6.30am for Tiga(only so-so, but unfairly positined in SonarLab, which had no atmosphere to it) – it was light.
M.I.A. was, once again, terrible. Newly blonde, but apart from that, nothing has changed since I saw her at The Big Chill last year.
Chris Cunningham was equally as bad. I had high hopes, but his vibe is too dark to translate in that environment. We ended up leaving after two songs as it was such a downer.
Yelle is the epitome of a French act. I got to hear her do her cover of Robyn’s Who’s That Girl, which was great, as well as a few others I recognised/enjoyed. She’s 80s-tastic, all synth and electro pop, but was a little whiny live. I prefer the mixes of her tracks, which make them a bit more instrumental, but it was a happy antidote to our previous Chris Cunningham deathtrap.
Underworld were my other big win for the weekend. As we discussed at the time, you can tell you’re watching a crowd pleaser from the get go. They filled SonarClub like no other act on the programme, and kept an insanely high level of energy for over an hour and a half. Born Slippy was an inevitable closer, and it was definitely one of those moments I’ll never forget.
New artist spot of the festival goes to Buraka Som Sistema, an act from Portugal that fuses techno with African kuduro. You’re left with something that knocks you off your feet you want to dance so much, so they were fantastic live.
Additional useful info. When you leave Sonar, don’t turn left and hope to find a cab. It’ll take you hours to get home. The buses run super regularly and cost €2 each way. They do get busy, but if you time it right, they’re a breeze. Alternatively, if you don’t want to face the crowds, get a cab on the way up. From central Barcelona it’s only €15ish.
I had a blast at Sonar. It had a totally different vibe to anything I’ve been to before and I’d definitely go back. The space isn’t as big as you’d imagine, so it’s all about the artists. If you spot a few you like, it’s totally worth a trip.
Ticket prices are €39 pp for entrance to one of the days (12-10pm), and €60 pp for Sonar by Night. SonarPass for everything is €155 pp, but we bought a two-day Night pass for €100 pp, which was definitely the best option for us. All info here.
