Friday 31 May 2013

If There Is Hell Below... Red Rag to a Bull


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Rob and Callum put forward a collection of songs, that are like a red rag to a bull for them but are they for you? Different people, different rags, different bulls.
The rags (music) we present to you (bulls) include some surprises from the valleys with the 'Welsh Pavement' of RADSTEWART and the Quelle Chris featuring hip hop of Welsh producer Metabeat.
The rappers-rapper AZ drops something from his upcoming and overdue new album, Melt Yourself Down provide some post-punk modal jazz, Cherrystones remixes the cosmic jazz of The Greg Foat Group and Wyatt Blair provide further evidence that Burger Records can't put a foot wrong.
There's more rags (again, music) for you bulls (you, the listener) inside our box of… rags(?).

Friday 24 May 2013

An If There Is Hell Below Mix... Steely RAM


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No podcast this week, in its place I have put together a love letter to Daft Punk's new album (may have heard about the thing).

There's been a few disappointed faces; there are no 'bangers', it isn't an album of Get Luckys, and others seem to think that the Parisians had promised them Homework or Discovery 2.
We don't really need anything else sounding like Homework or Discovery, that French electro thing flogged that horse and the last thing radio/charts/elevators need is more house music.

Thomas and Guy made an album for themselves and that is all I'd ever ask for an artist; when you start trying to feed your audience what they want you end up with Nickelback or David Guetta - musicians with a formula that keeps music at a stand-still.
Luckily for me, in making an album for themselves they've also made an album, seemingly tailored made for MY tastes.  

To risk sounding like a review or further editorial on the album, I have made a mix, a playlist, a compilation, a sonic scrapbook of songs, artists and genres that Random Access Memories reminds me of.

I've kept to songs and artists that I know have been referenced by the band - either on this album or prior projects. Nothing rare in this one, Daft Punk wanted to emulate bands with huge budgets and time to play in the studio, I'd like to think every song in this mix is a masterclass in glossy big production, a class Daft Punk have aced.

With the track listing I have attempted to emulate the flow of RAM, it picks up and it grooves and then it brings you off the dance floor and gets a little personal.
There's a couple piano ballads, 'yacht rock' standards, jazz funk smoothness, electronic soundtrack atmosphere, prog and a little bit of disco.

The mix is called Steely RAM: their helmets are steel-like, the album's abbreviated is RAM and Steely Dan just because Steely Dan. This is not a Steely Dan vs. Daft Punk mashup, regretting this name already. 
 
Tracklisting
Hall & Oates - Can't Stop the Music (He Played It Much Too Long)
Todd Rundgren - International Feel
Eric Carmen - All By Myself
Goblin - Profondo Rosso
Chic - Everybody Dance
Giorgio Moroder - The Chase
Michael McDonald - Keep Forgetting
Tangerine Dream - Love On A Real Train
Paul Williams - Travelling Boy
Steely Dan - Josie
Christopher Cross - Ride Like the Wind
Fleetwood Mac - Hypnotize
Electric Light Orchestra - The Whale

Steely RAM by If There Is Hell Below Podcast on Mixcloud

Friday 17 May 2013

If There Is Hell Below Podcast... Dog Boy


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Rob and Callum are starting the debates; join in, that’s radio now (it’s a podcast, though) we ask you ‘who is the official most interesting man in the world?’ and you get back to us, we ask ‘when is a mixtape an album?’ and you provide the knowledge.
Join in the debate (if it was me, I wouldn’t).
Solid gold tunes on this week’s podcast; GrandeMarshall, P-Money + MOP and AZIZI GIBSON occupy our recent hip hop listens whilst Torche, Tony Molina and Weed provide the sweet outsider sound of hardcore, metal and punk (not EMO, cannot emphasise that enough). There’s Byrdsian psych from Quilt, meticulously crafted pop from Ryan Power and others beside.




Friday 3 May 2013

If There Is Hell Below... All The Apples


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Rob & Callum account for part of the 25% of the World’s multimedia artists not residing in Portland but it is questionable whether the podcast exists on multiple medias (ipods, iphones and macintoshbooks are multiples of media, right?) or what they do is ‘art’?
We’ll let you decide (we’re artists).
Other sounds heard in this podcast are songs; one of them is by fellow multimedia artist Big Pauper and another is Clams Casino new track with ‘PODGOD’ DOOM. More sounds come from Psychic Blood who are a good noisy garage psych group and Eleven Year Old who are a young group (not that young) and make wonderfully spunky pop with that wonderful youthful enthusiasm that you so dearly miss. Some sounds come from Nude Beach, Dune Rats and Goat all reliable favourites with ace new offerings and the rest is a mystery that is available within.