Independent singer songwriter Rae Morris is a rare find. Such depth and tragic tones from such a young talent; this girl deserves attention. Her track, Wait a While, is beyond beautiful in its own right.

SPONSOR

InMe, a rock band from a small town in Essex, are still going strong, creating songs with gripping melodic guitar sections mixed with technical metal riffs. Since forming in the early 2000s, they have left behind their young grunge selves and grown into a strong rock band.

If you’re a fan of Godspeed You Black Emperor or Explosions In The Sky, then look no further than this deep, dark band. Formed in Bristol on a dark winter’s night, The Pirate Ship Quintet is making waves. I am looking forward to the day when I can catch them play at the next All Tomorrow’s Parties festival.

These Williamsburg-based indie noise monsters draw inspiration from the 1990s shoegaze era. Their sonic melodies are drenched in feedback and pounding drums and the now legendry live shows are not for the feint hearted.

I was lucky enough to see them twice on their breakthrough Exploding Head Tour of a few years back and my ears are still ringing. The EP, Onwards To The Wall, is their first new material in over three years and an apocalyptic European and American tour is imminent. Who wouldn’t want to witness the end of the world?

Capetonian anti-heroes Die Antwoord brought a healthy dose of Zef to the Late Show with Dave Letterman this week when they performed their latest single, Fink You Freeky. After the Lana Del Rey episode, they probably figured uppers beat downers for this kind of thing. As an Afrikaans dude, I grin when phrases like ‘ek’s ‘n lanie, jy’s ‘n gam’ enter the global vernacular, not to mention ‘tokelosi’.

SPONSOR

I heard Gotye do the original song a few weeks ago through Pandora. Then I found this cover. It has gotten millions of views within a month or so and they are all well deserved. The cover is by the band, Walk off the Earth.

Control, a ‘darkwave township house’ cover of the Joy Division classic She’s Lost Control, is the fourth single to be taken from South African producer/DJ Spoek Mathambo’s album, Mshini Wam. The video was shot in Langa, a township in Cape Town and was made using a cast made up mainly of kids from the local dance troupe, Happy Feet. Eerie, and just plain frikken’ cool! Directed and shot by Peter Hugo and Micheal Cleary.

I recently caught up with indie pop musician Princess Chelsea for a late night drink. A writer, composer and singer, Princess Chelsea is a rising young talent whose music has been described by Rolling Stone magazine as ‘absolutely sublime.’ Her quirky lyrics and ethereal voice seamlessly join in an eerie Burton-esque crescendo and reminds me a little of going to a creepy fun fair late at night.

I can’t remember when I first heard Mark Lanegan’s voice. I think I’ve always known it. That dark, growling, beautiful voice. For the first time since his last solo album, Bubblegum, in 2004, a new record is about to be released early February. The record is called Blues Funeral and features the likes of Josh Homme, Jack Irons and Greg Dulli. I am especially pleased Greg Dulli is joining him because no one can beg and plead as seductively as he can, even on a bad day.

SPONSOR

It doesn’t matter what genre these guys touch, they remix it right and with impeccable taste. DJ too drunk or MIA? Throw a Fort Knox Five mix on and it’s an instant sure fire dance party.

Fake Fish Distribution was made by adding a ‘version dial’ to Ableton Live. We wrote the tracks mostly as you would normally do in Ableton, but we made custom timelines that contained different sorts of control data that could be used to remote control different aspects of the track: from the tempo, to choices about what parts were being played, what sounds were loaded into the samplers, what rhythmic stress the drums were playing, and so on.

Then we hooked up the version dial so that it made smooth transitions between different instances of the timelines, a bit like the way you use key frames in animations. Wherever you set the version dial, a particular version of the track will come out.

If you nudge the version dial a bit to the left or the right, the timelines will all be minutely adjusted and a slightly different version of the track will come out. In some cases, we used the version dial to choose between different “paths” through a track (imagine different remixes, some starting on drums, others on bass, but basically being the same track).

In one track we let the version dial control how much stuff was going on. So some versions are minimal with just a single part and others are more hectic with additional parts. In another track, we let the version number determine how quickly various composed elements progressed: a bit like in Terry Riley’s “In C”.

There’s one track, the opener Dumptruck Cannibals, where we got so into a specific arrangement that we were reluctant to subject it to our ‘variation’ process. So the variation is ultra minimal. To compensate for this, we set it to a backdrop of London cab radio, which is different in every version, as it was recorded live during the take.

Hailing from Cape Town, Die Antwoord (Afrikaans for ‘The Answer’) is the rap/rave brainchild of Ninja, Yo-Landi Vi$$er and DJ Hi Tek. Ninja raps, DJ Hi-Tek samples everything from mile.dk’s “Butterfly” to Gillette’s “Short Dick Man,” and Yo-Landi’s childlike bordering-on-chipmunk voice ties it all together.

Think ridiculously catchy hooks with a look that is South-African-trailer-trash meets-Lady-Gaga. Interestingly, Die Antwoord may in fact actually be a continuation of previous conceptual music projects, most notably the conceptual rap experience that was Max Normal.

Die Antwoord, as unwavering in their schtick as they are, have not worn off on me. I still think they’re incredible, and I really dig their latest video for the track I Fink U Freeky.

SPONSOR

Farewells tells the story of on old couple that found the key to eternal life by vivisecting special fluids from insects. The problem, however, is that one of the two always is in a sort of coma while the other one prepares the shot needed to extend life. This means they can stay alive separately, but never share their love again. The old lady in the end decides to not go on with the procedure. She puts the shot aside and lays her head on her husband’s chest before they die together. The video was directed by Max von Lux, a master student at the University Of Arts in Linz, Austria.

Mitchmatic’s Why Don’t You Know? is syrupy sweet Canadian Hip Hop with a beat straight out of a 1940′s education video. Oh, and it sounds like he might be a stalker.

Having supported The Decemberists on their last tour, don’t be surprised when you fall in love with the voices of Mountain Man after their very first verse on any track. On this one, you’ll find yourself singing: ‘Please Mister Moon, don’t tell on me’. Girls, we think you’re doing just fine.

Captain Credible is from Norway. That makes me proud. I once saw him perform in a small tent at this festival and was blown away by his presence and his ‘circuit bending skills’. He modifies (circuit bends) old keyboards, game consoles and toys, then he creates music with it. Circuit bending allows you to make your old Casio keyboard sound like an apocalypse.

SPONSOR

Efterklang from Denmark are one of my favorite bands. Their music is amazing and challenging, their live performances are always something unique, and their artwork and music videos are always so freakin’ good. This song is from their album Parades and the video was made by two people who call themselves Hvass & Hannibal.

These young gentlemen make anyone want to pick up an electric guitar or a pair of drum sticks and just go for it, whatever the cost. Inspiring, raw and real music expression. In ya face. I’m hooked.

Mike Jaggerr. Hip Hop extraordinaire. The name is insanely similar to rock and roll legend, Mick Jagger, which leads to a bit of confusion with new fans. But, just like Mick, once you listen to a sample of Mike Jaggerr’s music, you’ll become an instant fan. His melodies are unique, his voice is alluring, and his rhymes are captivating. His new album, the Eleventh Hour, is brutally honest, romantic, and most of all, innovative.