Blog 21 – How Much Do You Want It?

Last week I tweeted that I had some time to help people with their presenter demos. I got 7 emails over the next few days with people asking for feedback on their demo. Which I thought was actually quite good. I’ve done various talks and workshops to people who claim they want to work in music and radio over the years. You ask how many people want to work in the industry and all 30 people in the class stick their hand up. You leave all your contact details and say, “Send me your demos and we’ll work on them.” You’ll get, at most, 2 out of 30 sending you anything. If you’re lucky.

 
Now of course, maybe you don’t like my style of presenting? Maybe you don’t like my take on presenting? Maybe you think I’m a terrible presenter?
You ask yourself, “Why the f**k would I want this guy guiding me?”
That’s cool. That’s part of the deal when you get into this type of work. You get confident and comfortable in yourself. Do your best and leave the rest.

 
But this is not just my experience. A friend recently did a talk to 50 people who wanted to work in music management. This person is a manager with various artists in the industry. One in particular is a giant star. They’ve sold millions of albums around the world. Again, she left her details for anybody who wanted to reach out. How many people contacted her afterwards? One. That’s mental. She’s awesome with bags to teach. It was a gift. And one person got in contact to ask for more advice and work experience.

 
If you’ve got ambition and you want to work in any industry I can’t tell you how much benefit you’ll get from having someone guide you and give you feedback. Call them a mentor. Call them an advisor. Call them whatever you want. In fact get a couple of mentors to give you advice while you’re at it. Get greedy with getting the information you need.

 
They can’t promise you jobs. They can’t promise you anything really. Nothing is guaranteed. But they might spur you on to get better. They might hear of a placement somewhere, and think of you first.
Don’t think it’s uncool to ask for help. Don’t let your pride get in the way of you developing your goals. You’re not wasting people’s time with a question now and again. Here’s the kicker.

 
MOST PEOPLE WANT TO HELP YOU.

 
They’re just super busy. So don’t take it personally if someone forgets you emailed. Gently remind them a week later and ask if they’ve had time to read your email. But what if they don’t reply?

 
SO WHAT?

 
Nothing is lost. Don’t sweat it. Don’t take it too seriously. You email the next person on the list who you want to hear from. And you keep going.

 
This all takes time and effort. I know because I’ve done it. And I continue to do it 15 years after I did it the first time. Not everybody wants to put the work in. It’s easier to coast. But it’s not as much fun as working towards something you really want.

 
If you want to email me radio demos or ask any questions on anything I do: dan@xfm.co.uk

Blog 20 – Clubbing

The news this week that half of the UK’s nightclubs have shut in the last 10 years seems to have left some people a bit miffed. Almost 20 years ago I joined the queue at the Ice Factory in Perth to see Paul Van Dyk. I was 14 years old. I was obsessed with dance music (and still am). The excitement and apprehension of what was going on inside that club was like nothing I’d ever felt before. As the front door popped open now and again, I’d get a quick blast of a breakdown, or some thudding bass and trancey synth. Then the door would close again, and the sub-bass was left womping somewhere within the club’s walls. All this added to the experience, but also drove the panic and anxiety of not getting in, to new personal heights.
I got in that night and fell in love with everything that was going on inside that strange sweaty, smoky place. The people, the music, the energy, the thrill of where the night would end…ALL OF IT.

2 decades have passed since that night. Over half my life spent as a “clubber”. Using the word just sounds so naff now. And that’s part of the problem.

A high percentage of the clubs that have shut were of their time. A moment enjoyed by many, but no more. Their birth and death like everything else in life.

The first thing that everybody started to realise was that you could get the same music DJ Buttscratcher was playing in da club, in any bar near the club, that was now open ‘till 2am. The license laws had changed. And they weren’t charging to get in. If there was a door price, it was only a couple of quid. Don’t forget by the mid-00s credit card chic was coming to an end. Then the credit crunch was here. All of a sudden everybody had less money. Almost always no money.

Then the students stopped going out as much. The clubs and promoters made bags full of money from mid-week parties for many years. But all of a sudden with fees increasing and debt awareness growing, the market just wasn’t there. It wasn’t happening.

DJs were becoming Rockstars long before all this obviously. But all of a sudden being a DJ wasn’t enough. You also had to be a producer. Their power increasing. Their reach spreading. They started to tour large gig venues like an 02 Academy. Or, if their profile allowed, a bigger venue where 10,000 weekend warriors would show up to see them. People started to save their money to go to these one offs. A gang of mates making plans for a blow out once in a while. It’s more special. It’s more precious.

Then there was the rise of the festival. From Glastonbury to Bestival. Ultra to Ibiza Rocks. The line ups get bigger. The chance to party anywhere in the world with my favourite djs/producers had never been easier. And that’s a lot sexier than a club on the edge of a retail park somewhere in West Yorkshire.

Last month my alarm went off at 5:30am to go and DJ an early morning rave with Norman Jay. 500 people turned up to party at 7:30am on a Friday morning before work. In the middle of a roundabout in East London. It’s been an evolving concept for the last few years, the early morning rave. Some sneer with the usual contempt, but it’s actually helping to redefine what clubbing is.

For me, it’s finding new, interesting, and inspiring places that we’ve never experienced before. It’s brownfield sites. It’s roundabouts, underpasses and old industrial sites. It’s effectively a legal version of what started it all. Rave culture of the 80s and early 90s has a lot to teach us.

Or look to the success of Manchester’s Warehouse Project. A 3 month party that comes to the city every autumn. And continually delivers a top end lineup that paying fans go mad for. There’s no overkill. They have balance. Greed is not the driving factor. If it was, they’d do a weekly night, 52 weeks a year. That’s what greedy promoters do.

All over the UK, you’ll find illegal raves in a wood, or an old pub somewhere this weekend. Red Stripe and laughing gas all being sold for a few quid. You’ll probably have to throw in a fiver to cover the poor bastard who had to lug the sound-system to the location…but it’ll be fun. It will be exciting. “Clubbing” in those clubs that have now shut, just became a bit…well…meh. It all became a bit naff.

As humans we’ll always want to join and be part of something. It’s who we are. It’s how we connect. People will party. That’s a universal law. Some lateral thinking and creative integration established Boiler Room. It’s that sort of thing that personally excites me. People with vision will get to set the agenda of what “clubbing” is over the next 5-10 years. Somewhere, somebody is thinking about how to make our experience better. Or maybe they’re inventing a new “clubbing” experience. And if they aren’t, maybe you could?

Blog 19 – New Music: July 2015

Leo Stannard

2015 is the year of the singer songwriter. No doubt about it. Hozier and George Ezra both selling over 1,000,000 copies of their singles and albums respectively. James Bay had a number 1 album.  We could dig all the way down to Australia with the stats. And the talent keeps coming.  Originally from Leicester, Leo Stannard has been bubbling around for the last 12 months. His voice has the gravelly quality of Paolo Nutini. He’s putting the finishing touches on his album at the moment. And if you’re in America, he plays LA this September:

Seøuel

This is some of the darkest, heaviest techno I’ve heard in ages. I can already hear it at 4am in the clubs and raves of my nightmares; where people gather to just get going, as the sun comes up. I absolutely love this. Early days from the Scottish producer, but check out ‘Fear Party’ to get you excited about the future of electronic music:

Beach Baby

This lot all met while studying at Goldsmiths and have been signed by the same team behind Jungle. On first hearing them I thought about the similar jangle of Monaco or The Cure. On other tracks the vocals could almost be the Stone Roses. And ‘U R’ is a Californian road trip tune waiting to be played as you cruise through Malibu. You try and pin them down with that many reference points. A few tour dates for 2015 including Boston Music Rooms in London on October 8th:

 

Blog 18 – New Music: June 2015

FROST

I haven’t mentioned producers/electronic artists in these blogs before, so I thought it was about time we did something about that…with someone I know nothing about. Apart from he’s from Sydney. Home of the brunch, and the best coffee in the world. Excuse my use of the next adjective. This is just…well…luscious. I know. I KNOW. Pure lush deep house.

In Heaven

In Heaven are a band that A&Rs in the music industry got very excited about. REALLY QUICKLY. Which is often a good sign to avoid. Irrational thinking and hysteria makes the real situation around a band very noisy. But here’s their first single. Balls out scuzzy rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a kick in the face. And I want more. They’re on tour this October, all over the UK, with Vant and The Big Moon.

Pleasure Beach

Let me start with some honesty. The first time the track kicked in – I thought it was Future Islands.  They are, however, a Belfast based 5 piece. Their dreamy synths and driving drums really hooked me in. I quickly got excited as the song thundered on. At one point I stood up and shouted ‘”The new Arcade Fire”, at no one. (I was sat by myself in a cold studio.) It’s nice to hear something sound so big. Wanky word alert incoming. Sonically, there’s loads going on. And yet they’ve still got so much to give, because they’re only just getting started…

Blog 17 – New Music: May 2015

Kita Alexander

Byron Bay. A beautiful part of the world. Home of the laid back lifestyle, brilliant brunches and some of the worst illegal raves I’ve ever been to.

It’s also the home of Kita. A 19 year old Aussie surfer chick, who’s currently working on her debut album in London.

‘My Own Way’ has shades of early Haim and Fleetwood Mac.

An absolute must for all summer roadtrips. And definitely one to watch.

NGOD

Bradford. Home of the best curry houses in the world, the Bantams, and some of the worst LEGAL raves I’ve ever been to.

NGOD recently smashed the Great Escape in Brighton. The fact they’ve been playing together since 2009 probably helps. They’ve built up quite a following for their live shows as they clocked up the tour miles around the UK.

Londoners can look forward to July 17th 2015, when they play the Shacklewell Arms.  Check out this demo from last year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7IfRzxVGc4

Vant

The NE of England has given us so many greats bands and artists over the years; Jimmy Nail, Roy Chubby Brown and Gazza to name but a few. But this lot leapfrog them all.

Originally from Sunderland, they only appeared on the musical radar just over a month ago. But, by all accounts, already have a wild reputation for their live shows.

The comparison to Queens Of The Stone Age is easily heard in the first 15 seconds of ‘Do You Know Me’. They play at The Victoria in Dalston on June 12th 2015. And you can catch them at loads of festivals this summer, including Secret Garden Party and Boardmasters in Cornwall.

 

Blog 16 – New Music: April 2015

Hippo Campus

A few people mentioned this band to me back in January. Since then I’ve fallen in love with their track ‘Suicide Saturday’. They’ve already performed on the Conan show in America, and are currently on a huge US tour. No dates in the U.K as yet, but it can’t be long. Keep an eye out. Great for fans of Vampire Weekend and The Drums.

Their ‘Beautiful Creatures’ EP is out now.

 

Coin

Nashville. A great TV show sure. But also a city rich in musical history. It’s a pilgrimage point for anyone who’s heart has fluttered at the sound of music.

And it is from this musical metropolis that Coin were born. They release their debut album in June.

Check out ‘Run’ to see what all the fuss is about.

Elliot Moss

His music has been called “dark and moody”. There’s a of touch of the James Blakes about him. He’s just come off tour with Cold War Kids and he’s set to play Bon Iver’s festival later this year. Spin Magazine just tipped him as one of their favourite 5 new artists. How much more kudos d’ya want?

‘Best Light’ has one of the best kicks i’ve heard in ages!

Blog 15 – New Music: March 2015

Leon Bridges

Not that long ago Leon Bridges was a pot wash. Within a year, he’s left America for the first time, signed a record deal, and found fans around the world. The 27 year old from Texas comes from another time. He’s an old soul.  Sam Cooke was his big inspiration. Live, his band wear Stetsons and the backing singers could have come straight from “20 Feet From Stardom.” They’re all impressive. As are the songs. Imagine him in the studio with Mark Ronson. Making something extraordinary. Or Paul Epworth. Or someone of that calibre. Very exciting.

The Academic

This 4 piece from Mullingar, Ireland have just managed to grab a support slot with Catfish And The Bottlemen. The comparisons will be made to the Welsh band. Hopefully, they can throw all that off, and keep finding out who they are as a band. The progression in song writing from 6 months ago, to this, is already quite a big leap. Which means they’re working hard. And focused. They’re also quite clearly ambitious, which always helps.

Judas

Lead singer John Clancy, left Liverpool 6 months ago and moved to London to put together a band. He quickly managed that on the streets of Camden Town. It could be the culture clash and conditioning that births a hot new British band. NW1’s rich musical heritage meets everything we know and love about Liverpool’s cultural melting pot. The band play a headline show at The Good Ship in Kilburn – 10th April 2015.

https://soundcloud.com/wearejudas/call-me

Mumford & Sons : Live @ Oslo


“What happened to the banjos?” shouts a man in the crowd with a slur.

There is a long pause.

“We’ll get back to you on that.” Marcus answers.

If you hadn’t heard, the new album is banjo free. And it’s not being missed.

Take for example the absolute monster of a tune “The Wolf” that opened the show. It explodes from the start, and before you know it, you’ve forgotten the band ever wore tweed waistcoats. And you realise that Winston is now holding an electric guitar. And has grown his hair long. And is literally rocking out. He’s never looked happier. Like the banjo was holding him back anyway.

For the record, I do doubt the band could tour a full live show, without their original sound, us, their fans, fell in love with.

They slide into their 2nd track “Believe”. It was only released into the world about an hour before the band had taken to the stage. It’s a builder. I love a builder. I’ve only heard it 3 times, but I already know the words. Which means it’s sticky.

Stickiness is important with singles. Without stickiness, nobody really gives a shit. Album tracks don’t have to be sticky. They’re the rules.

Lyrically, “Monster” stood out, and I had the feeling that someone had been inside my head, and then made an incredible song out of the wasp’s nest they’d found. So I went on a mission to find out who had written what, on the new album.

Back in the early days of the first record, Marcus had been the wordsmith. But the new album was a team effort, with everybody “pitching in.”

It’s a deep feelings record. Somebody has been down to the bottom, or close to the edge. Which is, unfortunately, for them, important for us. To connect you have to have been there. Felt it. Gone through it. Crashed again. And gradually crawled back into the light. It’s horrible. Perverse almost. But it works. The truth will always sound best in song.

Sonically, there are shades of Dire Straights all over the new album. Nods to Pink Floyd and Fleetwood Mac, here and there. But it’s still Mumford and Sons doing it their way. With the sort of ambition and vision, a few bands would do well to observe.

“A Wilder Mind” is released May 4th 2015.

photo-12

 

 

Blog 14 – New Music: Feb 2015

All Tvvins – ‘Thank You’

Here’s a new duo from Dublin. More good music coming out of Ireland. Where are they all coming from?!

They’ve already supported Arcade Fire, Pixies and Jungle.

They play Birthdays in Dalston, London on March 24th before heading off to South By South West in Austin. They’re also booked to do The Great Escape Festival in Brighton later this year. It’s what Joy Division would have sounded like if Ian Curtis grew up in Dublin, (post internet revolution) while hanging out with Bloc Party and TV on the Radio.

GIRL FRIEND – ‘Monte Carlo’

GIRL FRIEND are a new band who’ve been together for less than a year.

They formed in Manchester and say they’re inspired by Japan, Roxy Music and Soft Cell. Basically, my dad’s record collection.

It’s got a Kitsune vibe to it. Defintely one for Two Door Cinema Club fans. Also check out their tune “Chemical Reaction”.

Lusts – ‘Temptation’

Leicester brothers, Andy and James make up Lusts!

They’re owning, and very much proud, of the New Order/Joy Division influence.

I’ve been playing this for 6 weeks and it hasn’t burnt a sorry musical death yet.

They play Corsica Studios in London on March 12th with Coves.

Blog 13 – Ones to Watch 2015 Part 2

Sunset Sons

The band met while in SW France a few years ago. They gradually built up a following by playing as a covers band, in and around the surf resorts of France during the summer…then heading up to the Alps in the winter.

Don’t be fooled by the surfing and snowboarding bum vibe. It’s only made them more focused, tighter as a band, and incredibly ambitious. They tour the UK in March and release The Fall EP the same month.

Listen to: Medicine

Pretty Vicious

Pretty Vicious are from Merthyr Tydfil. As a band they have some incredible potential to write huge indie dancefloor fillers. This has already been recognized by most of the major record labels, which has instigated a bidding war to sign the band.

Brad Griffiths, Thomas McCarthy, James Morgan and Elliot Jones are all between 16 and 18 years old. They only have a small tour planned around Wales so far this year, (with another new band The Hearts.)

Listen to: Cave Song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cuCfyLWIZ44

Port Isla

Port Isla met in Norwich, but are now based in deepest, darkest SE London.

They’ve already toured with George Ezra and James Bay. Had a personal invite to play Glastonbury. And made the XFm playlist. And I really rate them.

Catch them in the UK this March:

PORT ISLA TOUR DATES:

24 March The Lexington, London (headline show)

26 March O2 Academy 3, Birmingham (co-headline with Walking On Cars)

27 March Open, Norwich (co-headline with Walking On Cars)

29 March Deaf Institute, Manchester (co-headline with Walking On Cars)

30 March King Tut’s, Glasgow (co-headline with Walking On Cars)

Listen to: In The Long Run