ONE TO WATCH: PIONAL
October 3, 2011 by Editor
Filed under MUSIC, ONES 2 WATCH
AT THE BEGINNING OF LAST YEAR, A YOUNG SPANISH PRODUCER CAUGHT OUR ATTENTION HERE AT AGENT2. AFTER HEARING A DEEPLY HYPNOTIC TRACK CALLED ‘IN ANOTHER ROOM’, RELEASED ON BARCELONA-BASED HIVERN DISCS, WE INSTANTLY WANTED TO HEAR MORE. SO, WE DID AND WE WERE HOOKED. A YOUNG MAN BY THE NAME MIGUEL BARROS AKA PIONAL SOON BECAME ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE EMERGING ARTISTS.
We scraped around and managed to find a few of his old tracks online, but over the past 12 months new releases and remixes have been springing up left, right and centre. One track that stood out in particular was the epic ‘We have Been Waiting For You’, which cropped up in clubs and DJ mixes the world over.
Pional has worked closely with the likes of Jon Talabot and Gavin Russom and it looks like the world is starting to pay attention to his unique sound. And so they should. His latest release comes courtesy of German label ‘Permanent Vacation’ where he joined forces with Hunee, Slow Hands, Session Victim and several other great artists to produce the critically acclaimed ‘If This Is House I Want My Money Back 2’ compilation. It is virtually impossible to pigeonhole Pional’s style, so we won’t do him an injustice by trying.
We caught up with the man himself to find out more.
You have several releases under your belt now. How did you get started with producing your own tracks?
It all started two years ago when I met the people from Hivern Discs. Actually, I’ve been making music for 10 years now, but I never took it that seriously. It wasn’t professional, just a hobby.
Looking through your back catalogue, it’s extremely difficult to put a genre to the sound. How would you describe your music and where does it all come from?
I tend to like making clear sounds. I often make the music that influences me and the music that I listen to, but at the same time I like the fact that my music sounds different to everything else. I don’t usually think about the clubs when I make my music. I think that the perfect mixture is a blend between home and dance floor.
I could describe my music as ‘slow-house’? ‘Electronic/alternative/pop-house’? (Laughs)
I have many influences; I have no prejudices about it. Right now you can catch me listening to Katy B’s new album and yesterday I was listening to St. Vincent. So, my influences could be kind of…freaky?
Do you give any time to DJing or do you spend all of your time in the studio?
My first ever live show last month in Copehagen, so I guess you could say that I spend most of my time in the studio! I’m not a DJ. Most days, when I get home I’ll normally spend around six hours making music.
You mentioned the live show. How did it work and did it go down well with the crowd?
Yes, I had a great time. There were no problems and I was very comfortable technically with the equipment that I took. I had great feedback from people; they really liked it (or so I think).
Do you look to anyone for inspiration for your live show? Who do you enjoy to watch perform live?
No, I don’t look to anyone for inspiration when it comes to my live act. Honestly, the acts that I generally see just have a laptop, a midi controller and nothing else. I would prefer to see interesting shows.
Right now, I don’t know who I’d like to see. I guess, like many others, I’d like to see a James Holden live act.
Yourself and Jon Talabot seem to be flying the flag for Spanish electronic music at the moment. Why do you think your music is so well received abroad?
Yeah, it’s cool! I guess it is well received thanks to the internet and word of mouth. Hivern has managed to achieve something that very few Spanish labels have in the past; people are talking about them, and that’s very cool.
‘We Have Been Waiting For You’ took everyone by surprise and got a lot of people talking about Pional. What’s the story behind that track?
Well, I made that track four months before I sent it to the Hivern boys. The track originally had a very poppy drum kit and it didn’t have a 4/4 bass, clips or anything like that. It was basically a pop tune that lasted 3 minutes. The lyrics are taken from the TV show ‘Lost’. In fact, the title is the last sentence spoken by John Locke.
Have you got any new releases in the pipeline? An album perhaps?
I just finished several remixes, so right now I want to focus on preparing new material. For 2012 I plan to work on the album; I’m looking forward to it!
We’re guessing that your diary is will be filling up pretty quickly as the word begins to spread about your music. Have you got any more shows planned?
(Laughs) The truth is, that I have several interesting shows coming up around Europe (TBA).
Will you be making an appearance in the UK?
Not that I know of, but hopefully soon.
And finally…If you could banish one song to hell for all eternity, what would it be?
Black Eyed Peas – The Time (Dirty Bit)
Interview Dan Howell
APPLE CART FESTIVAL REVIEW
THE UK FESTIVAL SCENE MAY SEEM AN OVERLY CROWDED MARKET BUT APPLE CART, HELD IN EAST LONDON ON 7TH AUGUST, PROVED THAT THERE’S ALWAYS ROOM FOR ONE MORE. APPLE CART TOOK PLACE THE DAY AFTER THE MORE ESTABLISHED FIELD DAY, RUN BY THE SAME TEAM AND IN THE SAME PLACE BUT THE ATMOSPHERE COULDN’T HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT. THE CROWDS OF YOUNG EAST LONDONERS WITH INTIMIDATINGLY FASHIONABLE HAIRCUTS WERE REPLACED BY FAMILIES WITH PUSHCHAIRS AND GROUPS OF FRIENDS WITH PICNICS. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A VILLAGE FETE AND LATITUDE, THE DAY AIMED TO PLEASE BOTH ADULTS AND KIDS ALIKE WITH AN ALMOST OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF ENTERTAINMENT ON OFFER.
As it happens, it turned out that adults and children aren’t so very different in their tastes. Considerably more grown-ups than infants were taking part in the traditional fair games although they were a little too energetic for me to be entirely comfortable with on a Sunday. Similarly, although children made up the primary audience of the prestigious Magic Circle run tent there were plenty of adults (myself included) hanging round self-consciously at the back in a desperate attempt not to be asked to take part.
A little less child friendly was the comedy tent; in a brilliant scene stealing moment an outraged toddler heckled Mark Steel for swearing too much. Boasting a stellar line-up that made it one of the most popular areas of the festival, the tent was consistently overcrowded throughout the day. I was already familiar with Marcus Brigstocke’s brand of brilliant satire but Doc Brown’s mix of rap culture and subjects such as David Attenborough was a hugely pleasant surprise. The chance to see Kevin Eldon in stand up mode had clearly got a lot of people excited and although the crowds moved in to try and get as many of the festival goers out of the rain as possible those of us stuck outside to get wet didn’t really mind at all. Jon Richardson, in typically self deprecating mode pointed out that you’d have to be really terrible to have people leave the tent and brave the pouring rain outside but he needn’t have worried; I suspect the tent would have been just as full during his set if it had been blazing sunshine. As his career continues to gather momentum at a startling rate the chance to see him in such an intimate venue was not to be missed. The main comedy draw for most, however, was Tim Minchin who played the main stage having clearly gotten too big for the (perhaps too) tiny comedy tent. He played with all his usual charisma and wit, although the very mixed audience meant that his unique brand of musical comedy seemed to miss the mark with several punters.
Earlier on in the day the always flamboyant Patrick Wolf took to the same stage shrouded in a hooded cloak which he threw off to reveal one of his trademark iconic outfits; a stunning red three piece suit to match his vibrant hair and bags of stage presence. In a touchingly earnest moment he dedicated the song ‘Black is the Colour’ to his friend the late Amy Winehouse, whom he toured with back in 2007. Later on in the afternoon a summery set from the The Magic Numbers cheered the rain drenched crowds and fitted the atmosphere of the day perfectly, as did the gorgeous electronic pop of Saint Ettiene who closed the festival as darkness set in across the park and Monday morning became more of a reality. The folk stage, curated by scene stalwarts SWN, Communion and Fence was hidden away in a peaceful corner of the site, with sofas to recline in whilst enjoying the lush sounds of such artists as Peggy Sue, Cate Le Bon and Michele Stodart (of The Magic Numbers).
As if the offerings of music, magic, comedy and games weren’t enough there was also the chance to design your own book cover with Penguin, buy some canned feeling of unease over at Monster Supplies from the Ministry of Stories, take in some culture with the Art Car Boot Sale and enjoy a seemingly endless variety of food on offer from Venn Street Market that made me a little disappointed it wasn’t possible to try it all. The Cabaret tent provided actual tables and chairs in a very civilised move for a festival but it was popular enough to ensure it was difficult not to end up standing, especially for singer, pianist and all round entertainer Chilly Gonzales and DJ sets from the likes of Andrew Weatherall and Kevin Rowland.
It’s a testament to the success of the day that even the torrential downpouring of rain couldn’t dampen the enthusiasm of the festival goers; running to the trees for shelter with a group of strangers actually added a sort of odd charm. If anything, unpredictable shifts in weather couldn’t have been more appropriate for such a typically British festival as Apple Cart turned out to be, in the best possible way.
Words Tamsin Worrad
REVIEW: BEN & JERRYS SUNDAE
TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FESTIVAL GOERS TURNED UP TO CLAPHAM COMMON ON SUNDAY 24TH JULY TO CELEBRATE PEACE, LOVE AND ICE-CREAM AT BEN & JERRY’S SUNDAE ON THE COMMON.
A very family friendly festival in the style of an old summer fete, artists such as Maximo Park and Gary Numan battled to win the crowd’s attention against a mass of other attractions. On entering the park a farmer appeared herding several pantomime cows through the throngs of people and it set the tone for the day nicely. Equally bizarre, but no less enjoyable, were the toe wrestling competitions, knock out competitions with giant foam bars, air guitar bands and mystic moo (telling fortunes from palms and empty ice cream tubs). On a serious side, the festival did much to raise the profile of such worthy causes as Fair Trade, ethical farming (including the new RSPCA ‘Think Pig’ campaign) and Oxfam, whose ‘Pants to Poverty’ group were running a bouncy bungee run (in their pants, of course). A large portion of the range of food stalls present offered organic and free-range food, with free samples being given out by ethical brand Devon Cereals as well as the chance to win prizes through their wheel of fortune.
Of course, for a festival put on by Ben & Jerry’s the main attraction was bound to be the free ice cream with over 150,000 scoops given away during the weekend in both Manchester and London. Each fair trade flavour was represented on it’s own stand, with queues proportional to demand. New flavour Coconutterley Fair proved extremely popular (and very delicious), as did perennial favourites Cookie Dough and Phish Food. Considering the crowds the speed at which ice cream was served was very impressive and nobody had to queue for long.
The petting zoo from Vauxhall City Farm proved almost as popular as the ice cream, with children and adults alike queuing up to meet Alpacas, Sheltand ponies and tiny newborn chicks. Also popular with all ages were the fairground rides with the queue for the famous Helter Skelter stretching far back into the park, although I preferred the beautiful old-fashioned carousel. All rides are free, although donations were been taken to help Vauxhall City Farm with it’s running costs.
Headliners of the day Maximo Park proved that they’re as popular as they were when they started with a large crowd gathering to watch them finish the day, but the highlight in my mind was Gary Numan (despite most younger festival goers being baffled until he got to ‘Are Friends Electric?’, famously sampled by the Sugababes in 2001). Earlier in the day saw Little Comets, Stephen Fretwell and The Duke & The King take the stage whilst festival goers fought to get the treasured spots in the shade of the burning sun (the first aid tent were forced to put up a ‘no suncream here’ sign early on in the day).
All in all, the festival was an enjoyable day and well worth the £17 ticket price if just for the ice cream and rides alone. The line-up was not the most spectacular of the summer, but it was an enjoyable and fun day out with something for a whole families to appreciate.
Words Tamsin Worrad
BEN AND JERRY FESTIVAL
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN IT’S SEVEN YEAR HISTORY, BEN AND JERRY’S DOUBLE SCOOP SUNDAE FESTIVAL WILL BE TAKING FAIRTRADE FUN TO THE NORTH AS WELL AS THE SOUTH.
Previously held exclusively in London’s Clapham Common, this year the action will be simultaneously taking place in Manchester’s Heaton park, with bands alternating their headlining days. Maximo Park, Gary Numan and Little Comets will be on stage in Manchester on Saturday July 23rd and London on Sunday 24th July with Ocean Colour Scene, Ash and Fun Lovin Criminals in Manchester on the 24th and London on the 23rd. As well as the more famous names, the ‘Be Herd!’ competition will be allowing two unsigned acts to play at the festival. As well as music, the Double Scoop Sundae will involve fairground rides, social activism, the ever popular petting farm and of course, the chance to sample all of Ben and Jerry’s Fairtrade flavours. The ice cream makers, originally founded by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield in 1978, are currently in the process of converting all ingredients possible to their fairtrade equivalents, with the intention of eventually being fully Fairtrade across their whole range of flavours.
Tickets and more information are available at www.benjerry.co.uk/sundae.
Words Tamsin Worrad
PARKLIFE WEEKENDER 2011 ADDS TO LINE-UP
FESTIVAL SEASON IS WELL AND TRULY ON ITS WAY AND USUALLY SENDS THE AGENT2 OFFICE INTO A SPIN AS WE ARRANGE OUR WARDROBE OF PERFECT FESTIVAL ATTIRE AND THE HOTTEST WELLIES WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON. THIS YEAR HOWEVER THE AMAZING PARKLIFE WEEKENDER ONCE AGAIN LANDS ON OUR DOORSTEP MEANING THE BIGGEST THING WE HAVE TO GET IN A TIZZ ABOUT IS BOOKING THE CAB TO TAKE US THE 5 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD TO PLATT FIELDS TO GET OUR FILL OF SUMMER FESTIVAL FRIVOLITIES’.
This year’s amazing line-up was revealed earlier in the year and has this week added more to its already massive line-up as Saturday’s headliner Two Door Cinema Club and Everything Everything join 90+ artists across two days. Despite only being on sale for six weeks 65% of tickets have now been sold for the summer’s best value for money festival, at only £58.50 per weekend pass. Live theatre, art installations, workshops and all manner of fringe attractions also on offer on Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June in Platt Fields Park, Manchester.
Northern Irish indie trio Two Door Cinema Club will headline The Parklife Weekender’s main stage on day one of the festival, Saturday 11th June 2011. Having bagged the Choice Music Prize in Ireland for their debut release ‘Tourist History’ and a nomination in the BBC Sounds of 2010 poll the band are on a meteoric rise to success. Next to join the main stage are the Manchester based alt rock outfit Everything Everything, with outlandish lyrics and genre defying tracks their album ‘Man Alive’ has wowed critics. Both acts join a line up of over 90 bands, DJs and performers who between them represent the biggest and best in electronic, independent and cross over sounds.
There is little time to lose for festivalgoers wishing to bag tickets for Manchester’s only event worth attending this summer as 65% of tickets have now been sold. For only £58.50 fans receive true value for money with two days full of premier talent. For the second time in its two year history The Parklife Weekender is way on its way to another sell out.
Image: Sebastian Matthes
As well as the mind-blowing array of music on offer The Parklife Weekender will also play host to attractions including live theatre, art installations and sporting competitions. The festival has confirmed an all new Treehouse arena, a Tetris Light Box installation, circus performers and will be laying on both The Parklife Olympics and The Parklife Talent Show amongst many more weird and wonderful attractions.
The Parklife Weekender takes place Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th June 2011 in Platt Fields Park, Manchester.
Parklife Weekender Tickets, priced at only £58.50 for a full weekend, are on sale now.
Check out AGENT2′s great Parklife competition to win a pair of weekend tickets here.
LATITUDE FESTIVAL UPDATE: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN CONFIRMED
THE BRILLIANT ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED FOR THIS YEARS LATITUDE FESTIVAL.
The cult post-punk band will be playing numbers from their extensive back catalogue as well as tracks from their most recent 2009 album The Fountain. A classic band that have gone on to inspire many of todays current acts, if you’re yet to have an introduction to the Liverpudlian act then check out this video of iconic track, Killing Moon. Sure to be one of the most essential bands to see over the course of the weekend.
Other acts added to the line-up include, The Cribs, Lyle Lovett and The Raghu Dixit Project.
ONES 2 WATCH: ELECTRICITY IN OUR HOMES
April 1, 2011 by Editor
Filed under MUSIC, ONES 2 WATCH
ONES 2 WATCH: ELECTRICITY IN OUR HOMES
I OFTEN FIND MYSELF IN THE POSITION OF WANTING TO LIKE A BAND A LOT MORE THAN I ACTUALLY DO. THIS USUALLY APPLIES WHEN I DISCOVER AN ACT THAT IS TRYING TO DO SOMETHING NEW MUSICALLY OR SOMETHING OTHERWISE WORTHWHILE, ALTHOUGH THEIR ACTUAL MUSICAL OUTPUT IS STILL A BIT CACK.
Electricity In Our Homes flip this scenario on its head. I want to hate them. They are insanely trendy in every respect. They wear tight jeans, sing off key, play their instruments with a swaggered insouciance, have a MySpace page too ‘cool’ for a bio and their lyrics make you feel as though you are being sneered at for not being enough of a hipster.
Unfortunately all of these normally abhorrent character traits are exactly what make EIOH so brilliant.
They’ve been around for a while now, although you’ve probably not heard of them because they seemingly go out of their way to not promote their music, and then once you have heard them and want a piece of them to own for yourself, they make it very difficult to get hold of.
Their most recent 12 inch was only pressed 300 times and isn’t available online other than to stream on their MySpace page.
Fortunately their first EP We Completely Agree is available both on Spotify and iTunes, and I strongly suggest you have a listen and buy it.
I suppose I should describe their music, which is in itself a bit of a task; Post-Pop, Post-Punk 80’s revival that is so raw and cutting edge, you can’t help but imagine that this might be how Joy Division would have sounded if they were just now forming as a band.
Please take the time to listen to the song below, and visit their MySpace page. Your life will be enriched, but you do run the risk of inducing serious self loathing.
Words Luke McGee
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CANDLE THIEVES @ CAMDEN ENTERPRISE, MARCH 22
CANDLE THIEVES @ CAMDEN ENTERPRISE, MARCH 22
I DIDN’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT CANDLE THIEVES BEFORE THE GIG BUT FROM THE FEW TRACKS I HAD HEARD I WAS EXPECTING FEEL GOOD POP WITH KEYS AND ELECTRONIC BEATS, AKIN TO THE FLASH IN THE PAN THAT WAS OWL CITY.
Essentially, the music of 15 year olds that haven’t quite discovered the joys of real music yet but know enough to realise that there is a lot more than the humdrum of the top 40.
Watching them set up it was clear, based upon the amount of props that Candle Thieves had brought along with them that they were not a band that took themselves too seriously. An observation that in my experience meant that the gig could go one way or the other. It went the other.
Starting with ‘Breathing (just for you)’ they were quickly struck down with a technical error, the ol’ standard of the dodgy guitar lead. An unforgiveable mistake. Rule number one of any gigging band is check your equipment. Have spare strings, spare batteries, spare leads and sound check because if it can break, it will break.
That said, singer, Scott McEwan handled the situation well and quickly kick started things again following on with tunes of a similar upbeat nature before taking a massive slump in the middle. Maudlin songs like ‘Bright Lights’ and ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ stuck out like a racist joke in a Christmas cracker and just did not work. ‘We’re All Gonna Die’ in particular, was one of the most cringeworthy things I have seen at a gig. An awkward carry on which saw the singer walking around the audience singing without amplification to a lonely piano. It was like Glee, only it wasn’t on television it was in my face and it made me uncomfortable, especially when he forgot the lyrics to the second verse and had to stop.
From this point on things never really delivered. A shame really because the Candle Thieves are actually a good pop band and when they apply themselves are masters of the genre. Think Scouting for Girls with better music and lyrics that don’t (always) make you want to stab yourself in the face. The problem though is that other than two or three absolute showstoppers, Candle Thieves do not have songs good enough to merit any justified hype or acclaim. Their set was odd and felt half-formed starting with a lot of promise (despite tech errors) before petering out in the middle with filler and cheap gags. With a stronger batch of tunes and not just a few reliable ones they could be great. The twee bullshit also needs to be stopped or at least saved for an audience that actually cares. I.e. One comprised of teenagers not adults drunk on cheap wine and self denial.
Overall this was a very disappointing gig from a band that are obviously capable of some good stuff yet seemingly don’t rehearse or know which direction they actually want to head in.
2/5
Words: Jordan Waller
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ALEX TURNER – SUBMARINE EP
IT’S BEEN HARD TO IGNORE ALL OF THE PRESS COVERAGE CURRENTLY BEING GIVEN TO RICHARD AYOADE’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT SUBMARINE, WHICH IS TO OPEN IN CINEMAS THIS FRIDAY.
A comical “coming of age” story set in Wales, the film is adapted from Joe Dunthorne’s novel of the same name and has been causing a bit of a stir with those ‘in the know’ for quite some time.
Accompanying Ayoade’s vision on scoring duties is Arctic Monkey’s front-man Alex Turner who features six songs in the film, all of which have just been released as an EP. A stripped down, other worldly acoustic effort that sets the tone for the film perfectly, as an EP this sounds a complete and coherent work from start to finish. The songs whilst individuals, all clearly point towards a much larger work, obviously, not a great surprise when you remember why these songs exist. The sense of completion however does improve the listening experience considerably.
Forgetting for a second that they have been written for a film, as a collection of songs this is an impressive record. As someone who isn’t enormously enamoured with the Arctic Monkeys and had previously found Alex Turner’s song writing a bit charmless, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this record. But, that said, for all of the accolades and sycophancy bestowed upon this man over the past few years, I’m not sure that these 6 songs have convinced me that I was completely wrong about him and that he actually is the greatest song writer of our generation.
There were moments on the first play-through when I found myself pausing a song for one reason or another and completely forgetting that I’d been listening to anything, which isn’t the behaviour of someone immersed in a work of genius. If anything on repeated listening it’s easy to find the tracks a little boring and I did constantly find myself looking for reasons to hit the pause button. Considering this it’s easy to say that the EP is a lot less than sum of it’s parts and whether the EP will retain any of its initial charm once the film leaves our cinema screens will remain to be seen.
The film isn’t out for a few days, and I was already pretty excited about it. Having now listened to part of the soundtrack and better understood how it will work and enhance the film, I am now going to spend the rest of my week trying to find things to do until Friday.
4/5
Words Luke McGee
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SUEDE TO HEADLINE LATITUDE FESTIVAL 2011
THE NEWLY REFORMED SUEDE ARE SET TO HEADLINE THIS YEAR’S LATITUDE FESTIVAL ALONGSIDE THE NATIONAL AND SCOTTISH SOUL MAN, PAOLO NUTINI.
The annual music and arts festival will take place on the weekend of 14 -17 July, at Henham Park near Southwold, Suffolk. This will be the 6th year that the festival has run, with organisers, Festival Republic recently signing up for a further 15 years at the site.
With a variety of changes set in place, this year should see the largest and most ambitious Latitude yet – one major improvement of which will be an increased arena size but without a capacity increase. Hopefully, allowing for a more comfortable festival experience for any attendees and surely music to the ears of any attendees that got caught up in large crowds during previous years.
Latitude founder and creator said Melvin Benn said: “We’ve been listening to our loyal fans and this year, for our sixth edition, we are making some changes to the site which will further enhance everyone’s enjoyment of their favourite festival weekend. Latitude truly is ‘more than just a music festival’ and this year’s programme across the full spectrum of arts and music is utterly exceptional.”
Other music acts to play over the course of the weekend will include Bright Eyes, Foals, KT Tunstall, Villagers, Paloma Faith and newcomer Anna Calvi.
As always, there will also be a variety of comedy acts on the bill including Never Mind The Buzzcock’s Phil Jupitus, Dave Gorman and Richard Herring.
For a full listings, news and tickets visit Latitude’s website here.
Words Jordan Waller
