A group of popular UK musicians including, Bernard Sumner, Hot Chip and Hot City have teamed up with Converse to create an exclusive track. The collaboration was inspired by Converse’s year round celebration of the diversity of Uk’s music and creativity –honoring artists and their work.
The track, ‘Didn’t Know What Love Was,’ sounds like a revival of Deee-Lite from the 90s layered with rock and electronic undertones. And of course, the song wouldn’t be complete without a cool video to showcase their idea and provide some visual interpretation.
If you haven’t heard of Katie Melua, you better hide that little fun fact from your British friends, as she is more than a legend in the UK. This spunky singer-songwriter got her start when she attended the Brit School for Performing Arts where she caught the eye of the prestigious Mike Batt, composer for everyone from Art Garfunkle to Vanessa Mae. Spellbound by her mesmerizing voice, Mike signed Katie to his label, Dramatico. By the age of 19, Katie’s debut, Call Off The Search, sold 1.8 million copies in just 5 months. Her follow-up, Nine Million Bicycles, went four times platinum and she instantly sprung to the status of England’s best selling female artist and Europe’s highest selling female artist.
China Shop picked the brain of this powerhouse of songwriting to see what she’s all about offstage:
If you haven’t already heard of Katie Melua, you soon will. The Georgian-born, British bestselling female artist is already “Legend” (as they say) in the UK and is gaining momentum here in the states. This week, ChinaShop caught up with Katie to find out which songs take her to her “happy place.” The following are her picks this Moody Monday.
UK Producer duo Mighty Mouse felt like starting the week on the right foot. Keeping true to their cinematic disco sound, the group hand picked some “blissful” gems for you to kick off this Moody Monday with a smile.
Every week we ask a person, or persons of note to pick a mood and then 5 songs that put them in that mood. See Mighty Mouse’s choice below.
I have photographed Steven Ellison, a.k.a Flying Lotus, 5 or 6 times in the past 2 years. It was during the first set of his which I photographed that I noticed Flying Lotus had certain, “tell”, as they so call it in poker. Just before the baseline is to drop through the floor, into the basement and most likely end up in the water table, he would pause as if floating Wylie Coyote style in mid air. Just hovering there above his Eve bitten clamshell which contains the soles of well worn Samiyam 8-bit beats and most likely photos of a black tee clad Thom Yorke.
When the winter of 2010 descends upon us, and critics & connoisseurs alike start to narrow down lists for the “Best Dance Song of the Summer,” the supreme banger “One (Your Name)” by Swedish House Mafia will indubitably be frequently mentioned. SHM is made up of a sonically advanced trio of House DJs/producers (namely Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso), and simply put, these audio merchants do not fuck around. “One” is the penultimate dance cut; play it at a dive bar, club, barbecue, lounge or rave and the results should be exactly the same – people getting crunk and going completely ape-shit over this up-tempo electro gem with synth riffs so sharp they could slice right through Buju Banton’s dreadlocks. The remix featuring Pharrell Williams makes the track even hotter, and when you throw in the rapacious official video for the song, it’s a done deal.
Fitz & The Tantrums have such an enchanting story…where ex-lovers become sources of inspiration, living rooms turn into cutting-edge recording studios, and tattoo artists become heroes. I got to hear it first-hand on Thursday as I sat in the hallway of the Dangerbird Records headquarters with Fitz himself for a quick interview before he had to run off to take the stage at Silver Lake’s “Hipster Haven” aka Spaceland. It was a delightful little interview. We were offered ice cream mid-conversation and at one point Fitz was even asked to serve as an interim security guard in the absence of the guest list girl.
Thursday night, Manchester’s own Delphic took the outdoor stage at Dangerbird Records to bestow the crowd below with the urge to dance. After a set perfectly infused with a wreath of synth, guitar, vocals, and drums, the boys headed backstage to relax, while coyly avoiding the crowd gathered around the television that was showing the last quarter of the Lakers game. It’s OK guys, we all know that “football” is the thing in the UK and doing an interview for China Shop over watching Kobe Bryant was a good enough excuse for me.
Like a lot of Kurt Cobain’s favorite bands, Cardiff’s Young Marble Giants got a about a fraction of a percentage the attention Nirvana got (Killing Joke anyone?). About time — they’ve been around quite a while, having evolved considerably since their early days as a covers band. Yes, a lot has happened since their self-titled debut in 1980. Overall the Giants sound like anthaemic music for plucky people as they go about their daily business, be it in a cubicle, or even toiling as a janitor in some school somewhere. Maybe grungy, whistle-while-you-work music? They’re sans percussion for the most part, a minimalist move purposefully intended to counter the all-encompassing presence of punk in the 1970s. Sometimes they sound like an old video game soundtrack, and one guy in the band has an accent exactly like Hugh Grant. There’s a bit of Blondie, Brian Eno, Kraftwerk, post-70′s glam, and even some House of the Rising Sun-era Animals organ thrown in for good measure. Toss in some seriously catchy funk-bass rhythms, and the soothing and wistful vocals of singer Alison Stratton as she pours over funny things she might have seen during the day. Get a listen of their punchy post-punk on Red Bull Music Academy Radio.
Every week, China Shop asks persons of interest one question: Pick a mood and 5 songs that put you into that mood?
This week’s list from UK Chaps “Chapel Club” will warm you up from the inside out. Do yourself a favor and savor the flavor of their sensitive selections.
