Di Melo

So... just back from Barcelona! What an amazing city!! If you ever get the chance go, great pubs, good tunes, beautiful city and most important... great people, you know who you are!! Over the next few weeks, ill be posting up a few recommendations from different folk I met.

Back to the matter at hand. Di Melo is a brasilian artist (soul) and this is a great track, soulful lyrics and groovy beats... Otherwise I know nothing about the artist. Check it and let me know what you think.

Hilltop Hoods

The Hard Road is the second single from Adelaide based hip hop outfit, Hilltop Hoods 2006 album of the same name. They've been on the scene since 1991 but they still remain true to their original influences, from Notorious B.I.G. to Gang Starr, since pioneering the hip hop scene in Australia in the early 90's. For a taster of their older work take a listen to the single below, but check out music form their upcoming album, State Of The Art, relased in June, here.

The Scream

Our first short film recommendation on The Confused Eclectic is Brigit McCone's The Scream. The film centres around an artist, obsessed with Edvard Munch who "strives to create an original work, and to keep the love of his muse and girlfriend. As he loses his grip, reality and imagination bleeds together. Can he see his love as more than a blank canvas?"

It's an excellent film with some imaginative imagery overlayed across the actors performances throughout. It's currently doing the rounds at a number of film festivals but you can view it here.

"The Scream" by Edvard Munch (1893)

Katalyst

Take "A teaspoonful of rock, a teaspoonful of funk, simmering gently over jazz" and you get the musical stylings of our next Australian artist, Katalyst. Hailing from Sydney, Katalyst (aka Ashley Anderson) is one of Australia's best DJ/Producers with a fantastic back catalogue from his award winning debut Manipulating Agent (2002) to his 2007 album What's Happening to prove it.

His latest musical venture is collaborating with Steve Spacek for their upcoming Album Soul-Fi under their new name, Space Invaders.

Released under Invada Records/BBE Records you can check both Katalyst and Space Invaders out here.

For now check out "Say What You Feel" from 2007's What's Happening below.

Moth

I posted about this track a while ago. It is fantastic and now there is a really good video to go with the track aswell.
Thanks to 88days for this again. Check their site out. Its great.

Nyle

Nyle "Let The Beat Build" from Nyle on Vimeo.

Thanks to Analog Giant for this. No only is the a great track. The video is brilliant. It was shot in one take!! Incredible!!

Website

This post is inspired by Gucci

I can guarantee you will not see that very often on this blog!!

This is in honour of another cool video by Chris Cunningham. Im not sure if a lot of people know who he is so while ill post the Gucci ad, which is very cool, with Donna Summer playing in the background, ill post some of his other videos aswell.

Enjoy.

Gucci - Flora (Directed by Chris Cunningham)



Bjork - All is full of love (Directed by Chris Cunningham)


Portishead - Only You (Directed by Chris Cunningham)

Fat Freddy's Drop

This track is from the long awaited new album, Drop Dr Boondigga & The Big BW, from Fat Freddy's Drop. The album is released on the 26th of this month. You can pre order here.












Fat Freddy's Drop - The Camel


MySpace
Website

Pete Philly and Perquisite

Pete Philly and Perquisite are hip hop duo from Amsterdam. I love the instrumental feel of their music. Prequisite plays a cello on most of the tracks,this and the live band give their music a great sound. This is a track from their album "Mindstate"

MySpace

Byroglyphics

Byroglyphics (AKA Russ Mills) is an illustrator, who in true modern style developed a huge following of loyal fans through independently selling his illustrations on the internet. Im not an art critic, so I am not going to delve into the many reasons why I like these illustrations. I just do!

And I hope you do too. Have a look at some more illustrations here.

Check out his first solo show, "Domestic Science", in London at the The Signal Gallery from the 21st May to the 13th June.

If you like the illustration more prints being released later this summer, so keep an eye on Byroglyphics website, or here and ill let you know when they go on sale.

Fdel

Perth is known for being the most isolated city in the world, not the cutting edge of hip-hop. Take one listen to Fdel's track "Ladies & Gentlemen" and you might begin to think differently. Fdel explores a myriad of original samples and instrumental beats for his debut album Audiofdelity, crafting some funky tracks that really get the body moving.

Buy it here.

For more tracks, check out Fdel's Myspace.

Darlings

Darlings are an indie band from New York. They feature in the NYC bands you need to hear in 2009, in the L Magazine. Darlings play well constructed fun pop music. Props to Catbirdseat for these songs. Enjoy these two songs, and if you do not, tell me why not!





Darlings - TV


Darlings - Teenage Girl

Myspace

Crazi Cousinz

Crazi Cousinz are UK Funky, this is not James Brown or The Dap Kings funky. This is, as the fountain of all knowledge that is good and true wikipedia expounds, a modern style of electronic dance music... I dont know, but generally I tend to take everything that wikipedia say with a large pinch of salt.

Now that I have finished giving out about wikipedia I can continue...

I like this song, I love the pace of it. Listen to it, hate it, love it, let me know!!





Crazi Cousinz - Inflation

Bent

Bent, the elctronic group from Nottingham have been the cheerful soundtrack to a dreary soft week in Dublin. This is a happy song. Thanks to Kiyoshi for cheering my week up. Enjoy.

Myspace

Check out their very cool teletext website here.





Bent - "Exercise 4"

Crazy P

Also known as "Crazy Penis" for the less conservative of you, hail from the UK. They've been on the music circuit for a fair amount of time, producing some fantastic electronic house records with ingenius samples from the likes of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. They've a new album out at the moment Stop Space Return (UK)/ Love On The Line (Aus) but I definitely recommend checking out their back catalogue. The video above is "Lady T" is from their 2005 album A Night On Earth.

You can sample their music on myspace here.

Lekk-One & Dekk

Luck-One and Dekk make beautiful music. As proclaimed by their debut EP's name. This album is non-profit, it is a plea to raise awareness for the plight of Haiti, the West's poorest nation.

I am not a huge fan of political music... I dont like being preached at, but this is not that! It is full of stories, not preaching just informing.

Courtesy of Analog Giant.

Buy it here.

My offering to you is 'The Coolax'. Enjoy.





Luck-One and Dekk - 'The Coolax'

Let go of the fear

Great song and a cool video. Turn it up loud and click full screen to enjoy the full experience!!

Props to 88days for this.

Chiddy Bang

Chiddy Bang, a hip hop group from Philadelphia samples one of last years biggest hits 'Kids' by MGMT. There is a serious feel of Kanye West off this track, the result being a rocking summer anthem with the synth sample guaranteed to have people dancing.

MySpace

Chiddy Bang 'Kids'

Sleepyhead

This song comes from an EP that started out as a present for Passion Pits lead singer's girlfriend. The EP got passed around, made its way to the internet and gained a huge following. This lead to being placed on BBCs list of upcoming acts of 2009.

Fuck this is reading like a timeline.... Basically this is a good song, with a cool video, enjoy it!

Passion pit MySpace

Video directed by The Wilderness

Kid Zoom

The extremely talented Australian, to rob his words, 'Low Brow Art Dirtbag'. His work is incredible, but don't take my word for it. Check out his site here.


Myspace


Kid Zoom has an installation in Sydney till the 23rd May at the Boutwell Drapier Gallery.

The Portland Cello Project - "The Thao and Justin Power Sessions"

The Portland Cello Project 'PCP' are a group of classically trained celloists who have collaborated with other Portland groups such as Mirah and the Dandy Warhols.

This track is from their most recent album 'The Thao and Justin Power Sessions' and is a collaboration with Thao Nguyen. Thao's voice on this track is wonderful and the full sounds of the cellos is infectious and get deep down into you. Listen to this track on headphones with the volume up full and enjoy every moment. It makes for a very cool track.

PCP featuring Thao - 'Beat'



Thanks to Gramotunes for this.

PCP Myspace

Thao Myspace

Four Tet and Burial

This is brilliant.

I know nothing about these guys, so I am not going to say much except... this is a fantastic track, nine minutes of slow burning brilliance. Big thanks to 88 Days for this.

Buy it here

Four Tet and Burial - 'Moth'

Eli Escobar

Thanks you to Discodust for bringing this guy and these tracks to my attention. Eli Escobar is a Dj/Producer from New York. His eclectic style fits right in here. He has produced Hip Hop stuff, released some house tunes, bringing him up to where we are now with some excellent disco house tunes.

The first track is 'Shoulda let you go' released in July 2008 as part of a compilation put together by Top billin called 'sexytime'.


The next track is a brilliant remix of the Stevie Nicks song 'stand back'. This is disco at its best.


Check out Eli Escobar's Myspace

Visit his blog here.

Mini.Miniature.Mouse

Fumi Mini Nakamura is an illustratior based in New York. She spent half her life in Japan, then moving to California. This beautiful illustration is from her Shapeshifter collection.

She has exhibited all over North America and more recently in Sydney, Australia. Her images are inspired by Japanese folklore, mixing the human and natural world. These are really beautiful.

See more of her work here.

Crystalised

I would like to introduce to you 'The xx'. This minimalist girl/boy group have been attracting all sorts of attention with their gloomy indie all year. Check out their version of "Teardrops".

My offering for you courtesy of BigStereo is their first single 'Crystalised'. There is an understated chemistry between the two lead singers, that is almost palbable. The beat builds and builds, but in the end leaves you coming back for more. This song just makes my feet start tapping. Enjoy...



MySpace

Buy it here

Only an Apple

Only an Apple is Tom McIntyre's new play, a lusty and disquieting tale of an ailing Taoiseach, played by Don Wycherley of Bathchelors Walk fame.

On the cusp of a 'heave', the Taoiseach must move quickly to stop the aspiring Government Chief Whip McPhrunty. Enter the two most most unlikely characters, drawing a great laugh from the audience, Queen Elizabeth I and Grace O'Malley. This unlikely sexually charged duo wreak havoc among the men. But are they just sexual objects or portents of something far more sinister.

Tom McIntyre is one of Ireland most daring and original writers, and he certainly pushes the audience to their limits. His play pushes us through a fast paced journey between the real and imaginery worlds. At time you find yourself wondering if the characters are sane or if this is all one big illusion. It brings Flann O'Brien, At Swim to Birds to mind.

Director Selina Cartmell [Courtesy of The Abbey Theatre.]

The Middle East

Hailing from Townsville, Queensland, this sextet bring together a myriad of instruments and vocal styles to produce soft yet powerful songs. Like a mini orchestra their compositions build and build, layering instrumental melodies with touching lyrics until they culminate in a mesmerising finale.

The Middle East - Blood

Check out their singles and upcoming tour here.

The Marches

Aside from the line "I've got a chocolate full of my hand", (maybe I'm missing something, feel free to inform me). I think this song is great. Its a track from thier album "4am is the New Midnight" Thanks to BigStereo for this, that place is just an incredible source of new music!

The Marches - Bad Touch



Get it here.

The Marches
MySpace

You hear colours

CFCF 'You hear colours'. Courtesy of Discobelle. I love this song. It is a fantastic chilled out song with an excellent video.

Video by Tommyboy // arawa.fm featuring footage from "Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner", NASA, and Natl. Geographic.

Your New Favourite Band

Wave Machines, 'Keep the Lights On'. Thanks to BigStereo for this. The perfect song for anytime of the day or night, so just put it on repeat and let it infect your day (in a good way). The album is out in June so fear not there will be many more tracks to keep your new addiction satisfied.

Wave Machines - Keep the lights on


Get it here.

When I Grow Up

I think ill start as i mean to go on, with my new favourite band. 'Fever Ray' the side project of Karin Dreijer Andersson, one half of the 'The Knife'. Her distictive voice is fantastic throughout this album but this song caught my attention and has been on repeat for a few days now. Its a grower!

Video directed by Martin de Thurrah.