Peaches electronic musician and performance artist

Posted on May 29, 2010 
Filed Under News | 2 Comments

Merrill Beth Nisker (born November 11, 1966), better known as Peaches, is a Canadian-born electronic musician and performance artist currently residing in Berlin.

Born Merrill Beth Nisker in Toronto, Ontario, Peaches attended a private Jewish school where her classes were taught half in English and half in Hebrew. Kids from the nearby Catholic school frequently teased her. Nisker was a class clown, who “wasn’t particularly smart but was interested in creative performance stuff.”

Before she became Peaches, she was an independent music and drama teacher.

She plays her own instruments for her songs, programs her own electronic beats, and produces her own albums. In this interview you can see that her “can-do” attitude to technical areas of her craft has been a part of her success.

Don’t think you are unable to do something because you are not clever or talented enough. You are clever and talented – everybody is!

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

New club new talent – the magic of discovering something new

Posted on May 24, 2010 
Filed Under News | 2 Comments

This is about discovery – that place you never knew existed, a great new band, an underground party or just a great night out. We’ve all experienced it and it’s something that just doesn’t happen often enough. But when it does – wow – it elevates us from our ordinary existence.

This ad is directed by acclaimed promos director Daniel Wolfe and shot at the super-cool Notting Hill Arts Club in West London. The band in the video is The Joy Formidable, a three-piece band from North Wales, currently located in London. Their members are vocalist/guitarist Ritzy Bryan, bassist Rhydian Dafydd and Justin Stahley now on drums.

Now, The Joy Formidable are gearing up for their most extensive UK tour to date. Already high on the list of bands to break through amongst those in the know in the first year of this new decade, The Joy Formidable continue to hold their future firmly in their own hands.

The video is a promo from Kopparberg who make cider apparently.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Exclusive Phoenix interview and live footage

Posted on May 18, 2010 
Filed Under News | 3 Comments

Phoenix are from Versailles, France, founded by current members Thomas Mars, Deck D’Arcy, Christian Mazzalai and Laurent Brancowitz. The band that are sometimes compared with their friends Air and Daft Punk, are back with yet another awesome album entitled Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix.

Here they talk about their last album and touring, giving a behind-the-scenes look at their creative process.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Christmas play list

Posted on December 23, 2009 
Filed Under News | 19 Comments

Everyone’s got their fave Christmas songs. These are mine. Better late than never. Happy Christmas!

father christmas

Any more?

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Stacy Soloman is the girl with the X-Factor

Posted on November 7, 2009 
Filed Under X Factor 2009 | 14 Comments

Stacy Soloman pop art

Stacey Solomon is a female of contestant in the British TV series X Factor and, at the moment, is the most popular girl still left in the show. Stacey, of Dagenham Essex, wowed the judges with her version of What a Wonderful World during her audition.

She is a single mum of 19 and has a giggly “OMG” breathless way of talking that is both endearing and easy to imitate. This coupled with her obvious singing talents make her destined for potential minor celebrity status. We’ll have to see.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Jamie Archer the afro tipped to win The X Factor

Posted on October 18, 2009 
Filed Under Jamie Archer | 7 Comments

Jamie

Jamie Archer (also known as Jamie Afro) is a 33 year old musician from Putney, London and finalist in the 2009 series of The X Factor. He is the oldest entrant in the competition in 2009, and keenly aware that it’s his last chance for the big time.

He has considerable experience on the London gig circuit and plays a number of instruments, chiefly the guitar and, reportedly, finds performing without an instrument challenging. As a member of the over 25 category, he is happy that his mentor for the series is Simon Cowell.

His MySpace page lists his influences as: “So many to say and from different areas of music, but here are a few Faithless, The Killers, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, U2, The Chemical Brothers, Kings Of Leon, Blur, Oasis, Luciano Pavarrotti, Micheal Jackson, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Verve and the list goes on and on….”

Last night, Jamie performed Christina Aguilera’s Hurt proving he had an unexpected ability to deliver a softer, slower melody as well as being able to belt out rock anthems. He has stage presence and a likability. One to watch.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Jay Z – Clever production and hard hip hop

Posted on September 20, 2009 
Filed Under Jay Z | 7 Comments

Jay-Z with an urban background of skyscrapers at night

Shawn Corey Carter (Jay-Z) was born on December 4, 1969, in the Marcy Houses housing project in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn in New York City, USA.

Jay-Z will get his 11th American number one album with Blueprint 3, overtaking Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most chart-toppers in US chart history.

At the beginning of his career, when no one gave him a record deal, Jay-Z created Roc-A-Fella Records and, after striking a deal with Priority to distribute his material, he released his 1996 debut album Reasonable Doubt with beats from acclaimed producers such as DJ Premier and Ski, and an appearance by The Notorious B.I.G..

Subsequent album’s glossy productions have made some dedicated fans feel that he had “sold out”. But now, 11 albums later, it’s fair to say that he has successfully moved the genre onwards, fusing the hardcore hip hop of his youth with slick productions to critical acclaim and mainstream success.

He heads a multi-million dollar empire built up around clothing lines, restaurants, films, sports, and more recently Roc Nation, a music publishing and touring venture. He endorsed Barack Obama and has been involved in charity work for Africa.

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Michael Jackson pop art

Posted on July 7, 2009 
Filed Under Michael Jackson | 31 Comments

Michael Jackson pop art

Michael Jackson was born August 29, 1958 in Gary, Indiana, an industrial suburb of Chicago. He was the seventh child of the Jackson family.

In 1968 as a member of The Jackson 5, he first signed to the Motown label and started having hits. He began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group, a career that saw him dubbed the “King of Pop.”

For many people Michael Jackson’s career can be divided into two parts: before Thriller and after Thriller.

Before Thriller

The Jackson 5 made a record when their first four singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There”) went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Disillusioned with Motown’s strict refusal to allow them creative input, The Jackson 5 left Motown and signed a new contract with CBS Records in June 1975. From 1976 to 1984, Michael Jackson was the lead songwriter of the group, writing hits such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)”, “This Place Hotel” and “Can You Feel It”.

Jackson jointly produced Off the Wall (1979) with Quincy Jones. Songwriters included Jackson, Heatwave’s Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.

Then in 1982 he released – again co-producing with Quincy Jones – the album Thriller remains the best-selling album of all time

After Thriller

After Thriller came Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), none were to top Thriller in terms of sales but all massive successes nonetheless.

One thing that really strikes me is how many good songs he did after Thriller. Dirty Diana, Man in the Mirror, Remember the Time, I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, and The Way You Make Me Feel were all recorded by the singer when he was supposedly past his prime!

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Created from Silence

Posted on June 14, 2009 
Filed Under News | 6 Comments

Created From Silence – a four piece acoustic band from Scotland.

Formed in late 2008, when singer/songwriter Colin Taylor advertised for musicians on his MySpace page. He attracted first [...] Continue Reading…

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Little Willie John gives me fever

Posted on June 13, 2009 
Filed Under Little Willie John | 3 Comments

He was born William Edward John in Cullendale, Arkansas, moving with his family to Detroit, Michigan when he was four.

Although barely over 5 feet in height his singing [...] Continue Reading…

  • Share/Bookmark

Related articles

Next Page →