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Club, Electro, mp3, Pop, Russia

XUMAN – PANIC (Electro/House – Russia)

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Hiding behind the moniker Xuman is Russian indie electro-rock musician and singer Alexander Xuman.

Alex started experimenting with music at an early age, recording his father’s guitar and his brother’s voice with a small Panasonic tape recorder. Even now, Alexander hasn’t lost his passion for experiments but he carries them out at a spacious recording studio with fellow musicians.

Xuman is deeply influenced by different genres in electronic music: house, minimal techno, electro, IDM… In the past ten years, Alexander has performed as a DJ in many clubs, in Russia and abroad, but he has also released several tracks and remixes. Not until 2007 did Alexander come to realise that the whole rock aesthetics was as important to him as dance culture and that he wanted to blend the two together in his project Xuman. He is now recording his first solo album, which should be out sometime this year, and he has graced us with the first single “Panic”. This track is catchy, fun and full of warm synth goodness – and what a hook!

Xuman - Panic     

Besides his solo project Xuman, Alex also plays an active part in electro trio The O and rock band Camel in Space. He is also behind a record label, which supports the work of other artists such as On-The-Go, Bajinda Behind The Enemy Lines and Mujuice. To get a glimpse of what the label puts out, check out the compilation Tales, now available on Tales - Various Artists

Club, Electro, Saturday nite

saturday nite with… BOYS NOIZE

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Boys Noize is the moniker of Alexander Ridha, a German electro tech producer and DJ. Under the name Boys Noize, he has released records on French label Kitsuné, on Tiga’s Turbo Records label, and on DJ Hell’s International DeeJay Gigolo Records. Ridha has also released EPs under the names 909d1sco and Kid Alex.

Boys Noize’s self-released debut album Oi Oi Oi hit the stores back in September 2007 and received mostly positive reviews. Almost two full years later, his sophomore LP Power was finally released last October, exceding fans’ expectations.

Feist - My Moon My Man (Boys Noize Remix)     

The name Boys Noize also brings to mind a number of very well crafted remixes that have been played on danceflorrs all over the world. Alex Ridha has remixed tracks for Royksöpp, Cut Copy, Sebastien Tellier and Feist amongst others.

Sebastien Tellier - L'Amour et la Violence (Boys Noize Euro Mix)     

You can find Boys Noize on MySpace, check out the label Boys Noize Records and buy all the music on Boys Noize

Electronica, Indie, Lounge, mp3

SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS – ALPINISMS (Electronica/Indie/Psychodelica – US)

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School of Seven Bells (often referred to as SVIIB) is a Brooklyn-based electro psychodelica band with a strong melodic sensibility which formed in 2007. The band consists of Benjamin Curtis (guitar) and twin sisters Alejandra Deheza (vocals, bass) and Claudia Deheza (vocals, keyboards).

The band is named after the School of the Seven Bells, a mythical South American pickpocket training academy. It was Alley’s idea to name the band after this school. She had heard about it and the mythology grew in her mind. It meant a million different things to her and she also liked the phrase’s musicality.

Their first single, “My Cabal”, was released in May 2007 on UK label Sonic Cathedral. Then the Face to Face on High Places EP was released in September 2007 on Table of the Elements. School of Seven Bells’ debut album, Alpinisms, was released by Ghostly International in October 2008. It is available as both a physical and digital release (iTunes).

School of Seven Bells - Half Asleep     

Their sound has been described as dreamy and ethereal and the lyrics are impregnated with the theme of sleep and dreams. The trio’s music uses elements of dream-pop, afrobeat, with a heavy base in electronica, but it easily transcends  usual genre restrictions. Alpinisms is full of tensions—Curtis’ gentle guitars wrap around jagged beats; silky vocals hide behind grumpy, alien synthesizers—but the resulting songs are effortlessly cohesive, and insidiously catchy.

The band toured with Bat For Lashes on her UK tour and have more recently supported White Lies on their second headlining tour. Have a look at SVIIB’s page on MySpace for updates and concerts…

Electronica, mp3, Pop

ZOOT WOMAN – THINGS ARE WHAT THEY USED TO BE (Pop/Electronica – UK)

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British electro band Zoot Woman is made up of Jonny Blake, Adam Blake, Stuart Price and Jasmin O’Meara. Known for their live shows, the group has gained a worldwide following over the past few years. Price and Blake also work under the alias Paper Faces for remixes. They have reworked some Zoot Woman songs under this alias, but they have also produced remixes for artists such as Madonna, Scissor Sisters, Phoenix, Chromeo and producers such as Felix Da Housecat and Pete Tong.

With their first LP, Living in a Magazine (2001, Wall of Sound), Zoot Woman established themselves on the music scene. They released their self-titled sophomore album in 2003 and, after a pretty long break, their new album, Things Are What They Used To Be, hit the stores last August. The lead single, “We Won’t Break”, was released as a free download on RCRD LBL and has been remixed by many a producer…

Zoot Woman - We Won't Break (Fiend Remix)     

“Saturation” is, in my humble opinion, one of the best tracks on the album. It’s a long track that slowly builds up and creates a real emotional tension through the repetition of some motifs all through the song.. Check it out!

Zoot Woman - Saturation     

Find the band on MySpace or check out their official website. All their music can be downloaded on Zoot Woman