Tag Archives: Nomi Ruiz

Australia, Club, Electro, House

BENI – HOUSE OF BENI (Electro/Club – Australia)

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Recently signed to über cool Australian label Modular, Sydney’s DJ/producer Beni (full name Benjamin Single) is inviting you into his house, sonically speaking with his debut album, House of Beni. Recorded everywhere from the South of France to Sydney and all points in between House of Beni defies categorisation. From the unpretentious chords and club kid chorus of “It’s a Bubble”, to the electro pop goodness of “Someone Just Like You”, House Of Beni is a shape-shifting exploration of the state of dance.

For the record, Beni got his start in the industry with The Bang Gang Deejays as DJ Damage and he later formed Riot in Belgium with Joel Dickson of Cut Copy. After Riot in Belgium disbanded in 2008, Beni produced a string of chart-topping remixes for Sneaky Sound System, Digitalism, La Roux and Tiga. In November 2008, he released his first solo production titled “My Love Sees You”, which saw underground success in the club scene.

Beni - My Love Sees You     

Now he is ready to unleash is long-awaited full-length debut House of Beni. Available since September 23rd in Australia and across the rest of the world on Oct 11, House of Beni is like a condensed version of a great night out, packing everything from Chicago House to electropop and disco into in just 40 minutes. Bristling with dance floor vitality, Beni’s 10-track debut is a sparkling collection showcasing the vocals of guests from across the globe including Sam Sparro, Mattie Safer (ex-The Rapture), Prince Terrence, Nomi (Jessica 6 and ex-Hercules & Love Affair) and Via Tania just to name a few.

To celebrate this release, grab a groovy remix of “Yeah” (track 9 on the album). This reworking comes from Belgian act Mickey, who effortlessly manages to find just the right mix of pop and house.

Beni - Yeah (Mickey Remix)     

Now for all the Aussies reading this, Beni will be bringing his DJ skills to get down a party near you soon. Next stops are Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle and Gold Coast. For more info, check out Beni’s MySpace and note that the album will be available soon (or now if you’re Australian) on Beni

Disco, Electro, Funk, Pop

JESSICA 6 – SEE THE LIGHT (Disco/Electro – US)

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Brooklyn trio Jessica 6 are gearing up for the release of their long-awaited debut album, See The Light, which will drop on June 6 on London-based independent label Peacefrog (also home to indie folk singer-songwriter José González and Swedish electronica foursome Little Dragon).

In the run-up to this exciting release, Nomi Ruiz, Morgan Wiley and Andrew Raposo are unleashing two singles in two days. First up is “White Horse”, released today May 1. It’s a dark electro number, here remixed by 90s House music legend Todd Terry.

Jessica 6 - White Horse (Todd Terry Remix)     

Next in line will be “Prisoner of Love”. Scheduled for release tomorrow May 2, this silky smooth blippy love lament features guest vocals by Hercules & Love Affair mate and good friend Antony Hegarty. His and Nomi’s voices weave around each other all the way into the song’s grandiose climax.

Jessica 6 - Prisoner of Love (Ft. Antony Hegarty)     

Both “White Horse” and “Prisoner of Love” can be ordered as 12″ vinyls on Peacefrog’s online store. If you want to sample more music by Jessica 6 or see their tour schedule, check them out on MySpace. You can also buy more music on Jessica 6

Disco, Electro, House, Pop

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – BLUE SONGS (House/Disco/Funk – US)

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Best known for the disco-house classic “Blind”, Hercules and Love Affair is the brainchild of songwriter/producer Andy Butler, who wanted to create a mutable ensemble which would evolve in time to incorporate different artists. So while H&LA’s 2008 debut LP showcased the talents of vocalist Nomi Ruiz, singer/songwriter Antony Hegarty and DJ/vocalist Kim Ann Foxman, their new album Blue Songs features new recruits Shaun Wright and Venezuelan singer Aerea Negrot who now lead the vocals.

With this album, Butler and his mates keep pushing forward the message that “dance music is a very legitimate form of music” that’s not limited to H&LA’s usual four-to-the-flour pop-house bangers. Blue Songs, as its title suggests, looks into the melancholy side of dance music and  includes softer and stranger compositions.

Hercules & The Love Affair’s fantastic new single “Painted Eyes” will be out in Europe April 18 on Moshi Moshi. To celebrate this release, they have covered “Shelter” (originally by The Xx), painting a distinctly different picture with the same brush. Kim Ann Foxman’s vocals lift the track into a dimension of late night dance we all relish.

Hercules and Love Affair - Shelter (The Xx Cover)     

Show Hercules and Love Affair some love on MySpace and buy all their music on Amazon or Hercules and Love Affair

Club, Electro, Pop

HERCULES & LOVE AFFAIR – BLIND (Disco/Electro – US)

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Hercules and Love Affair is a New York-based musical project. Their record company (dance music mainstay DFA Records) describes them as “a pan-sexual mix for our troubled times”.

That is one way of describing this eclectic bunch of artists and guest vocalists: Antony Hegarty (the Mercury prize-winning torch singer and radical gay performance artist, with a strong interest in gender reassignment), transsexual vocalist Nomi Ruiz, dancer Shayne, a gay B-boy and mainstay of New York’s voguing scene, and Kim Ann Foxmann (a Hawaiian lesbian jewellery designer famed for running a notorious club called Mad Clams, where one could apparently “get away with anything – smoking, sex, drugs, peeing in the corner, dancing naked”).

The band’s central figure, Andrew Butler, began his musical career at 15, DJing in a Denver leather bar run by a hostess called Chocolate Thunder Pussy. He then moved to Brooklyn, in order to attend Sarah Lawrence College and fulfill his dreams of building a career in music.

Hercules & Love Affair’s debut album (produced by Butler and Tim Goldsworthy) was released on 10 March 2008 on DFA Records. It has been critically well-received and charted in the top 40 in several countries. The band made their live debut on May 17, 2008, at the Studio B venue in Brooklyn, New York, before going on a European and North American tour.

Hercules and Love Affair - Blind (Feat. Antony Hegarty)     

Their song “Blind” co-written and featuring guest Antony (lead vocalist in Antony & The Johnsons) was awarded Best Song of 2008 by Pitchfork Media. For Butler’s sophomore album under the Hercules moniker, he says he will involve “a whole handful of new artists,” stating that his plan is to release music with a rotating cast of performers and musicians.

Show Hercules and Love Affair some MySpace love and buy their music on Amazon or Hercules and Love Affair

Disco, Electro, mp3, New Release, Pop

JESSICA 6 – FUN GIRL (Electro/Disco/Trash – US)

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Jessica 6, formerly known as Deep Red, is a collaboration between keyboardist Morgan Wiley, bassist Andrew Raposo and vocalist Nomi Ruiz who met in late 2007 while touring with  sensation-of-2008 disco outfit Hercules & Love Affair.

Jessica 6 - Fun Girl     

The trio released their debut single “Fun Girl” last month on the label Midnight Sun Sound. It was warmly welcomed by critics, who praised its dirty disco sound and unbelievable sexiness. Arjan Writes refered to “Fun Girl” as a “spooky and mesmerizing” dance number, while The Guardian wrote that Nomi’s husky voice could be described as “Sade meets Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA”.

Jessica 6 have already played quite a few gigs in NYC and around and they are currently working on an album, which will bring together minimal electro, dance, pop and R&B. Unfortunately, there is no release date yet so we’ll just have to wait and see…

Show Jessica 6 some love on MySpace or check out the official website. Buy “Fun Girl” and remixes on Jessica 6