Julian Lennon’s Polar ‘Pick of the Week’ on Below Zero Beats : ”Luisine- Twilight”

Jeff McIlwain’s ever morphing musical project, Lusine, has been in existence for almost 10 years now. Originally a Texas native, Jeff now resides in Seattle. In 1998, he attended Calarts to study 20th century electronic music and sound design for music and film. Soon after, he met Shad Scott and put out a self titled release with Isophlux.

Since then, he has been releasing his music on various labels including Ann Arbor’s Ghostly International, Hymen, and U-Cover. His latest release, Language Barrier, was somewhat of a departure, focusing less on rhythmic detail, instead highlighting the layers of ambience that were only briefly touched upon in past releases. McIlwain has also contributed tracks to several labels including Mute, !K7, Kompakt, Asthmatic Kitty, and Shitkatapult for various compilations and remix releases.

He has performed around the US and abroad including a set at London’s esteemed Fabric nightclub, and an ambient performance and collaboration with video artist Scott Sunn at Seattle’s Triple Door in April. Jeff has recently been involved in two film projects, co-scoring David Gordon Green’s “Snow Angels” (with Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, 2008), and scoring the film “Linewatch” (dir. Kevin Bray, 2009; with Cuba Gooding Jr., Omari Hardwick) He is currently putting the finishing touches on an upcoming album, and gearing up for future travels in the coming months.

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Break-Through Track on Below Zero this week: Glam Sam & His Combo – “The Last Days of Disco (Lemongrass Remix)”

Glam Sam and his Combo is the brain child of Mats Samuelsson, a Stockholm-based writer and music lover.

Yes, springtime will be groovy time! Sweden’s Glam Sam and His Combo is getting ready to bring his new album to the world, less than a year after the release of the critically beloved debut album “Groovy!” last summer. After catching Below Zero’s ear with the Julian Lennon pick off the release, “Groovy” Glam Sam is back and has teamed up with Biker Boy to bring us “The Last Days Of Disco“ on Lemongrass Music.

Now, Lemongrassmusic is proud to present an exclusive taster, the 3-track ep “The Last Days Of Disco”, starring not only Glam Sam and His Combo but also Swedish pop man Biker Boy, singing in his unique and very cool style.

This wonderfully catchy disco tune is both intense and smooth, with strings from heaven, a driving disco guitar backed by a pumping bass, and with a drummer boy that must be dreaming about the good old days at Studio 54.

The singer is telling a story about a disco dancing experience gone wrong - but maybe story has a happy ending. The lyrics pay attention to great creators like The Trammps and Giorgio Moroder, and the message is clear: “May the disco days with the hustle and the bump come back!”

Yes, disco was too great and too much fun to be gone forever! So stay cool, dig this new gem from Mr Glam Sam!

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Break-Through Track on @belowzerobeats this week :Artemis - “Auralei”

The alternative down-tempo Oakland soft edge returns with an amazing release, “Auralei”. Artemis came to us from the East Coast, a place where integrity and intelligence are essential to survival. Balance this out with her creative fire, fed by the fuel of the great poets - Rilke, Pablo Naruda, and Walt Whitman, and the powerful artistic legacy of countless musical sages, and we begin to see a picture of Artemis.

Artemis’ vocal style is at once dynamically emotional and serenely tender, but always evocative. She gives one the feeling that her search is not a selfish one. She’s trying to mine the depths of her self in order to help us all understand the multifaceted nature of being human.

Like a force of nature, or a celestial body, Artemis radiates a magnetism which inevitably draws other like-minded individuals to her. Her label, RTFM is a great metaphor for this. Artemis, along with Keith Crusher and their cohorts, has helped create the foundation for a vision larger than themselves - a vision that, without her boundless and unique charisma, would not be what it is today.

Through three releases - Gravity, Undone and Orbits - she has shown just a bare glimpse of what’s underneath. “We usually describe it as lush symphonic electro retro-pop,” says Artemis, adding “We like to blend organic real-world sounds and mix it with electronic effects.”
Artemis works with the RTFM collective, which includes the polymathic likes of Daniel Berkman (multi-instrumentalist and wizard of the kora, a twelve-string harp-lute used extensively in West African music), Cliff Tune (the drummer, who adds to orthodox skin-pounding masses of programmed beats layered for pallidly funky effect) and Keith Crusher (producer, programmer and sonic theoretician) lowering the ambient temperature to dry-ice.

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Lazy Hammock (Lucie Burns) is becoming well known for her infectious, warm, laid back style of chill-out / down-tempo productions and remixes, and was recently described as an ‘International Chill Out Expert’ in a review for the ‘Luxury Lounge Ibiza’ compilation, which she has tracks licensed to.

Lucie Burns (formerly known as Hermione), is an established artist, songwriter and producer who has appeared and recorded with artists such as Jose Padilla (Cafe Del Mar), Asian Dub Foundation, Big Audio Dynamite, and MJ Cole. She is most known for 2 tracks she co-wrote and recorded with Afterlife’s Steve Miller, on the successful “Simplicity” album (HED KANDI). The tracks, ‘Show You Something’ and ‘Borneo is Burning’ are well known to many.

Lazy has tracks licensed to EMI, SONY BMG, DIVENTA MUSIC, PARKLANE RECORDINGS, ALUMINIUM RECORDS and LUXURY HOUSE RECORDINGS, to name a few. She has released 2 Lazy Hammock albums so far, ‘ISLAND LOVER’ and ‘LOST IN DREAMS’ and is currently producing the 3rd. Lucie is the UK Partner and artist of DIVENTA MUSIC, Producer, DJ, Radio Presenter, songwriter, and vocalist.

“Our environment is a reflection of self and we are one with our environment, so it is imperative to create a harmonious environment in which to become one with. This is what I am to do through my music.”

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The act ‘Tournoi’ is the outcome of a practical joke between two musician friends who decided to have some fun after a hard multi hour session in the studio. It is actually a spontaneous improvisation that relieved the pressure and stress of both the artists at that exact moment when nothing would work at the track they were working on all those long hours.

Tournoi is not a band, just a project. What will definitely happen is that each time you come across a track that is similar in style and sound to ‘Le Jardin’ it will probably be another spontaneous reaction of Tournoi! Both artists prefer their anonymity because in this way they feel they are not obliged to continue this project in the future.

On this Ep five remixers join forces. The Captain (Fab Samperi / Italy) remixes the original tune and transforms it into a latin funky broken beat monster. Timewarp inc (Athens / Greece) remixes the song by giving an afro feeling cooked with 4/4 dub spices! Leon (France), as always, has brought his 70’ funky touch to this remix. The main groove fully hits the floor with its funky bassline and guitars riff. 1..2..3…4 Je t’adoore..

Afternoons in Stereo (Greg Vickers / Canada) unfolds his jazzy influenced downtempo path and re-touches the song! Ares Soltero (Athens / Greece) redefines and reconstructs Le Jardin into an 80’s retro vintage classic sound! The CD will be released with the full support of EN LEFKO Radio Station (Athens)

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Yam Yam have brought together a wealth of African influences to their music - blending afro guitar hooks, dance floor friendly breaks and percussion. From Angola to Zimbabwe, Yam Yam’s lexicon of African influences spans the mighty continent. Other musical influences are drawn from a diversity of styles from dance to electronica and post punk to dub reggae.

Yam Yam are Rick Turner and Guy Morley. Though currently residing in Vienna and Brighton they met on the Manchester music scene of the early 90s. Guy was one of Manchester’s most esteemed DJs spinning tropical funk in influential clubs alongside Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay. He was also a resident DJ with Mr Scruff at the leading One Tree Island club. Rick Turner cut his Afro teeth as guitarist and band leader for Nigerian master drummer Thomas Odeuso. He was also the engineer behind maverick ‘World Dub’ pioneers Suns Of Arqa - who influenced contemporary musicians from Adrian Sherwood’s ON-U Sound to the Orb.

Until now Yam Yam’s recording output has been mostly U.S. based. New York’s influential Codek records picked them up for a number of releases. Based in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, Codek were part of the pre-Giuliani party scene hosting world clubs under their Organic Grooves banner. Yam Yam played at parties on the Hudson River and Bowery Ballroom.

Can Yam Yam do the same for the post-dance post-rave generation? Here’s the album EATDUBAFROBEAT - make up your own mind…

****Click below to listen to a Below Zero show****

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