DJ AM was found dead in his New York City apartment yesterday afternoon, which, needless to say, has been a huge blow to anyone who knew him and his work. No one had the technical skills that AM did, or the feel for so many different genres. He was a mentor to many of the most amazing DJs out there these days, and he will never be forgotten.
Below, some links to a few DJ AM sets. Listen, and celebrate the life of an amazingly talented man.
While I'm on about Mark Ronson's show, that reminded me about how much I really wanted to talk about Ellie Goulding. Surprise surprise, she's from the UK! I was initially introduced to her by a friend who thought I might like her, and I immediately got addicted to "Starry Eyed", a electronic meshing of teenage romance that could be the soundtrack to a first kiss. It's that perfect mix of simplistic idealism that is unique to late adolescence and first love, and I can't get enough of it.
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed:
Ellie is unique among her peers: playing acoustic gigs around London in the singer-songwriter scene (she's friends with One Small Sound favourite Laura Marling!), she eventually began a natural progression into electronically influenced music. Since then, she's met up with UK producer Starsmith, with whom she's been collaborating ever since. While she doesn't have a full length album out just yet, she's recently signed a deal with Polydor records in the UK, and I believe an album is in the works.
In the meantime, Ellie stopped by EVR on 7 August to do an interview and perform a few songs on air. Below, hear her performance of "Guns & Horses". She's soon to be touring the UK with Little Boots, so don't miss her.
Ellie Goulding - Guns & Horses (Live on East Village Radio)
You've probably heard of Miike Snow by now-- the Swedish electropop band that The Guardian describes as "Ah-Ha meets Animal Collective". Their music is melodic and incredibly pleasing to the ear; sweet summer sounds that you just want to lie back and put on your headphones for.
It doesn't hurt the band's immediate credibility that two of its members wrote the Britney Spears hit "Toxic", but Miike Snow is more than the sum of its parts. They have a consistent idea of exactly where they're going, and their debut album, the self-titled Miike Snow, has the pleasant ebb and flow that we're all looking for in a pop record.
Ever the taste-maker, Mark Ronson got a hold of their single, the very catchy "Animal", and did his own reggae-influenced remix that works perfectly with lead singer Andrew Wyatt's smooth vocals. The remix has been on heavy rotation on Mark's show on East Village Radio the past few Friday nights, and it's definitely a must hear.
The band will play The Mercury Lounge here in NYC on September 15th & 16th, but you'll have to scalp on Craigslist, cos the gig is sold out.
