I normally wouldn’t want to stray into a habit of reviewing music that isn’t ‘up to the minute’ or currently in charts but I had to share this.  In the lead up to my trip to Spain next year, this budding  españa-phile is discovering a world of international electronica that sits outside current musical trends.  Gotan Project is one such discovery.

The group was founded back in 1999 by DJ and musician Philippe Cohen Solal and former members of Boyz from Brazil (Eduardo Makaroff and Christoph H Müller).  ‘Gotan‘ (an anagram of tango),  have pioneered a fusion of tango and spanish influences with downtempo electronica and dance beats.  ‘Lunatico‘ is a strangely sexy selection of seductive, sophisticated sounds.  Put that in your pipe and illiterate it!  Their next album ‘Tango 3.0‘ is due for release on April 19th 2010 and will surely be another success.

Check them out at:  http://www.myspace.com/gotanproject

4 Stars

Head First – Goldfrapp
Label: Mute Records
Release Date: 16 March 2010
Genre(s): Electronica, Synthpop

Too high to write a sentence! Love it! Love her! Buy it!

Twelve thousand stars shooting all over my face!

I left something in the oven!

It’s been 10 years since this siren has released an album and, as expected, it’s straight from the heart.  Word on the grapewire is that we had to wait for her to fall in love again before the inspiration for another album could come.  Her soulful cries of love (lost and found) have been anthems for many a romantic and this album is another example of her talent.  Sade’s lyrics (always poetic and poingnant) once again capture the resolve and dignity of a survivor of love lost.  The title track opens with a clear reflection of this; ‘I’ve lost the use of my heart, yet I’m still alive’.

Truly one of my favourite artists. I’ve waited years for this.

5 stars

I’ve been cranking the volume on my phones with this for the last few weeks and have nothing but positive feedback to share. It’s a sexy marriage of dance beats and indie rock being hard fucked by 10 inches of nowness. This album is truly my sound for summer 2010 with a generous switch back and forth between new romantic-esque dreamscapes and edgy sounds that (when you close your eyes) put you on the dancefloor.

4 stars