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MONDAY 8TH MARCH

Hello there. Let me sheepishly apologise for being late again. This week, though, I think we've got a pretty good reason for being tardy. We were waiting for something to come through, and I really think you're going to like it.

As Eddy mentioned a couple of weeks ago, the video for the first proper Losers single, 'Flush', has now been completed. And this week it has finally been unleashed on the world. I hope the world is ready, though I suspect it's not.



 
Actually, I should have been writing this about three months ago, but the creation of the video took longer than expected, pushing the release of the single back. Which was frustrating for those of us eager to get our hands on the finished product, but trust me, it was completely worth the wait. I think this might be my new favourite music video. And, yes, I know it's my job to say that, but wait 'til you see it.

I'd best not say any more; Eddy has the full lowdown (and the all-important link) in his column. Just make sure you watch it.

Once you've calmed down from all the excitement, be sure to check out last Friday's playlist and read this week's interview, which comes from longterm Remix buddy Barry Ashworth of The Dub Pistols, who released their new single, 'Ganja', this week.

Andy Malt
CMU Editor

 


 

 
 
Losers' first (amazing) video
It must have been more than two, but less than three years ago, when I was taking a stroll around Brick Lane on a Sunday, when I was stopped in my tracks by some prints on a stall in one of the indoor markets there. The black and white, Edwardian gothic style mesmerised me, as did the subject matter. The artist had almost done visual mash-ups, putting skulls on the heads of animals, and animal arms and legs (mostly octopi/squid) on human limbs and torsos.

I was so impressed, I stopped and bought one of the prints, 'Death Stampede', which featured the body of an antelope running at full pelt, but with a human skull that was cracked open and had flowers pouring out of it, cascading behind as it ran.

I complimented the artist on his unusual and brilliant style, and we got talking. He told me his name was Dan Hillier, and over the next ten minutes it transpired he knew who I was, had been to Remix All-nighters and that we had friends in common.

We stayed in touch, I bought three more prints and we started talking about Losers and our need for a visual identity. I told Dan that we'd made an album and would, somewhere down the line, need images for singles and the like. Dan said he'd been asked frequently about providing artwork for music projects, but had turned most of those offers down because he didn't want to be associated with most of the music out there. But he agreed to give our stuff a listen and give it some serious consideration.

I excitedly show Tom Bellamy, my partner in Loserdom, Dan's stuff and suggested the idea of hooking up. Tom was gobsmacked by two things: The art itself and the fact that he already knew it! He'd seen Dan's work before and loved it. This seemed like destiny at work...

Luckily, Dan liked what he heard of Losers, and was up for becoming, essentially, 'Art-Loser'. I wanted every single, every download, to come with a piece of Dan Hillier artwork, then for all these images to appear collectively in a kind of collage on the album cover.

More than that, I wanted to become joined to Dan at the hip, in much the same way as Pete Fowler was to the Super Furry Animals. I love the fact that they've grown together and that Pete always did the SFA art. I knew Losers would make at least three albums, as the whole project had a concept and a plan that was three albums long at the outset, and loved the idea of us growing together.

So, then along came Distiller Records, and the campaign for our debut single, 'Flush', which features expert vocals from Riz MC and Envy. It was agreed that a video was needed, so ideas were sought. Mine was simple; to keep everything in line with this original idea, and therefore to try to animate Dan's artwork. I talked to Dan about it, and he said it'd be ace to put wires in all the knees, elbows and tentacles of these incredible creatures and walk them across a page using stop motion filming. He said he'd put the word out to his faithful, and duly did.

"Animator needed for Losers video, those who want money need not apply ;)"

The budget was tiny, derisory even, and animation takes a lot of people-power; it's usually the most expensive way of making a video. Nevertheless, three animators got in touch and expressed an interest. One of them, Tom Werber, had worked for some big pop names yet had heard of Losers and was more enthused by the idea than anyone. The awesome A&R/marketing dept at Distiller gave him the final nudge he needed to take this gargantuan task on and work began.

The one month schedule soon became two, then three, then almost four, as frame-by-frame, this astonishing piece of work came together. Tom and Dan, and others, worked their fucking nuts off on this, for bugger all money. Chris Cunningham and his crew did the same for Aphex Twin back in the day - some of the best art ever has come from poor, skint people, inspired to work way above and beyond the call of duty.

The duration of the project is why it's taken so long for 'Flush' to come out, but when you see this video, you'll see it was more than worth the wait. When it was finished, Tom and I looked at each other, with our jaws slack, shaking our heads and incredulous that WE could be involved in something THIS cool. I'm not exaggerating, this video will win an award, or awards... if it doesn't then I'll have to invent an award for it to win.

The whole thing has made Tom and I and everyone in the Losers camp almost explode with pride and joy. We hope you enjoy it as much as us. I would really love to know what you think, so please let me know via Facebook and Twitter - always the best ways to get in touch with me.

Please have a look at Dan's website, too - www.danhillier.com - I'd get in there and buy something while it's still relatively cheap, because this artists is far too talented for this art to remain this reasonably priced.

Lastly, I want to publicly thank Dan Hillier, Tom Werber and Distiller, for making this happen. You have my undying love and respect. When all is said and done, I know we have made on of the best videos that has ever been made, one that will be looked back upon with the same fondness and awe as 'Coffee & TV' by Blur or anything by Aphex Twin and Chris Cunningham.

I still can't quite believe it, every time I see it.

I'm pinching myself now...

No... not dreaming.

The video for 'Flush (feat Riz and Envy) by Losers, created by Tom Werber and Dan Hillier, will be aired exclusively for the next 24 hours on NME.com here.

With much love,
eddy X

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  Eddy's upcoming DJ/live dates

13 Mar:
Elastico, Madrid
17 Mar:
The Big Snow Festival, Arinsal
4 Apr:
The Ruby Lounge, Manchester
5 Apr:
Yeti Festival, Tirol
8 May:
The Playground, London (Losers live)
28 May:
Run To The Sun Festival (Remix Arena)
29 May:
Oakford, Reading (Losers live)
23 Jul:
Secret Garden Party

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5 Mar 2010

Enter Shikari - Juggernauts (Nero Remix) (Ambush Reality)
Audio Bullys - Better Man (Rock Mix) (Cooking Vinyl)
Gorillaz - Stylo (Labrynth SNES Remix feat Tinie Tempah) (Parlophone)
Plan B - She Said (Atlantic)
Professor Green - I Need You Tonight (Virgin)

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martin (Softwar Remix) (Kitsune)
Goldfrapp - Rocket (Grum Remix) (Mute)
Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - These New Knights (Stiff)
The Futureheads - Heartbeat (Black Noise Remix) (Blank CDR promo)

Foals - Spanish Sahara (Transgressive)
Groove Armada - Fall Silent (GA Recordings)
Pixelfist (vs Black Eyed Peas) - Boom Boom Pow (Unreleased)
Paul Weller - Wake The Nation (Zinc Remix) (Island Records)

UNKLE - Natural Selection (Surrender All)
The xx - Crystalised (Young Turks)
The Chemists - This City (Adam Freeland Remix) (Distiller)
Burns - So Many Nights (2112)
Casxio - Seventeen (Skrillex aka Sonny Moore Remix) (The Hours)

Robbie Williams - Difficult For Weirdos (Crookers Remix) (Virgin)
Yes Giantess - The Ruins (Neon Gold)
Penguin Prison - The Worse It Gets (Neon Gold)
The Diogenes Club - I Could Try To Explain (Urban Torque)
Major Lazer - Pon De Floor (Mad Decent)

Dan LeSac vs Scroobius Pip - Get Better (Jakwob Remix) (Sunday Best)
Drumsound & Bassline Smith - Clap Your Hands (Technique Recordings)
The Helmholtz Resonators - Bombs! (Manland Vanderide 'It's Snowing In the Ghetto But The Sun Still Shines Off My Pistol' Remix)
Hitchcock - Never Said A Word (Blank CD promo)

MIDNIGHT MADNESS MIX
Ellie Goulding
- Under The Sheets (Jackwob Remix) (Polydor)
The Prodigy - Breathe (numberNin6 Remix) Unreleased
Noisia - Machine Gun (Blank Promo)
Hadouken! - Turn The Lights Out (Surface Noise)
Zinc (feat Ms Dynamite) - While Out (We Love Bass)
Hot Chip - One Life Stand (Drums Of Death Remix) (Parlophone)
Gorillaz - Stylo (Alex Metric Remix) (Parlophone)

High Rankin - Meow Meow (Cheap Thrills)
Zongamin - Azzazza (Punks Jump Up Remix) (Blank CDR promo)
The Golden Filter - Hide Me (Rory Phillips Remix) (Brille)
Eliza Doolittle - Skinny Genes (Acid Washed Radio Remix) - (Parlophone)
May 68 - My Ways (Hit Club)

Shychild - Disconnected (Wall Of Sound)
Black Daniel - Here Comes Caesar (Dustbowl Recordings)
Stanley Odd - Think Of A Number (Circular Records)
DC Breaks - Halo (Viper Recordings)

REMIX REWIND
The Prodigy
- Rat Poison (XL)
Lionrock - Rude Boy Rock (Concrete)
Lofidellity Allstars - Disco Machine Gun (Skint)
Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You (Virgin)
Kelis - Milkshake (Freq Nasty's Hip Hall Mix) (Virgin)

REMIX LIGHTSIDE
Paloma Faith
- Upside Down (DC Breaks Mix) (Epic)
Nneka - Walking (Farhot Remix) (Yo Mamas)
Starkey (feat Anneka) - Stars (Planet Mu)
Heavyfeet - I Spy (AC Slater Remix) (Stamp! Beats)

REMIX DARKSIDE
The Qemists
- Your Revolution (Reso Remix) (Ninja Tune)
Diarmaid O'Meara - Selfish Bass (Gobsmacked Records)
Ed Rush & Optical (feat Scratch Perverts) - Get Ill (Blank CDR promo)

Listen Again at xfm.co.uk
Buy tracks from iTunes

Buy CD, vinyl and that from Amazon

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Barry Ashworth and Jason O'Bryan, aka the Dub Pistols, have spent over a decade at the forefront of bass culture. From their early singles for Concrete Records to their recent acclaimed album 'Speakers And Tweeters', they have mutated from a studio-based duo into a fully fledged live act featuring guest vocalists, Sugardaddy horn-blower Tim Hutton and scratch maestro DJ Stix. Their latest single, 'Ganja', taken from last year's 'Rum And Coke' album and featuring vocals from Rodney P, is out this week via Sunday Best Recordings. We spoke to Barry to find out more.

How did you start out making music?
I started making music in the early 80s after promoting bands and hanging out with the Happy Mondays and Stone Roses at a club I was running called Monkey Drum. I just thought, if they can start a band, so can I. And I did. We where rubbish but soon got better.

What inspired your latest single?
The new single, 'Ganja', and the last album, 'Rum And Coke', were both inspired by a trip to The Barbados Music Festival, where both things are available in abundance.

What process do you go through in creating a track?
We tend to come up with an idea then get a rough groove together, send it to a guest vocalist, and then slowly build the track around the vocals that they send back.

Which artists influence your work?
So many artists have influenced us over the years but I guess the main ones are The Specials, The Clash, Gregory Isaacs, The Skatalites and Beastie Boys.

What would you say to someone experiencing your music for the first time?
Enjoy the journey and be open minded.

What are your ambitions for your latest album, and for the future?
Just to keep doing what we are doing and hope people get it.

Dub Pistols links>> MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | Last.fm | CMU News-Blog

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ONLINE REMIXING COMMUNITIES

Boombox: news, tracks, forum at www.bmbx.org

Get Your Bootleg On: forum at www.gybo5.com

United Remixers Guild: downloads at www.theunitedremixersguild.com

--

SAMPLES

BAP Free Sounds: French site supplying erm, free sounds at: www.bap.free.fr

Beta Monkey: Free samples at www.betamonkeymusic.com

Loopasonic: Samples galore at www.loopasonic.com

Replay Heaven: Re-records samples to sound like the originals but avoid clearing problems
www.replayheaven.com

The Free Sound Project: Free sounds available for non commercial use under creative common licences freesound.iua.upf.edu

--

SOFTWARE

Acid: If you want to get into remixing you can do worse than download Acid. You can download the free version at mediasoftware.sonypictures.com/download/freestuff.asp

GarageBand: Mac users could also check out GarageBand. More info at www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/

Propellerhead Software: These guys produce a range of packages for making music. Check them out at www.propellerheads.se

Ableton Live: A favourite of many professionals, Ableton Live is available in a stripped down entry level version. More info at www.ableton.com

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The Remix is one of Xfm's longest running specialist shows. Each week you will find the artists and songs you love from Xfm daytime like you've never heard them before, reworked, rerubbed and, well, remixed for the dancefloor. You'll find the best indie remixes, plus the best in bootlegs, breaks, electronica and quality dance music, basically dance music that rocks.

The Remix was created and is presented and produced by Eddy TM, a true pioneer of dance music that rocks. You can hear the show every Friday at 10pm, across London on 104.9FM, across Manchester 97.7FM, and online at www.xfm.co.uk.

CMU and The Remix have been best friends since 2004, with Team CMU tapping into Eddy's knowledge and passion for the best boots, breaks and remixes across their media and, in particular, in The Remix Update, the free weekly e-bulletin from CMU that accompanies the radio show.

Want to get yourself on The Remix?
Send your tracks to Eddy Temple-Morris, Xfm, 30 Leicester Square, London, WC2H 7LA or upload to our dropbox at www.soundcloud.com/the-remix/dropbox


 
Andy Malt
Editor
Chris Cooke
Business Editor &
Co-Publisher
Caro Moses
Co-Publisher
           
Georgina Stone
Editorial Assistant
Owen Smith
Approval Officer
Paul Vig
Club Tipper

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