For people of a certain age the mere mention of Technotronic is likely to coerce wide grins of past adventures on a long abandoned dancefloor. ‘Pump Up The Jam’ has almost passed into the realms of pastiche but it remains eminently danceable. Remember this was 1989 when scruffy northern types wearing Joe Bloggs flares inhabited the musical landscape. Baggy was big and indie was taking its first baby steps towards a groovier planet. While Holland had its 2 Unlimited, Belgium produced Technotronic. The reality behind the clever marketing amounted to not much more than a Milli Vanilli group of individuals however. The brains was in fact a philosophy teacher from the States and its face a model come mime artist named Felly. The vocals on ‘Pump Up The Jam’ were actually provided by a rapper called Ya Kid K but her contribution was not revealed until years later. At this stage I guess nobody cares, all that matters is that ‘Pump Up The Jam’ gets your boody on the dancefloor tonight. KD

Technotronic - Pump Up The Jam

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Buy Album: [UK] This Beat Is Technotronic [US] Greatest Remix Hits
Year: 1989

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Here’s a nice antidote for what will probably be an avalanche of scare tactics dressed as music over the next few weeks. Morton Valence, while undoubtedly British based, are made up of a multi-national cast. If anyone has heard Sunny Day Sets Fire you’ll know that this sort of makeup can leave one with a pumping aorta and Morton Valence are no exception. ‘The Kiss’ is as huggable as twee indie pop has a right to be, there are soft edged harmonies aplenty and a boy/girl vocal interaction that’ll keep you in romantic mood setting soundscapes for years to come. And it all comes wrapped in the sort of magical glockenspiel wanderings that 2006 has splendidly tended to throw up at every opportunity. KD

Morton Valence - The Kiss

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Morton Valence: Stuff
Year: 2006

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The thing about being labelled the ‘next big thing’ is that it carries with it the great possibility that the entity in question could turn out to be the ‘next big flop’. From the moment Pelvis won an unsigned band competition sponsored by an international beer company it seemed as if they were destined for greatness. Never mind that their lead singer, Jonny Rowen, was the brother of the boy on the front cover of U2’s ‘Boy’ and ‘War’ albums, Pelvis were cut from a different cloth than most Dublin bands, their image was spot on and most importantly they could write memorable tunes. Appearances on Jools Holland and some guest slots for the Jesus & Mary Chain raised their profile even further. But then it all fell apart as quickly as it had come together. They legacy remains their sporadically brilliant debut album titled ‘Who Are You Today?’ which included ‘What Makes You Dance?’. Subtle and emotionally charged the song languishes in a vat of melody created through a bedrock of seasaw jangling guitars and Rowen’s fragile outpourings. KD

Pelvis - What Makes You Dance?

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Buy Album: [UK] Who Are You Today [US] Who Are You Today
Year: 1999

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The Longcut’s ‘A Call And Response’ is more evidence to prove that northern England or Manchester to be precise still has the ammunition to produce great guitar bands. The trio have been on the go for over 2 years now having met at University. The album is interlaced with all manner of guitar surges, lively percussion and Stuart Ogilvie’s refined singing. They claim to owe much of their inspiration to Sonic Youth yet there is a distinctively British feel to much of what they produce. ‘A Tried And Tested Method’ is one of their standout moments. Bedecked in chiming chords and a rotund bass rumble it comes into its own about the 2-minute mark when a solitary riff creates a procession all on its own. The dynamics are engaging and when they are twinned with the Longcut’s keen sense of melody you know you are onto a winner. KD

The Longcut - A Tried And Tested Method

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Buy Album: [UK] A Call and Response [US] Call & Response
Year: 2006

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Despite crafting lo-fi wonderments since 1990 the closest thing Stereolab have come to widespread attention happened when Laetitia Sadier guested on Blur’s ‘To The End’ in 1994. Since the heady early singles Stereolab have increasingly fixated on the notion of music as an experimental noise laboratory with the result that their output has become increasingly tougher to penetrate. Following the tragic death of backing singer Mary Hansen the band released ‘Margarine Eclipse’ in 2004 and it was widely regarded as a return to form. ‘Le Boob Oscillator’ can be found on the excellent odds and sods compilation ‘Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On, Vol. 2’ and was a firm John Peel favourite. It’s not difficult to see why as the song boasts all Stereolab’s finer points, the recurring yet alluring drone, Sadier’s sexy vocals and the bands penchant for veering away from the primary route. KD

Stereolab - Le Boob Oscillator

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Buy Album: [UK] Refried Ectoplasm [US] Refried Ectoplasm: Switched On, Vol. 2
Year: 1995

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Brooklynites Oxford Collapse have just released their third album. It’s their first with the legendary Sub Pop label and it may be about to get the scribes rewriting their top 10 lists for 2006. ‘Remember The Night Parties’ is a joie-de-vivre ride full of rollercoaster tunes and off-kilter rhythms. It’s a case of the classic indie pop template being given a fresh new individualistic makeover. The album skirts about with frantic abandon but it is not always so. Opener ‘He’ll Paint While We Play’ pushes a jangling collection of guitar chords and a vocal that swoons so dreamily you might just levitate. The instrumentation is note perfect, reconvening Explosions In The Sky’s patented marching band dalliances. Open your brain to another new band, and start making use of the dormant 90%. KD

Oxford Collapse - He'll Paint While We Play

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Buy Album: [UK] Remember the Night Parties [US] Remember the Night Parties
Year: 2006

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‘Waterfall’ has been mashed up before of course. If you ever saw the Stone Roses in concert you’d have witnessed Ian Brown doing a pretty good job of annihilating the precious tune all on his own. That said, the very thought of a non-stone-rose messing about with this bona fida classic might be akin to animal cruelty for some Roses fans (me!). Kudos then to Sam Flanagan, DJ, who has created a magical union from Lily Allen’s 'LDN' vocals and the backing track to ‘Waterfall’ (the non-album version with trippy beats). The marriage is remarkable, utterly irresistible and pretty danceable to boot. Flanagan has a host of other mash up’s on his myspace page but they struggle to challenge the seamless joinery achieved on his Water Lilly (hmmm, cute). No indie disco worth its salt should be without this. Lily Allen has at last become what she set out to be; a sugar spun sister. KD

The Stone Roses V Lily Allen - Water Lilly (Sam Flanagan Mix)

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Year: 2006

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Can’t understand how I missed this Brighton band. They’ve been on the go since 1998 and last year recorded their third album ‘Axes’ with Steve Albini but it was only recently that someone pointed them out to me. Seems their sound is ever shifting so I’ve decided to make tracks for the beginning and it doesn’t get much earlier than their first single released on the Skint label. ‘Film Music’ later found itself amongst the other organ fests scattered about their debut ‘Rock It To The Moon’. Put Stereolab, Ray Manzarek, Clinic, Rob Collins and Clint Boon in a twin tub, turn up the thermostat and let the colours run and you’ve got some idea of the precious glories expounded by ‘Film Music’. It’s exotic and layered with so many wonderful bursts of creativity you might imagine someone has dropped a tab in your cornflakes. But no, this is the real deal, those who pray at the altar of farfisa will soon be winging their way to organic heaven. KD

Electrelane - Film Music

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Buy Album: [UK] Rock It to the Moon [US] Rock It to the Moon
Year: 2001

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This is one for historians trying to imagine life in Ireland before the economy went on its vertical curve. Yep, it wasn’t pretty as the only option for college graduates was to emigrate to the distant lights of London, Boston and Sydney. Back in 1993 three of us headed to Essex in search of employment, we found it, but our bargain basement existence still sends shivers down my spine. Tiberius Minnows came from windswept Tyrone and foraged with an unexpected jangly repertoire. ‘Time Flies’ is delightfully innocent, especially mournful yet it has a wonderfully uplifting momentum. Those who remember the depression will shed a tear, for everyone else perhaps it’s time to reflect on how lucky we are to be living in such a time of plenty. KD

Tiberius Minnows - Time Flies

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Buy Album: The Sound Of Lemington Spa
Year: 1992

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In a world of shameless copycats Tindersticks and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds exist as 2 distinct forces despite having vocals that are difficult to differentiate. Tindersticks reputation as dour miserablists is hard to counter yet the achingly beautiful moments that are scattered through their back catalogue make them a worthwhile investment. ‘Marbles’ is one of their early singles, which set Stuart Staples (now a solo artist) as the master storyteller while an unforgettable guitar riff incessantly backs up the eerie organ drifts. There are abundant harmonies and even though the strange emissions attempt to interrupt the clear chord distillation nothing can take from its hypnotic glare. Nottingham has a failing football club (even if fortunes are on the up) yet it can be proud of its diminutive musical heritage that includes Tindersticks and Six By Seven. KD

Tindersticks - Marbles

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More Info: Official
Buy Album: [UK] 1st Tindersticks Album [Includes Bonus Disc] [US] Tindersticks
Year: 1993

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8 Ball are one of the more interesting acts to emerge from Dublin in recent times. Their stage shows askew the standard indie prototype in favour of an updated Altern8 psycho’s in white masks routine among others. Bursting with 7 members their music is invigoratingly experimental, sometimes a little difficult to absorb but repeated plays reveal a giant labyrinth of satisfying detours. Take ‘The Big Blue’ with its creeping Sound Team rhythms and a singer with an uncanny vocal resemblance to Kele Okereke and you’ll see why 8 Ball are revelling in a magical corner of the musical spectrum. They even have a song called ‘The Whoop Whoop Song’, a line that could perfectly footnote much of what they produce. 8 Ball are due to play the Hard Working Class Heroes showcase next weekend and will doubtlessly be plugging their debut album which is on release through Lakota Records. KD

8 Ball - The Big Blue

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Year: 2006

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Don’t know much about Yvel, from what I can gather he is one half of a DJ act and is friends with Matthew Siskin of Levy. The rest, it seems, remains a mystery despite rigorous googling and D.I. like searches on both his myspace and official websites. Anyway at this early stage all that matters is the music that Yvel is making. Important may be too strong a word but his plush orchestral sound is a huge step up from 99% of the music doing the rounds. ‘Burn Like Fire’ beats with such a warm heart you could imagine it doing the trick on a cage full of out of control gorillas. The strings are expansive and Yvel’s voice has a rich maturity that gives the piece added gravitas. One to watch and learn more about. Yvel towers. KD

Yvel - Burn Like Fire

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Year: 2006

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It may be hard to spell but Buenos Aires sure does pack a punch, not least since the economy meltdown a couple of years back. Strolling through its streets can feel like a visit to a historical European city but it also beats with that bubbly Latino spirit. So it only seems natural that a band would want to sing about its charms and that’s what Martin Kelly’s new band have done. Kelly was a member of the mid-nineties blast that was Sunbear and his new initiative is shaping up just as sweetly and a little cuddlier (Danielle Harrison's cooing on 'Buenos Aires' certainly elevates matters). The ‘Switch’ single has already left a glorious fuzzy mark (available for free download from the bands website btw) and the new album ‘Dressing Up’ promises to bring the summer back from the brink of winter. With the official album launch still a couple of weeks away ‘Buenos Aires’ will do just dandy. KD

The Ruby Tailights - Buenos Aires

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More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Album: Dressing Up
Year: 2006

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Some people reading this won’t have been around when the committed wasted long hours putting together a mix tape. It’s so easy nowadays, a hard drive, blank CD and free burning software is all it takes to promote your taste in music. Forward, rewind, pencilling in the half chewed plastic brown, endlessly pressing play and record (at the same time) ultimately lead to short spells of dizziness yet a certain sense of pride emerged as the promised land that was the 90 minutes mark was met by fade out on the final track. Perfect! Mix tapes were made for bands like the Rewinds because their songs are self-contained rhapsody’s that show up the competition for all its lumpen prancing. ‘Ghostriders’ is instantly likeable, sweetly struck guitars meet a molten melodic chorus that is as fresh as a young sailor in a cyclops cave. Not surprisingly its ready charm has led to its inclusion onto several indie mag compilations and its appeal will surely thrust these Alabama natives into the spotlight. KD

The Rewinds - Ghostriders

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Buy Album: [UK] The Rewinds [US] The Rewinds
Year: 2006

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The Wylie three (Ben, Aaron and Nathan) saw fit to look beyond the family to round off their group so turned to lifelong friend Jason Nickel to supply Au4’s elegant bass turns. The Vancouver quartets debut album ‘On: Audio’ has been 5 years in the making but its lush directions are going to keep a lot of people happy over the coming winter months. Au4’s music is a rich tapestry that cross-pollinates from the best directions of the shoegaze/dreampop/electronica movements (think Underworld, Mew, Air). As a whole ‘On: Audio’ takes a while to bed down (when it does it will make love to your ears) but there are a few moments that connect almost immediately like ‘A Mile from Here Is a Hole Where I Buried Your Love’ and 'Everything Always Moving'. The latter is ever so soft initially before gradually metamorphosing into a fully blown (and remarkable) ode to Slowdive. But this is no second rate doppleganger, in fact at its hyperventilating zenith it is absolutely captivating and a welcome shot in the arm for the current shoegaze revival. Let those tears you've been holding back for years flow. KD

Au4 - Everything Always Moving

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Year: 2006

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The Bravery were such an honest mistake. Their early singles were unconditionally fabulous but the album was ultimately a damp squid. Much like the scene that they were reprising they have turned out to be a pretty fab singles band, not so good long player purveyors. Scissors For Lefty plough a similar territory but the evidence so far suggests that they draw from a richer seam of talent. Coming from San Francisco they have been snapped up by the British based Rough Trade label. So far ‘Ghetto Ways’ has been the track that has systematically ripped through the blogosphere with the fervour of a prerecorded Sufjan fart. Instantly digestible and blessed with a brilliant bass riff it will be the star turn at the upcoming office Christmas party season. I prefer ‘Next To Argyle’ though because it twitches with a nervous energy rather than a sustained sense of confidence. Let it play its way into your psyche until you swell with an overwhelming sense of giddiness. KD

Scissors For Lefty - Next To Argyle

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Buy Album: [UK] Underhanded Romance [US] Underhanded Romance
Year: 2006

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Montreal is at it all over again as the French/English speaking collective Harvee unleash their ‘Sink Or Swim’ EP. The case for Harvee’s impending invasion of the record buying publics hearts sees ‘Father Was A Gambler’ sustain a breathtaking excellence throughout. It belches colourful plumes of activity in the form of dainty harmonies, propulsive rhythms and a glockenspiel on speed. Must be difficult to keep 6 band members busy all the time but this number’s vivaciousness could only be achieved through the dogged machinations of half a dozen musically well-heeled individuals. As the brass and organs soup it up towards the end you’ll likely become lost for words or merely unable to wipe the wide childhood grin from your face. Seems the fire has moved beyond the arcade. KD

Harvee - Father Was A Gambler

More Info: Official & Myspace
Buy Harvee's: Sink Or Swim EP
Year: 2006

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