September 2012 - Burning Man Special!

Evening all.

You might have guessed from the title that I've been to the utterly brilliant mind-fuck that was Burning Man festival. Unbeknownst to many, it's not just acid and dreadlocks; there's a ridiculous amount of great music knocking about too. These are my personal highlights, most of which were play(a)ed by DJs while thousands danced their leopardskin-tutu'd little bee-hinds off in the middle of the Nevada desert. Bloody brilliant.

Right. Away we go.



1. James Blake - Limit To Your Love (Alex Dimiou Remix)

I hate it when remixes fuck up the original. It's probably the ultimate musical sacrilege: the equivalent of those idiots who modify Vauxhall Corsas so they've got an exhaust the size of an elephant's trunk and make a noise like a rampant mosquito. Dickheads, the lot of em. Luckily though, Mr. Dimiou has resisted that temptation, simply adding a mellow groove to this already flawless song, meaning that instead of crying alone in a dark corner, you will now be dancing... whilst crying alone in a dark corner.

2. Hall & Oates - I Can't Go For That (Virgin Magnetic Material Amine Edge Dub)

Probably a little biased here, given how much of a sucker I am for the original of this track, but that bassline is so God-damn BOUNCY that I just can't help myself.

3. Lee Foss - You Got Me

One of those ones that doesn't sound quite as good when you're listening to it on headphones, staring at an Excel spreadsheet and wondering when Monday's pain will end. But just for one second, try and imagine yourself, with the sun on your face, in sweltering heat, ice cold cocktail in one hand and whatever you want in the other (go wild), dancing away to this. Yep. You got it.

4. Jessie Ware - Running (Disclosure Remix)

Yes yes, I put this in July's, but is it not brilliant? Is it not? Are you not entertained? Just listen to that drop on 1min 17... Yeeeeees!

5. Amine Edge, Dance - Going to heaven with the Goodie Goodies

THE song of Burning Man for me. Heard it a few times, and people were going bonkers. It seems to turn hordes of apparently vaguely sensible people into stomping, dribbling monsters. Well, I think it was the track...

6. Tomas Barfod - November Skies 

55,000 views. Fifty five fucking thousand! Justin Bieber - Boyfriend has had over 150 MILLION. The world is a horrible, twisted place. I'm going to get this to 150m by myself, right now.

7. SBTRKT - Pharoahs

An oldie, but a very goodie. Coupled with the fact that we listened to this while I traveled across the desert on a giant toilet. You don't believe me?

Mad props to DJ Tobsey.

8. Finnebassen - Touching Me

"I don't want nobody else no, holding me touching me"
That's not what they were saying at the hippie orgie...

9. Julio Bashmore - Au Seve

Trust Don Julio to round off a good party. Au Seve, one of the tunes of the summer, has been killing it all summer. The Burrrn was no different. A perfect little dance track. You get what you think is going to be the staple riff 31 seconds in. It builds to a drop, it drops on 1min 17 but then in comes that cheeky little monkey on 1min 21 and you're off with the fairies. Then the mega-drop comes in from 3min and your head explodes. Bashmore you little beauty.




Well that's it, I'll be back soon to seduce you into the encroaching winter darkness in a bit. You'll get less synth and more strum in the next one. Probably.

Chip's Blips - JULY 2012

[Sheepishly shuffles in from side-stage]


I'm back. Sorry it's been so long, but I'm back.

Now let's get on with it shall we?







Pesky VEVO on YouTube means that most of these videos now annoying have ads before them. So you might have to be a bit more attentive with your clickthroughs. 


The other option is to listen to it on Spotify:





There you go. Now you have to listen to it.


1. Rhye - Open 

Sexy, sexy song. Treacle vocals, finger clicks and a swoony sax. What more could you want? (Just don't have the music video open at work)

2. Zulu Winter - Silver Tongue

New indie kids making obscenely catchy tunes. I guarantee you'll be trying to sing "playing obvious" by the 2nd chorus. Get the whole album, it's a belter.

3. Tomas Barfod - November Skies

Softly-spoken techno at its finest here. Reminiscent of a certain Trentemoller in his heyday. Slightly wintry for this time of year, but that's pretty much the only fault I can find here. Incredible vocal, just the right amount of click vs bass, cleaning out at exactly the right times. Brilliance. Again - get the album.

4. Chromatics - I'm On Fire 

I felt a little ill when I saw the upload date on this video. I could've had this song in my life in 2010! Just cruel. I don't normally go for cover songs, but very very occasionally they manage to capture something really special in a different way. Bruce Springsteen would be proud.

5. Ghostpoet - Survive It

This is slightly on the old side now but to be honest I don't care. This is just beautiful music, and still hasn't got old after its 100th listen. The clash between Ghostpoet's down-and-out verses and the swirling, ethereal chorus - "No no no no no no no, ain't got a licence to kill like Double O, I just wanna live life and survive it" - is a wonder.

6. Polica - Lay Your Cards Out

One of my favourite new bands at the moment with their headline track off their new album "Give You The Ghost". Like a darker, dubbier version of the XX. Dig in.

7. Charli XCX - Nuclear Seasons

Catchy little bit of pop here from what looks like Marina & The Diamonds' little sister.

8. Zulu Winter - Never Leave

I'm putting another Zulu track in mainly because it's my playlist and I can do whatever I want. Their album is chock-full of corkers like this.

9. Paradis - La Ballade De Jim

Heard this a while ago on one of the INCREDIBLE podcasts that are coming out of Beats In Space. If you like this kind of music, get involved. Their entire back catalogue is on there too. My favourite one is the Slow Hands guest mix, but let me know if you find a better one. But back to the track, isn't it lovely?

10. Jessie Ware - Running (Disclosure Remix)

If there's a track that makes you want to dance more than this one, I'm yet to find it. The drops are just perfect - LOVE the combination of vocal distortion in the build up with the clean break.

11. Erik Satie - Gymnopedie No.1

A quiet one to finish as usual. One of those you always hear but never know what it actually is. Well now you do. Sad and incredibly beautiful.



Enjoy your weekend Blippers!

Autumn Special - The End Of The Road

Chip's Blips went on holiday this summer. Maybe it was a lack of summer sun, maybe it was a lack of inspiration, but the music just wasn't flowing. I'm not going to lie, I was scared. Yes reader, scared. Scared that the music had left me, and I'd never get it back. Then I went to a festival, full of bands that I'd never heard of before (and some I had). It gave me ammunition to fill my ears with joy and wonderment once more.

You could probably call it the aural equivalent of a vision quest. A listen quest if you will (not the right part of speech but hey it sounds good).

It was a journey into folk, mostly. And my oh my, once you break through that hemp-covered, slightly crusty exterior, you discover that all the stigma attached to the genre (the sniggers from people when I told them I was going to a folk festival) is more often than not completely unfounded. As you will see from this playlist, there are some utter gems lying in the mossy musical undergrowth. I've just dusted them down for you to gaze at. If you don't believe me, just listen to the first track on the playlist. Then try and tell me that isn't heart-meltingly good.

Anyways, I am back and that's all you care about! You don't want to hear any more from me, you just want the music. So without further ado, 9 folky belters:

I've also made a Spotify playlist of similar tracks, but with slightly better quality (and with a song from Skinny Lister in there - you must click only for this.)

END OF THE ROAD

1. Sam Amidon - Saro

I think I could listen to this forever. His voice has the same mesmerising timbre as Bon Iver. One of those sounds that makes you both sad and happy in equal measure. Bee-yootiful.

2. Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall

Another brand-new band for me here. I'm a sucker for this kind of airy sound; splashy drums, ghostly whooping, simple catchy riff. It's all there!

3. This Is The Kit - Two Wooden Spoons

Stunning, stunning song this. The quality on the Spotify version is the real deal, so if you like the YouTube one then it's fairly safe to say that the other one is going to blow your socks off. Have a listen to "Our Socks Forever More" if you like this.

4. Beirut - Vagabond

Many of you will I'm sure be familiar with Beirut already. So was I, but I had never seen them live before and hadn't had the chance to listen to their new album beforehand. This was the standout track live. Amazing brass section. Sure, it's a bit odd, but who isn't?

5. Joan As A Policewoman - The Magic

Right, now if this doesn't make it onto an iTunes (or other suitably cool brand) advert soon then i'll eat the proverbial hat. Poppy goodness. Similar to Lissie a year or two ago. Like.

6. Treefight For Sunlight - Facing The Sun

Another happy, sparkly indie number. One for the headphones when you're walking through the park on a cold, sunny day.

7. Twin Shadow - At My Heels

Without a doubt the highlight of my festival. I've been a massive fan since the first track I heard. I fell in love with the album, and the live set was equally good. This is my favourite song off the album, and tellingly was the one song that stuck in my head when the festival finished. If you haven't bought this album yet, I implore you to do so. [Lies prostrate on floor trying to look as imploring as possible]

8. The Walkmen - The Rat

Slightly out of place band at a folk festival, but obviously wasn't complaining given that I got to hear the famous Rat live.

9. Wild Nothing - Summer Holiday

Another set of dreamy American songstrels (no, I don't mean attractive, I mean.. oh you know what I mean) that I was really keen to see. Well, they were slightly disappointing, but I think that probably had something to do with the fact that it was raining outside. I get the feeling that if you saw these guys sitting on a patch of grass in the blazing sunshine you'd just want to float away on a tiny joyful gondola, whistling merrily.

Sounds good to me.

That's all folks (see what I did there). I'll try not to be so long next time.

Chip's Blips - June 2011

Balls. I'm one minute late with no time to write blurbs.

I will write some tomorrow evening!

In the meantime, here is my wonderful June playlist, full of summer delights.

Enjoy

1. The Sea And Cake - Covers

2. Boards Of Canada - Roygbiv

3. Geographer - Original Sin

4. Little Dragon - Blinking Pigs

5. Hypnolove - Holiday Reverie

6. Destronics - Symptom (From The Crisis)

7. Radiohead - Separator

8. Bibio - The Ephemeral Bluebell

9. Fleet Foxes - The Shrine / An Argument

Crikey there are some good ones in there!

Adam's Blips - June 2011

Evening all and welcome back to another Guest edition of Chip's Blips. The days are long and the nights are heavy, so what we all really need are some real summer bangers to get those juices flowing. Well, it's no coincidence that this honorary Blipper is bringing you just that. Sit back and relax. That is, sit back until you are forced out of your chair by an uncontrollable urge to dance.

"Because All The James Blake Songs Were Taken"

1. Sebastian – Embody

Most folk will remember him for embodying the big French distortion-house "movement" of 2006-2008 with huge tunes like 'Ross Ross Ross' and 'Dog'. For reference see: Justice. Big Seb's debut LP 'Total' is out in the next few days on Ed Banger and this is the first single. It's got all the hallmarks of a SebastiAn record - chunky slap bass and cut-up samples, but it's learnt a few new tricks along the way. Namely vocals, and soul. Cracking video, too.

2. Woodkid – Iron

I have no idea who this guy is or where he came from, but he's produced a big, beautiful track with absolutely flawless production. Can't get enough of the drums in particular. Quite mournful in a lot of ways, but puts a big smile on my face regardless.

**edit – Sinc I first read this, this track has beenn featured in the new trailer for the Assassins Creed Xbox game and he’s blown up somewhat. It’s a great choice of song for the trailer, search youtube for ‘Assassin’s Creed Revelations’.

3. Pavement – Carrot Rope

An oldie. One of the greatest bands of all time with one of my favourite Summer tunes. Absolutely no idea what the lyrics are about, mind.

4. SBTRKT – Living Like I Do

You can't get away from SBTRKT at the moment. You can't even switch on Radio 1 without 'Wildfire' being all up ins. This is the single from before that, and it's a lush slice of two-sep goodness with a great vocal from Sempha (as usual). It's close to grime, I suppose, but it's a clean, pure sort of grime. Shiny grime. Or something.

5. Siriusmo – Wow

Possibly my favourite producer at the moment. Extraordinarily talented, this guy knows how to craft a mean beat, and has a fierce grasp on earworm melodies as well. His work rate is also second to none - he's got a 4 disc album coming out with over 80 (80!) tracks on it. Check out some of his work with Modeselektor if you want to get initiated but also try his remix of Breakbot's 'Baby I'm Yours' or his original track 'Mosaik' to get an idea of just how varied and exciting this guy's output can be.

6. Hot Natured – Forward Motion

Hot. Fucking. Jam.

7. Andhim - Extragold

A very sexy, soulful house tune from this talented duo. Their tunes have a tendency to all sound very similar, but I think this is the pinnacle of what they've achieved so far. Listen if: You like deep, bouncy, pulsing but smooth bass. It's fairly sparse in it's arrangement but it still manages to feel chunky enough so get people going on the dancefloor.

8. Broken Bells – The Ghost Inside

The lead singer of the Shins, and Dangermouse. A potent combination. The whole album is a delicious slice of wonky indie-pop, and this is my highlight..

9. Danny Daze - Your Everything (ft. Louisahhh)

Hello record label of the year. I like you.

10. The Tallest Man on Earth – A Lion’s Heart
Chicks dig acoustic guitar: fact. They also dig dudes with weird voices. This ticks both those boxes. Imagine Dylan and Paolo Nutini's bastard child and you're getting close. And disturbing.

11. Louis La Roche – Prick Stick

Whenever people use the term 'Funky House', this is the sort of thing I wish they would be talking about. Instead, they're talking of useless shitty music that you shouldn't be listening to at all. Punchy as fuck once that lead guitar kicks in.

12. Goat – Sugar We’re Going Down

Shout out to Damola Timeyin, who is constantly sending me track after track on Spotify. It's all garbage, of course, but I found this browsing his private library. Yeah it's a cover of a Fall Out Boy song, what of it? It's an acoustic, beachy song with, bizarrely, a drum and bass beat. A subtle one, though. I'm not explaining this very well am I? Damola also wears nice shirts.

13. Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better

It's Summer! Celebrate!

14. Everything Everything – Final Form

Apparently I’m quite slow off the mark on this one. I like to watch it at the same time as those extreme sports videos where someone jumps off a cliff but he’s wearing a suit that lets him glide for miles. It helps me forget that I get the tube to work.

15. Apparat – Circles

Because it just came on iTunes randomly. Gorgeous.


EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS SONG


Datarock – Computer Camp Love

A touching (and amusing) indie-dance song about a guy who met a slutty tramp called Judie on Computer Camp. Just kidding, she's a nice girl. The song even says so!

Damola's Blips - June 2011

Well, good evening all and welcome to another edition of Chip's Blips. This has been a long time coming, but finally Mr Timeyin has stepped up to the plate. For that I am grateful, and I'm sure you will be too once you finish listening to this gem of a playlist. Some real discoveries on there for me. That's what this site is all about - spreading the love!

I bring you Damola's Blips:

1. Maverick Sabre - I Used To Have It All

This guy is reminiscent of an early Finlay Quaye; whatever happened to that guy? His the sound of voice betrays the exterior of the man, but one must never judge a book by it's cover.


2. Michael Kiwanuka - Tell Me A Tale

If I didn't know better, this voice, production and quality of music could only come from the studios of Motown decades before many of us reading this were alive. Surprisingly this comes from the here and now and retains a classic quality.


3. Ashin' Kusher-Kid Cudi

I had very little time for Kid Cudi and his music, his attitude sucked and his swagger was just a bit off key. Then I happened to listen to his latest album Man on the Moon II on a day where I was pretty pissed off with everyone and everything. That's when I suddenly understand what this kid was doing, why his swag was so unruly and why Kanye West rates him so highly. Best alt-hip-hop out there musically right now.


4. CREEP - You (feat Nina Sky)

Nina Sky were as bubble gum Hip-Pop as we were ever going to get, then they grew up.


5. The Budos Band - Adenji

When I get married I want them to play at my wedding. Their brass cuts through, hits hard and makes you want to do something, anything. If this music put down roots it would grow in to one hell of an oak tree.

6. AU79 - Tyler

His album was highly anticipated, and quite frankly over rated in my opinion. I feel the stand out track is an instrumental that is brilliant and definitely worth skipping a few songs to get to.


7. Jay electronica - San Pellegrino with lemon

Jay Electronica is my favourite rapper of the last 10 years and the man has not released an album. His eloquence and gravitas is unrivaled in the rap game. His music makes sense, it's has impact and relevant.


8. Pushing Hands - He's Still Here

These guys are new and forging a nice sound that leaves you pretty damn satisfied at the end. I like what they do and how they do it.


9. Gonzales - Overnight

Please listen to this and the rest of the Solo Piano album, it is littered with the best post modern classical/polystylistic piano music I have heard. The entertainment in the delivery and the sheer quality of the composition is outstanding.

May 2011 - Girls

And the deluge of musical wonderment continues.

Today we have Chip's very own Blips; they've been stewing in the pot for a long time, I just haven't had the time to write the pesky blighters up. But now I do. It's a Bank Holiday, the sun is hidden behind a grey wall of sludgy cloud and it sure ain't coming out anytime soon. So what better activity than bringing you my first ever themed Blip!

And the theme is girls. We all like them, some of us are them, and it turns out that lots of bands like them enough to name a song after them.

Here are 12 of my favourites:

(YouTube embed not working. Argh. Please open the link in a new tab/window and I will try to embed the playlist asap.)

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?p=PL5B9B5FABBBEB1016&feature=mh_lolz

1. Javelin - Susie Cues

A great little intro track here from NYC oddballs Javelin. The album is a bit of a mess if I'm honest (have a listen to Moscow 1980 if you like this), but this tiny slice of sunshine is a welcome edition and a fitting start.

2. Miike Snow - Silvia

Teeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellll meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-eeeeeeee-ooooooooo-eeeeeeeeeeee. I love singing that. Most of you will have heard this already (and if you haven't then you're in for a treat) but that doesn't make it any less brilliant.

3. Friendly Fires - Paris

This has probably been the most featured song in the history of Chip's Blips. And for good reason. 3 minutes and 51 seconds of top drawer (socks/cutlery) poppy goodness. The hazy chorus never gets old. I haven't bought their new album yet but I'm looking forward to it.

4. Million Young - Cynthia

A brand-spanking new track for you Blippers, and the track that inspired the theme. Quite a similar sound to Friendly Fires actually, but with much cleaner electronic gurgles and less feedback. A lovely little number. And the video only has 323 views (and it's not even on Spotify), so that automatically makes it cool. Doesn't it?

5. Soap & Skin - Cynthia

Ahh I'm messing with your heads - 2 songs in a row called Cynthia? WHAT THE DEVIL IS GOING ON. Crazy business that's what. I put this song up way back in 2009, tipping her for greatness, but it sadly didn't happen for her (I tipped Ellie Goulding though - hey you can't win 'em all). And if her songs were this sad back in 2009 then I dread to think what her next album is going to sound like. Beautiful stuff though.

6. Yeasayer - Grizelda

Grizelda! Brilliant! Why oh why aren't more people called Grizelda? Such a strong name. So much character and mystique. Actually, sod it, I'm off to the Deed Poll offices.

7. Kings Of Convenience - Mrs Cold

Sweet relief. Kings of Convenience somehow manage to remove all stress from my head and replace it with a serene, zen-like state of tranquility. My mind is a millpond. Shhhhhh.

8. Mystery Jets - Lorna Doone

If you haven't bought the Eel Pie islanders' latest album Serotonin then you really really should. Gone are the meaningless indie tinklings. This is proper music. Innit.

9. Sleigh Bells - Rachel (Atrium Remix)

I hate Sleigh Bells. I really do. If you listen to the original of this, you'll understand. If you combine an average voice with some really average 'rave sounds' then the end-product is guaranteed to be, well, average. I don't care if Zane Lowe was drooling over it like a 14yr old with his first porn mag, it still doesn't make it good. Yes, they are doing something different, but why should 'different' automatically constitute good? It's admirable that they decided to step out of the line most-trodden, but unfortunately for them they stepped out of the line right into a freshly laid, steaming, musical cowpat. It seems the line was most-trodden for a reason. Luckily, this remix manages to rein in the scratching, shouting and general bollocks. Which suddenly makes it sound quite good.

10. Pantha Du Prince - Asha

Just to demonstrate how shit the last band really are, I've put 2 electronic masterpieces in to follow them. Yankee Nu-Ravers: hang your heads in shame, because this is what real talent sounds like. Bleepy German talent. And yes, Asha is a real girl's name. Facebook said so.

11. Ellen Allien & Apparat - Jet

If Sleigh Bells haven't killed themselves yet, they will by the end of this. Techno wonderment from one of my favourite albums of all time, Orchestra Of Bubbles. If you like this, try Rotary. Pure class. And yes, Jet was the name of a Gladiator. It definitely counts.

12. M83 - Kim & Jessie

Some ethereal dreaminess to finish from M83. And we get two girl's names for the price of one. What more could you ask for?

-----------------------------------------------------

So there we have it Blippers, the first themed playlist comes to an end. Did you enjoy it? Have I missed any girl's name songs? Any other themes you would like to explore?

As ever, please just get in touch if you want to do a guest Blip or have requests for themes. Anyone with 9 songs and the ability to write a sentence for each song is welcome.

We have another Blip on the way next week, so stay close!

Over and out.

Bear's Blips - May 2011

Been a long time / i should'na left you / without a dope beat to step to / step to step to step to / step step step / wickiwicki

That little ditty sums up my feelings about the recent paucity of Chip's Blips action. I can only apologise, and placate you with promises of some exceedingly lovely music arriving on your cochleal doorstep in the very near future.

And here's the first example, a wonderful selection from a wonderful bear!

Sit back and enjoy.

1. James Blake - A Case Of You (Joni Mitchell Cover)

Is it me or is Blake starting to sound a lot like the transgender dude Hegarty from Anthony the Johnson’s? No, maybe just me then. But who cares, this cover of ‘A Case of You’ by Joni is a real good sound for the ears.

2. The 2 Bears - Church

Well I do love a nice Bear, and these two chaps are real nice. Raf Rundell and Joe Goddard (Hot Chip dude) keep releasing endlessly saaweet tunes. Keep your eyes peeled for The Bearhug EP which is set for release in June with Southern Fried Records.

3. Digits – Lost Dream

Probably one of my fave tunes of the year to date. The Lost Dream E.P is a great listen, Toronto based Digits has a way with base and his music is described as ‘undisciplined pop’. Couldn’t agree more.

4. Oberhofer - I Could Go

Oh hello Bradley Oberhofer, you really know how to chime. This has indeed been doing the rounds for quite a while now, however, it is great and reminds me of my bike. So here it is.

5. Dominik Eulberg - Die 3 Millionen Musketiere

It was hard to pick a key track from Eulberg’s new album, but this one sure is a belter.

6. Okkervil River – Rider

‘And I fly out on my silver, scissoring wings’, well why not, when you have this in your head you can’t help but flap about.

7. Gang Gang Dance – MindKilla

This new album (in my opinion) is going to be one of 2011’s greats. The video is also vaguely terrifying, so check that out too

8. SBTRKT - Wildfire

Apparently Zane has hailed this ‘the hottest track in the world’; I will form my opinion when the full album is released in June. Still pretty hot none the less.

9. Junior Boys - Banana Ripple

Hello Summer, nice to see you, you are most welcome here.

10. Holy Ghost! – Slow Motion

Finally! I have been waiting in eager anticipation for this album, and it doesn’t disappoint.

11. Blackbird Blackbird – Hawaii (Niva Remix)

This is just good. An odd occasion that the remix in my eyes (or ears) is streets ahead of the original. And the original aint half bad.

12. Junip – In Every Direction – Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr Remix

Another beaut of a remix. I want a magic feather....

13. Ghostpoet – Cash and Carry Me Home (Original)

Amazing tune, Ghostpoet has a natural talent for taking everyday observations and turning them into A+ UK Hip Hop.

14. Santigold Ft. Karen O – Go

Where has Santigold been since like 2008? I don’t care, because this is worth waiting for.

15. Theme Park – Milk

Another summer suntime song. I bet this will be going round in your head all day. I will leave you with that.

HC's Blips - April 2011

Hi-de-ho campers, we are back again for another instalment of Chip's Blips. This time it's a whole nine songs of gloopy magic from our very own Dubmaster General. Some real belters in here.

So sit back (or forward - your choice) and enjoy!

1. Home Park - Beatdown (Joy Orbison's Narcissimix)

So now they call him Joy O?

2. Hackman - Blacksnake

Loving this one from Leeds based dubstep turned funky producer Hackman

3. George Fitzgerald - We Bilateral

One of my favourite producers right now.. hasn't failed yet, all his tunes are huge.

4. Jacques Greene - The Look (Koreless Remix)

Mellow vibes as always from 19 year old Koreless.

5. Alpines - Ice and Arrows (Dark Sky Remix)

2011 is Alpines' year.. these two will be big! Heres a solid remix of their debut track from Dark Sky.

6. Julio Bashmore -Around

This guy has been over the place in the last few months so I had to throw at least one of his tracks in.

7. Basement Jaxx - Red Alert (Steve Gurley mix)

A really nice remix of this one from back in the day.

8. Pariah - Crossed Out

Just a bit of a banger really..

9. Throwing Snow - Un Vingt

A real nice groove to this one.

April 2011

Good evening campers, and welcome to the latest springtime edition of Chip's Blips. As usual, we have 9 nuggets (actually, while we are on the subject of words ending it -ets, I bought some sweetcorn in a tin today. Bear with me. It was Green Giant, and underneath the logo, instead of a tagline like "crunchy yellow corn", they had decided to go with SweetNiblets. SWEET NIBLETS! Outrageously bad. Anyway, back to business) of wonderment for you this month, hopefully they will bring you joy, happiness and musical enlightenment. Or just keep you entertained for an hour. I'm happy with either outcome.

So press play and enjoy!

1. Mountain Man - How'm I Doin

3 mystical ladies to start us off this month. If this song was a carrot, it would be the one covered in mud, still with the stalk on. 100% organic. You can't get much purer music than this: three voices creating beautiful sounds. For those of you who pay attention, they are covering the Mills' Brothers version that I Blipped last year.

2. The Naked And Famous - Sun

Got the album by these Antipodean funksters last week and it's been in my ears for most available waking moments. This is my favourite track on the record; a dark and broody slow-builder, reminiscent of Radiohead in full flow. Spot on, top notch, full marks, thumbs up and plenty of other two-word statements of approval.

3. Kurt Vile - Ghost Town

The USA is churning these lo-fi minstrels like, well, a Galaxy Minstrel factory. This time it's Kurt Vile, another long-haired shoegazer, who is jumping on the bearded bandwagon with a delicious slice of dreamericana (just made that up, consider it copyright). Vile it most certainly isn't. (A little bit long it most probably is though)

4. Stealing Sheep - Mountain Dogs

From long and sad to short and perky. There's something sexual about that sentence but I'm not going to explore it. 2 minutes and 20 seconds of fun. That's longer than... Oh dear. And we're back with the innuendo. Shit. Help! This is embarrassing. Sorry. Ah. Umm, nothing to see here, move on. Ahem.

5. Swimming - Sun In The Island

It's the chorus of this song that gets me every time. One of those anthemic ones that just does something to your stomach and makes you want to belt out "Hold on for dear life/ if it feels riiiiiight!" at the top of your voice (really badly). I'm getting a lot of Placebo here. That's a good thing.

6. The Balconies - Do It In The Dark

Remember The Virgins? Remember the funky basslines? Welcome The Balconies, Canada's answer to those New York upstarts. If it doesn't get your foot tapping then it isn't connected to your body. Or you are dead inside. A shell of a human. The video is silly (so don't watch it), but who cares when the song is this good? A perfect pop song.

7. Dels - GOB (David Sitek Remix)

"I won't get swallowed by the gob/ swallowed by the darkness/ swallowed by the fog". What is the gob? I definitely don't want this to happen to me. Anyway, it's a brilliant re-work here by Dave Sitek (of TV On The Radio). The strings on the chorus and the slow bass make it for me; such a simple touch but so effective. Simple simple simple. That's the way to do it.

8. Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You

Two dancey numbers to finish. The first is Julio Bashmore who, as those in the know like to say, has been "tearing up dancefloors" for the past year. I don't say that, they do. I copied them to try and look cool. So, now that I do indeed look/sound cool, I can describe this track as a "banger" and make the affirmation that it is "guaranteed to melt faces" and "should come with a health warning". As in it is so good it could be bad for you. Like cake. No, not that kind of cake. Yeah ok, I don't get it either, this is all stuff that the people in the know talk about.

(Ask this guy, he definitely knows)

9. Vandroid - Master & Slave (Van She Tech Remix)

What an absolute monster to finish. Don't be scared by the beginning, it's just a silly intro. Try and listen to this really really loud, and just wait for 1min34 to arrive. This makes my brain tingle so much that I'm not really sure I could handle it for an extended period of time. It reminds me of the Rex The Dog numbers that were being churned out while I was at uni. Absolutely brilliant. Although the person in the know above probably wouldn't like it: it's totes not dubby enough.

And with that horrendous word-murder (if you really say that word you should be ashamed of yourself - obvs) I'm out.

-----------END OF TRANSMISSION-------------