The trouble with websites peddling free electronic music is you have to wade through a lot of chaff to get to the wheat. I have an aversion to anything that brushes up against new-age (you can keep your crystals and dolphins) and 145 bpm psy-trance (oonce-oonce-oonce) dumbness.  Best to stick to the likes of paid site lies Bleep and Boomkat.  Even

A few years ago now I was shooting the shit with a friend of a friend over a few beers. That day, the jukebox was getting hit hard with Red Hot Chilli Peppers and I went off into a mini, semi-humorous (or so I thought) rant about how they were overrated. Rather than engage in debate/discussion, my drinking buddy simply

1998. London Stansted Airport should be not named as such. It’s not even IN London. It’s forty miles north! I’d arrived there late one night inbound from Prague one night. The journey back to Brighton, fifty miles south of London, wouldn’t be easy. I eventually stumbled onto a night bus to Victoria Station at 4am, exhausted. In the discman that

It’s amazing to think that I’ve owned an iPod in some form or other for over ten years now. I was one of the first to jump for the Windows version when it launched in late 2002. (Remember when iPods came in Mac and Windows versions?). I also recall bundling a Belkin firewire card into the bargain. My PC’s motherboard

No two David Byrne shows are ever alike: in 2008 he could be found re-treading Brian Eno collaborations new and old at Sydney Opera House. A couple of years prior to that, an intimate songwriter-with-band show at the Enmore Theatre. We have to reach back ten years for Byrne’s last State Theatre performance, then promoting the largely successful Look Into

You shouldn’t need “man up” to “get through” a festival, not least when you’ve dropped $250 on a two-day ticket. But that’s exactly what was called for when attending last weekend’s sweatbox that was Melbourne’s ATP: I’ll Be Your Mirror. Actually, it wasn’t in Melbourne, it was in Altona, 10kms from the city centre and only really accessible by ATP’s

“Hey pretty baby, Do you know any hate songs, Do you know any hate songs we could sing?” – Stephen Jones (BabyBird) As a reviewer, I mostly adopt an upbeat manner when writing about music and the hardware that makes it happen. As a person, I’m usually pretty happy and content. Not this week though. Like every human I occasionally

It’s my final post for 2012 so it’s appropriate that I hit you with my favourite chunks of electronic music of this year, both of which are available for FREE download. Regular readers will know of my penchant for great sounding electronica. Keeping up with new cuts is a full-time job – especially with so much great rock music also

I like this. I like this A LOT. New Zealand-based Perreaux have launched an online store in Australia. Selling direct into Oz means no Australian distributor handling and no associated mark-up! The Australian online store features free shipping, a 30-day right of return and all products are backed by a five year factory warranty. “We are thrilled to open our

You’re not gonna find any sign of Japandroids or Frank Ocean in my Top 10 albums of 2012. I reckon The Cloud Nothings are overrated too. But then again, I’m not 23 so I probably don’t need that much angst in music anymore. Everyone went gaga for Andy Stott’s Luxury Problems but I think it’s just too pleasant – no

You know what really grinds a vinyl lover’s gears more than anything? MP3 download coupons. Surely folk buying the black stuff aren’t just young hipster kids or those looking to connect with something tangible. A significant portion of vinyl buyers are audiophiles – they buy records for their (supposed) maximal resolution. And yet record companies insist on endlessly insulting our

I don’t think I’ve played ANY album more this year than Giant Giant Sand’s Tucson: A Country Rock Opera. Country rock is exactly how it sounds…only without the opera. Imagine a Tom Waits / Johnny Cash lovechild record and you’d be halfway there. Howe Gelb is a legend.  Lonna Kelley’s sporadic vocal turns gently blow the latter half of the