THE RECOMMENDER – ALEX WINSTON

ALEX WINSTON

So many of pop’s roads lead back to Motown and if you were to take a meandering wander down the rich musical heritage of Detroit you will find at the end of the lane a man named Berry Gordy – no doubt sat there tapping his feet and clicking a finger at you. He masterminded that important period in 60s pop music and perfected the art of creating songs that did something very rare – each one was instantly enjoyable, but utterly timeless. All of it sprinkled in sugar, but also rather perfect in its solid construction.  The ripples of this period have affected so much since, but Alex Winston specifically marks it all as a direct inspiration and there’s no denying that the same genetic notes of Motown are easily located within her music. Even though she’s also a branch from the same musical tree from which Regina Spector blossomed, it should come as no shock to hear that she called Detroit home during her childhood.  Every track on her new EP of covers, which arrived this August, has her wonderful magic sprinkled over tunes from the likes of Mumford & Sons, The Rolling Stones and Jack Penate, amongst others.  Now being produced by The Knocks and releasing on their Heavy Roc Music label, this a pop star waiting to burst.  She’s a multi-instrumentalist, having initially had a guitar given to her by her father at just 7 years old, but going on to also record the piano and even the drums on this new EP.  Her original work is what will deservedly earn her the real plaudits however, such as her double A-side single, Choice Notes, with the track,  Medicine, on the reverse.  She’s baked the perfect pop cake with both songs, of the kind you can taste on your tongue for hours afterwards.  Be warned – it’s very morish too, with her cute vocals shining throughout and the tambourine beats, all played with a childish smile.  It’s like Regine Chassagne, from Arcade Fire, making an appearance on Sesame Street.  We expect Feist is shaking in her little fur-lined boots, but to be honest this music aims much higher, has more soul and the variety of edge located within it gives it way more depth.  You can catch her at Neon Gold’s showcase during their New York CMJ Festival this October, so if you’re in town for that then we strongly suggest you take a peek and duly shake your tailfeather. (MB)

Find her here:         Myspace

Hear her here:         ALEX WINSTON – CHOICE NOTES

Hear her here:         ALEX WINSTON – MEDICINE

Hear her here:         ALEX WINSTON – PULL MY HEART AWAY

Hear her here:         ALEX WINSTON – ANIMAL BABY

HOW GOOD IS THIS!!!??? – NUMBER 43 – THE KNOCKS

THE REMIXES – PART 8 – THE KNOCKS

This week The Knocks release, on Heavy Roc Records, their own original work with the single Blackout.  It’s given us a chance to reflect upon their body of work to date and when you check out their numerous remixes we think you’ll agree they deserve to join the lofty ranks on our remix specials. You can judge for yourselves by browsing our previous seven selections, with posts that include remix catalogues by:  Starsmith, The Shoes, The Golden Filter, The Twelves, DiscoTech, Bloc Party and Soulwax.

Today’s New York duo have an incredible ability to tickle commercial pop tunes into a whippy, thumping new blend.  Ben Ruttner (DJ B-Roc) and James Patterson (JPatt) were carved out of the hip hop scene and they bring the same confidence to a broad selection of major artists, twisting their tunes into new batch of beat-heavy cocktails.

They’ve particularly attached themselve to the artists familiar to a lot of us via the Neon Gold stable, with remixes for Marina & The Diamonds, Ellie Goulding and more recently Samuel and Yes Giantess, whose debut albums they’ve been asked to produce.  This all follows their reworking of Jay-Z’s American Gangster, having paired up with DJ Benzi in the studio, renaming it American G-Funk.

We list below a selection of their remixes alongside their new single, Blackout.  All of these tunes have their recognisable stamp, with plenty of fearless groove and smooth gloss.  It’s music designed for the summer sunshine and buzzing outdoor party, aiming directly for your derriere, which we fully expect to be shaking along, whether you like it or not.

PETER BJORN & JOHN – IT DON’T MOVE ME (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

WALE – CHILLIN’ Ft LADY GAGA (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

ELLIE GOULDING – UNDER THE SHEETS (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

ELLIE GOULDING – STARRY EYED (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS – I AM NOT A ROBOT (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

MARINA & THE DIAMONDS – MOWGLIS ROAD (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

TEMPER TRAP – FADER (THE KNOCKS REMIX ft SAMUEL)

PASSION PIT – SLEEPYHEAD (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

BRITNEY SPEARS – 3 (THE KNOCKS REMIX CLUB EDIT)

THE KILLERS – SPACEMAN (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

JULIA – COCAINE (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

MASTER SHORTIE – BRINGIN IT BACK ( THE KNOCKS REMIX)

THE JACKSON FIVE – THE LOVE YOU SAVE (THE KNOCKS REMIX)

THE KNOCKS – BLACKOUT

As much as we’ve tried to cover a large selection here, we know that there’s others out there, so by all means leave descriptions and links for these in our comments section if you know where to find them.  Hope you’ve enjoyed this remix special, as it’s been a little while since the previous edition.  We promise not to make it so long between this and the next one.  We finish by posing you lovely readers the obvious question: who should the next remix special be about?     (MB)