Tag: electronic

NME

Grimes has shared an aftermovie about her failed Coachella weekend one set “stunt”.

• READ MORE: Coachella 2024: surprises, technical difficulties and a distinct lack of vibes

The singer’s festival set on April 14 was engulfed by a myriad of problems, leaving her screaming out in frustration multiple times.

She apologised to the crowd at the time, saying: “All my tracks are double tempo and I can’t do the math. They’re borderline un-mixable, so the rest of my set won’t be mixes but it’ll still be fun.”

Before hitting the stage for her set during weekend two of Coachella, she played a short film which poked fun at the situation. She started her performance with a video that showed a series of masked characters trolling the singer with comments such as “she can’t DJ”.

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I've been working w members of @KNGMKRlabs since the beginning of Grimes – together we've pulled off some beautiful chaos (such as the grimes workout routine/ eyeball surgery controversy, the genesis music video etc)

But my all time fave is when we manically made this video in… pic.twitter.com/INw0BLOwAe

— 𝖦𝗋𝗂𝗆𝖾𝗌 (@Grimezsz) April 24, 2024

The post Grimes shares aftermovie on failed Coachella set “stunt” appeared first on NME.

NME

Pet Shop Boys have responded to the recent comparisons of their classic single ‘It’s A Sin’ to Olly Alexander’s Eurovision entry ‘Dizzy’.

Alexander released the track last month ahead of the Years & Years singer representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö, Sweden next month.

• READ MORE: Pet Shop Boys: “This is our queer album”

‘Dizzy’ was co-written by Alexander and electronic producer Danny L Harle (Charli XCX, Dua Lipa, Caroline Polachek). Upon the track’s release, the former explained that it was “inspired by a lot of music we love from the ’80s like Erasure, Adamski and of course Pet Shop Boys”.

Some listeners have pointed out similarities to Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe’s 1987 hit specifically. In a review, The Guardian wrote: “The chorus echoes that of ‘It’s A Sin’, right down to the church bells, the glittering verses sound like the past decade in banging Stuart Price-era PSB and the monotone spoken-word middle eight is pure Tennant.”

During a new interview with NME, Tennant revealed that he had been made aware of the comparisons – but dismissed there being any likeness between the two songs.

“When I read people saying it sounded similar, I immediately listened to it and I don’t think it does,” he said.

“But personally, I always think Pet Shop Boys sound like something else to what everyone else does. I think I hear what it’s meant to sound like.”

Alexander starred as Ritchie Tozer in the acclaimed Channel 4 series It’s A Sin in 2021. Created and written by Russell T Davies, the show explored the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.

Elsewhere in Pet Shop Boys’ NME interview, Tennant said it felt like “the straight community finally faced up to the AIDS crisis” after watching the drama.

“Oh God, I found It’s A Sin painful to watch,” he recalled. “We put that into songs at the time, then you move on, but it’s like soldiers remembering the First World War. It wasn’t discussed for a long time, but it’s still lurking in your history, in the back, in your memories, the pain is still there.”

Pet Shop Boys revealed to NME that their 2019 single with Alexander, ‘Dreamland’, was originally written for, then ultimately rejected from, Years & Years’ 2018 album ‘Palo Santo’.

Tennant explained: “The other two [ex-Years & Years members Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen] came in and one of them said it sounded like [The Weather Girls’] ‘It’s Raining Men’. Didn’t make me very happy, that remark!”

Years & Years released an acoustic cover of Pet Shop Boys’ ‘It’s A Sin’ when the TV series premiered, with a portion of the proceeds going to the HIV support charity George House Trust.

Alexander also teamed up with Elton John for a collaborative live rendition of the track at the BRIT Awards 2021. A studio version of the pair’s cover – co-produced by Pet Shop Boys and their collaborator Stuart Price – was shared to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

On New Year’s Eve 2021, Alexander joined forces with Tennant and Lowe to perform ‘It’s A Sin’ in London. The singer then appeared on stage with the synth-pop duo at Glastonbury 2022.

The original version of ‘It’s A Sin’ saw a huge streaming surge after the Channel 4 show of the same name aired.

Meanwhile, Pet Shop Boys are due to release their new album ‘Nonetheless’ this Friday (April 26). They’ll play an intimate show at London’s Koko on May 26, in addition to their 2024 ‘Dreamworld’ greatest hits tour dates.

The post Pet Shop Boys respond to comparisons of ‘It’s A Sin’ to Olly Alexander’s Eurovision entry ‘Dizzy’ appeared first on NME.

NME

Kygo has announced details of a huge world tour, taking in North America, Europe and the UK later this year – see the full list below, as well as ticket information.

The Norwegian house DJ and producer will play a total of 26 dates, his first such extensive tour since 2018.

The tour kicks off at Denver’s Dicks Sporting Goods Park on September 7, and takes in Columbia, New York, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, Austin, San Francisco, Seattle and Vancouver, before wrapping the North American leg in Los Angeles on October 17.

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Time to bring the music to you!!! Part One of my World Tour starts this fall with my friends and special guests @zaralarsson, @sofitukker, @gryffinofficial, @SamFeldtMusic, @haylasings, @Vandeluxmusic, Victoria Nadine and @Klangkarussell

Check out https://t.co/iehRQLIBKb and… pic.twitter.com/VCIxi3nXZV

— Kygo (@KygoMusic) April 22, 2024

Kygo then heads across the Atlantic the following month, starting in Copenhagen on November 6, and running around Europe for 12 dates. He will then round out the year with a headline show at London’s The O2 on December 11 and Dublin’s 3Arena on December 13.

Support at the shows will come from Sofi Tukker, Gryffin, Sam Feldt, Zara Larsson, Klangkarussell, Hayla, Victoria Nadine and Vandelux.

Tickets for all shows go on general sale at 10am local time on Friday (April 26). US tickets can be found here, with UK tickets available here.

Kygo Autumn 2024 tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER
7 – Denver, CO, Dicks Sporting Goods Park
12 – Columbia, MD, Merriweather Post Pavilion
13 – Brooklyn, NY, Barclays Center
17 – Boston, MA, TD Garden
20 – Montreal, Que, Bell Centre
21 – Toronto, Ont, Woodbine Park
26 – Chicago, IL, Huntington Bank Pavilion
28 – Austin, TX, Germania Insurance

OCTOBER
4 – San Francisco, CA, Chase Center
9 – Seattle, WA, Climate Pledge Arena
10 – Vancouver, BC, Rogers Arena
17 – Los Angeles, CA, Hollywood Bowl

NOVEMBER
6 – Copenhagen, Royal Arena
8 – Oslo, Telenor Arena
13 – Stockholm, Tele2 Arena
15 – Berlin, Uber Arena
17 – Budapest, MVM Dome
21 – Cologne, Lanxess Arena
23 – Vienna, Stadthalle
26 – Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome
29 – Milan, Forum

DECEMBER
3 – Madrid, Wizink Center
6 – Brussels, ING Arena
7 – Paris, Accor Arena
11 – London, The O2
13 – Dublin, 3Arena

Last year, Kygo shared a reimagined remix of Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s 1983 single ‘Say Say Say’.

“I’m absolutely honoured to work on a song that was made by two of the greatest musical legends of all time,” said Kygo. “Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson have meant so much to me as an artist and I’ve been listening to their music since I was a kid.”

His latest album is 2022’s ‘Thrill Of The Chase’, his fourth in total, which featured collaborations with X Ambassadors, DNCE, Lukas Graham, Sam Feldt, Dean Lewis, and more.

The post Kygo announces 2024 UK, European and North American arena tour appeared first on NME.

NME

AURORA has recounted the time she asked Chemical Brothers‘ Tom Rowlands to “puke vomit all over” a song on her new album ‘What Happened To The Heart?’

• READ MORE: AURORA talks ‘What Happened To The Heart?’: “Apathy is the biggest enemy to progress”

Speaking as part of NME’s In Conversation series, the Norwegian alt-pop artist said her new LP was “extremely playful” and has seen her “working with people I admire.”

“We have a lot of fun. We feel like two little aliens walking around, and we have the same hunger for something exceptional,” she said when discussing her work with Rowlands. “I’m really grateful. I texted him one evening just saying, ‘Tom – puke vomit all over my song please’. And he did, for like four hours.

AURORA had collaborated with the dance duo before, recording guest vocals for their acclaimed 2019 album ‘No Geography‘, and told NME that year that she left them a little shook up when she got lost in the woods’ during a birthday party of Tom Rowlands’ daughter.

“I’m trying to not do that again. The one time I got lost in his garden it was his daughter’s birthday, and this time it was his birthday. I just love bothering him and his poor family on their birthdays – I never leave them alone. I gave him a cookie wrapped in a napkin that I found on the ground.”

‘What Happened To The Heart?’ is set for release on June 7 via Decca Records/Glassnote/Petroleum and marks her first full-length LP since her 2022 release, ‘The Gods We Can Touch’.

Ane Brun, Matias Tellez (Girl In Red, Maisie Peters), Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers, Chris Greatti (Yungblud, Blink-182, Pussy Riot), Dave Hamelin (Beyonce, King Princess and Zara Larsson), Magnus Skylstad and more join AURORA on the album, and it is available to pre-order here.

AURORA will be on tour in the UK and Europe later this year – see the dates below and tickets can be found here.

AURORA’s 2024 UK and European headline tour dates are:

SEPTEMBER
18 – Alcatraz, Milan, Italy
20 – Gasometer, Vienna, Austria
21 – Sportovní hala Fortuna, Prague, Czechia
23 – Tauron Arena, Krakow, Poland
24 – COS Torwar, Warsaw, Poland
25 – UFO, Berlin, Germany
27 – Forest National, Belgium, Brussels
28 – AFAS Live, Amsterdam, Netherlands
30 – L’Olympia, Paris, France

OCTOBER
2 – Royal Albert Hall, London, UK
4 – O2 Apollo, Manchester, UK

 

The post AURORA asked Chemical Brothers’ Tom Rowlands to “puke vomit all over” song on new album appeared first on NME.

NME

Leeds club Wire has announced that it is to permanently close its doors in June.

• READ MORE: Report shows “disaster” facing grassroots music venues: “The big companies and arenas are now going to have to answer for this”

The long-running venue, which includes a 300-capacity live music space in the basement, is just the latest casualty of a grassroots live music industry that is under increasing pressure.

Confirming the news on Instagram, Wire wrote: “It is with great sadness that we are announcing the permanent closure of Wire on Sunday 2 June 2024.”

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“Since re-opening after the pandemic the UK nightlife industry has been under immense pressure which we have not been immune to,” they continued. “The cost-of-living crisis & changing lifestyle choices coinciding with other looming commercial challenges unique to the venue has gradually led to the unavoidable outcome that the club can no longer operate as a viable business.”

“Although the journey is about to end, we are grateful for the past 18 years & our mission to create an underground electronic music venue dedicated to Drum & Bass, House & Techno that Leeds could be proud of has been well & truly achieved.”

“Thanks to all our customers for coming time & time again & for spreading their love for electronic music. It has been an honour to serve you & we will miss every single one of you.”

“As you can see from our closing date, we still have over a month of parties left, so we look forward to seeing you on the dance floor before the lights come on to signal the end of our epic journey. Keep your eyes peeled for some special additional closing party events that we’ll be announcing soon too,” they concluded.

A report in January from the Music Venue Trust (MVT) outlined the “disaster” that has struck the UK’s grassroots venues over the last year.

The findings revealed that 125 UK venues abandoned live music in 2023 (approximately two per week) and that over half of them had shut entirely.

In response to the crisis, music industry figures argued for a £1 ticket levy for all arena-sized gigs and above during a recent UK Parliamentary session, in order to secure the future of grassroots venues and artists.

“The first impact we need to realise is that is 125 communities that have lost access to live music on their doorstep,” Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd told the hearing. “The impact on those communities and the artists that live in those communities is very dramatic. The closure of a space like Bath Moles obviously has a huge impact on the pipeline, but it also has a huge impact on Bath as a music city. We need to recognise that across the country, we are seeing young people, communities of music fans, finding new music and live music further and further away from them.”

The Featured Artists Coalition  – a trade union body representing the needs of musicians and artists in the UK – then wrote to NME to argue that while the survival of venues is “essential”, any kind of ‘Premier League’ model to be adopted by the industry needs to take into account keeping creators in pocket and being able to exist, as well as ways to open up the world of music to different genres, backgrounds and audiences.

“What good is it keeping venues open if artists can’t afford to perform in them?” asked FAC CEO David Martin.

The loss of grassroots music venues is despite record-breaking billions being spent on ticket sales in the UK, with summer 2023 seeing a bumper calendar for stadium and outdoor gigs – including 1million people attending live music events in London just in one week alone back in July, thanks to huge outdoor shows from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Blur, The 1975, Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey.

The post Wire Club in Leeds announces closure appeared first on NME.

NME

Leeds club Wire has announced that it is to permanently close its doors in June.

• READ MORE: Report shows “disaster” facing grassroots music venues: “The big companies and arenas are now going to have to answer for this”

The long-running venue, which includes a 300-capacity live music space in the basement, is just the latest casualty of a grassroots live music industry that is under increasing pressure.

Confirming the news on Instagram, Wire wrote: “It is with great sadness that we are announcing the permanent closure of Wire on Sunday 2 June 2024.”

See more

“Since re-opening after the pandemic the UK nightlife industry has been under immense pressure which we have not been immune to,” they continued. “The cost-of-living crisis & changing lifestyle choices coinciding with other looming commercial challenges unique to the venue has gradually led to the unavoidable outcome that the club can no longer operate as a viable business.”

“Although the journey is about to end, we are grateful for the past 18 years & our mission to create an underground electronic music venue dedicated to Drum & Bass, House & Techno that Leeds could be proud of has been well & truly achieved.”

“Thanks to all our customers for coming time & time again & for spreading their love for electronic music. It has been an honour to serve you & we will miss every single one of you.”

“As you can see from our closing date, we still have over a month of parties left, so we look forward to seeing you on the dance floor before the lights come on to signal the end of our epic journey. Keep your eyes peeled for some special additional closing party events that we’ll be announcing soon too,” they concluded.

A report in January from the Music Venue Trust (MVT) outlined the “disaster” that has struck the UK’s grassroots venues over the last year.

The findings revealed that 125 UK venues abandoned live music in 2023 (approximately two per week) and that over half of them had shut entirely.

In response to the crisis, music industry figures argued for a £1 ticket levy for all arena-sized gigs and above during a recent UK Parliamentary session, in order to secure the future of grassroots venues and artists.

“The first impact we need to realise is that is 125 communities that have lost access to live music on their doorstep,” Music Venue Trust CEO Mark Davyd told the hearing. “The impact on those communities and the artists that live in those communities is very dramatic. The closure of a space like Bath Moles obviously has a huge impact on the pipeline, but it also has a huge impact on Bath as a music city. We need to recognise that across the country, we are seeing young people, communities of music fans, finding new music and live music further and further away from them.”

The Featured Artists Coalition  – a trade union body representing the needs of musicians and artists in the UK – then wrote to NME to argue that while the survival of venues is “essential”, any kind of ‘Premier League’ model to be adopted by the industry needs to take into account keeping creators in pocket and being able to exist, as well as ways to open up the world of music to different genres, backgrounds and audiences.

“What good is it keeping venues open if artists can’t afford to perform in them?” asked FAC CEO David Martin.

The loss of grassroots music venues is despite record-breaking billions being spent on ticket sales in the UK, with summer 2023 seeing a bumper calendar for stadium and outdoor gigs – including 1million people attending live music events in London just in one week alone back in July, thanks to huge outdoor shows from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Blur, The 1975, Billy Joel and Lana Del Rey.

The post Wire Club in Leeds announces closure appeared first on NME.