Please welcome new Ninja signing Jono McCleery, a man whose voice has been compared – with good reason – to the likes of John Martyn, Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley. The first fruits can be heard on 'Tomorrow', where Jono’s sumptuous voice is run up against plucked classical guitar and double bass (which he also plays), harp, strings and the subtlest of programmed percussion. The balance between the organic and the digital is pitch perfect, effortlessly maintained. It reveals McCleery to be not merely in possession of a great voice, but a great talent as a songwriter and musician. The impression is reinforced by 'Alive Again', a song of understated yearning that sucks you into its world and holds you there until its last, fading notes.
:: Download debut single'Tomorrow' from the Ninjashop or from iTunes now.
Ninja Tune XX - Week XII - Mr. Scruff
This week's Ninja Tune XX giveaway comes courtesy of a true Ninja legend, and one of our most charismatic, multi-faceted artists. Mr. Scruff released his first record on Ninja Tune way back in 1998, going on to create one of the label's all time most successful albums - 'Keep It Unreal' - the following year. He'd been making music and mixing records for years previously however, as demonstrated by side one of this ultra-rare mixtape from 1992. Originally limited to a mere 20 copies, and sold in Manchester's Funky Banana record shop, it hasn't been available anywhere since. Unless you're one of the 20 prescient people who bought it originally, this MP3 is truly a hidden treasure. Side two will remain so, at least for now!
The mix reveals Scruff's early passion for hip-hop, and takes in tracks from A Tribe Called Quest, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Main Source, Digable Planets, Organised Konfusion and many more of rap music's innovators. Add in a touch of jazz in the form of Art Blakey and Charles Mingus, and you have the origins of the sound that Mr. Scruff made all his own.
Fans will already know that alongside his music, Mr. Scruff's idiosyncratic, instantly recognisable visual art has become as much of a trademark as his sound. Included in the download is the original artwork for the mixtape, featuring early versions of the characters now featured on everything from umbrellas to tins of fair-trade tea.
Mr Scruff will be hosting a room at the Ninja Tune XX party at London Ewer Street, and playing various other shows around the world. There will also be two new songs on the Ninja Tune XX compilation (one on 7" vinyl only).
08.09.10Toddla T Does Select Dates, Plays Vancouver Tonight
Currently supporting his "Sky Surfing" single and forthcoming Ninja Tune release, Toddla T is on the road and if you're lucky, in your town!
8 September, Vancouver @ Fortune Sound Club
9 September, Calgary, AB @ Hi Fi
10 September, San Diego @ House Of Blues
11 September, Toronto @ Wrong Bar
Also playing the US Ninja XX shows!
Three full days of back to back events in NY, LA, and a FREE event in SF sponsored by Converse (details forthcoming!).
28th October - New York - Santo's Party House
Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, DJ Food & DK, Poirier, Toddla T & Serocee, DJ Kentaro, Eskmo, more TBD
96 Lafayette St//New York, NY 10013
30th October - Los Angeles - Echo/Echoplex
Amon Tobin, Kid Koala, Cut Chemist, DJ Food & DK, Toddla T & Serocee, DJ Kentaro, Eskmo, Ghostbeard, more TBD
1822 W. Sunset Blvd//Los Angeles, CA 90026
08.09.10Amon Tobin New Webstore
New webstore at amontobin.com, which has the entire Amon Tobin Ninja Tune back catalogue, Two Fingers material released on Big Dada, independent projects such as the Taxidermia soundtrack, as well as ringtones, special compositions, and other choice goodies like t-shirts and posters. All digital material is either MP3 or WAV.
To celebrate, Amon has released limited-edition 12" picture disc EP featuring four songs from the much-lauded Monthly Joints Series: 'Hey Mr. Tree', 'Technique', 'Delpher' and 'Shut Down', available for the first time ever on vinyl. Amontobin.com has a special price for a deluxe package including the 12" picture disc alongside WAV and MP3 versions of the entire series with an exclusive Ableton Designer Sounds Pack, a fresh new T-shirt designed by Two Fingers's very own Doubleclick, and a collectors edition poster!
08.09.10Roots Manuva Meets Wrong Tom - Launch Party - LIVE STREAM
Roots Manuva and Wrong Tom will be launching their Duppy Writer album with a live show in East London this Thursday night.
For those of you overseas or unable or unwilling to squeeze into the intimate setting of the Alibi, we are streaming the whole performance live on The Funhouse and inviting the whole world to watch.
We'll be shooting from several angles and hopefully making you feel like you are there in person. Except you'll be slightly less sweaty and you probably won't have to wrestle your way to your own fridge should you want a beer.
Who knows, if you log in to the chat room we may even be able to relay your rewind requests to the DJ!
Welcome, Ninja Tune’s latest signing, the one and only Eskmo. Brendan Angelides, a native of Connecticut now based in San Francisco, has been causing a considerable stir for the last few years, releasing music on labels including but not limited to Warp, Planet Mu and his own Ancestor imprint. Already tipped by many in the electronic music community to be a major presence for years to come, Eskmo shows exactly what the fuss is all about on his debut for his new home-label.
'Cloudlight' somehow manages to rope together the aesthetics of glitch, dubstep and r&b into the kind of song Marvin The Paranoid Android might have recorded if he were put on a course of anti-depressants, got laid by a washing machine and munched enough ecstasy tablets to explode a cat. Troubling, beautiful and strangely uplifting all at once, it states, simply and without the need for any of these words, that Angelides is a unique presence in electronic music. 'Come Back' develops the sound perhaps even further, a narcotisized Timberlake number or a disembodied ghost voice? It’s a question only the listener can answer, though Angelides injects real longing into his deadpan vocals. Remix duties are dealt with by Brainfeeder’s Lorn, who turns in a brutally pummeling remix.
'Cloudlight' download single is out now, with a self-titled album coming 4th October.
