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Hercules & Love Affair Rejoice With Rouge Mary

  • Published in News

Prompting an incredible response at festival shows this summer, Hercules & Love Affair’s single ‘Rejoice’ featuring Rouge Mary does exactly that. Taking things back to the dancefloor, after releasing the more introspective single ‘Omnion’. Andy Butler explains, ”So after six years of us never appearing in a Hercules and Love Affair video (more by accident than design), I wanted us to appear in the video for ‘Rejoice’.  Rouge Mary is such a ferocious performer so it was kind of a no brainer. We had to capture that energy in this video.”

Enter Cybersissy (fine artist Antoine Timmermans) and BayBJane (Mourad Z.). Colourful, outrageous, androgynous, humorous and completely different, just some of adjectives you could reach for in vain to describe the creations of Cybersissy and her muse BayBJane.  A partnership founded in the Cologne club Lulu, they have become something of a performance art phenomenon.  Standing on the shoulders of many before her, Cybersissy’s visions for this nightlife duo springboard off of the trailblazing work of Leigh Bowery and early NYC/London nightlife, incorporating her education and prodigious talents as a painter and mixed media artist. From Cologne, to London, taking in Pike’s Ibiza and beyond, BayBJane has become one of the most popular performers around. And at 148cm tall, she is perhaps, the smallest drag queen in the world. 

Directed by Will Kennedy, the video for ‘Rejoice’ is a dazzling and joyously bewildering film. “As a foil to Rouge’s performance, director Will Kennedy wanted to capture some of the club community around us, some that embody the essence of the message of the song.” says Andy, “Will has a great mixed media style and a documentary angle in his work. Rouge and I felt that two boundary pushing drag performers, who we love so much, Cybersissy and BayBJane would fit the bill perfectly. We met them at the wonderfully debauched club Hotel Shanghai in Essen, Germany. They have triumphed in the face of much adversity in their lives, and channel that triumphant and joyful spirit into brilliant otherworldly characters that they bring into the nightclub. I am so happy with what Will has captured and put together. It is bursting with colour and conveys Cybersissy and BayBJane's boundless creativity and beautiful spirits. They personify Rouge Mary's wonderful lyrics.“

Omnion, Hercules & Love Affair’s fourth album - released in September - has garnered widespread critical acclaim, two playlisted singles at 6music and the coveted Album Of The Month slot at Rough Trade. Helping Butler interpret Omnion’ s message of faith and tolerance are a world class act of singers including The Horror’s Faris Badwan, Lebanese rockers Mashrou’ Leila, New York singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten on single and title track ‘Omnion’, Icelandic sister act Sísý Ey, as well as regular collaborators Rouge Mary and Gustaph. 

Omnion Tour

8th - Shepherds Bush Empire, London

 

 

 

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The Weekly Froth - December #2

  • Published in Columns

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

This week we’ll have a look back at some of the more awesome disco/house/electro stuff that was released this year, unfortunately omitting loads of deserving and quality songs that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in 2014. But here are six of my favorites to just remind you how awesome the year has been!

Track of the year: ‘Happy’ by Tomas Barfod feat. Eddie Chacon

Eddie C. comes up with an amazing performance on this WhoMadeWho solo effort by Tomas Barfod. Stating that even though all his life people have been slipping away (“they keep dying on me man”), he vows that he’s Gonna be happy. Barfod puts in some synth work and, of course, drums, changing it up for the sections in between the vocals, upping the pace a bit. Throughout the song there’s both this sense of melancholia and perseverance. It’s so easy to fold, and there’s a lot that sees people hurting, but no matter what, I’m going to make the most of it. The second time those drums come in for the chorus (around 2:30), there’s a nice bit of oomph in there to power up that message. Not on the album I believe, but in my opinion the best track he released this year (though WhoMadeWho’s ‘Hiding in Darkness’ is a killer track as well).

 

‘All That She Wants’ by Yolanda Be Cool feat. SYF & Fitz Helder

Don’t mind me while I enjoy a corny edit or two, but even if you take some of the most well-known tracks (like ‘All That She Wants’) as your core, you can get on heavy rotation at my house. Or perhaps because of it, as there’s a certain awesomeness about standing on the dancefloor and then getting that recognition factor in. Now, the original definitely wasn’t this deep, and those vocals make it sexy and saucy, as the boys formerly of Azari & III know how to bring some attitude into a (deep) house track. So this is the version for those late hours at that seedy club then, as all involved just give it this awesome vibe, and those vocal turns by SYF and Fitz Helder are powerful to boot. There’s something about an edit of an older tune done well, and this definitely ticks all the boxes, from changing it up to something completely different to actually working as a deep, soulful grind tune on its own. Unfortunately no Azari & III anymore, luckily the two eye catchers on stage didn’t go gently into that good night.

 

‘My Offence’ by Hercules And Love Affair feat. Krystle Warren

Are you as cunt as I am? That is the question. Though not Shakespearian in origin, it does pack some punch and plenty of attitude as the lads from Hercules and Love Affair, supported by Krystle Warren, are basically saying, You know what, what according to you is my offence, actually that is my essence, and I’m going to take the word cunt and run with it in pride. Now, I already like how much of an idea there is behind it (and the clip, for that matter), but that would mean nothing if the track was a soft-ass tune no one could ever dance to. Fortunately, Andy Butler knows how to make it work, giving the music itself plenty of attitude as well, reinforcing the lyrics. I believe in an interview he called it a tom heavy “bitch” track, so there you go. Plenty of toms, and a lot to get bitchin’ to. Attitude heavy, but also fun and dancey, Hercules and Love Affair made an amazing house album this year, and this is definitely a prime example off of that.

‘Ain’t No Way’ by Opal (Horse Meat Disco edit)

The start says enough, me thinks, with a woman screaming to “get your hands off of my man”. You heard her! What then happens is basically what happens any time the guys from Horse Meat Disco get their hands on things (...); an eruption of euphoric sensation. And, of course, they transform it in a killer disco dancefloor song to do some moving to. You’ve got the bass going on, the synths, but those lovely old school vocals reign supreme, as she is fighting for her man with all the attitude in the world. She goes from warning everyone around her to keep their hands off of him, but she also resorts to pleading him to “stay right here, stay right here, stay right here”. Horse Meat Disco throw a deep rhythm synth in there as mid-section, which is slowly build-up back to a disco anthem with synths and other such devices (even coming with nifty little guitar line at one point, just before the drums come in) to help out with the feel, vibe, and dance department. There’s still plenty of disco left in this world for sure, and 2014 is no exception to that.

 

‘Sugar’ by Alkalino

Talking about old school, the fuzz of the LP is very much part of the sound of this track. I just love the whole feel of this one, even if some of the transitions aren’t as smooth as on other tracks (though it feels almost intentional in an effort to date the sound even further back down in history). Actually, it does give it character, especially those volume jumps in the singing. I just love those old vocal tracks that are happening here, which have plenty of soul to carry this one and even give it some gravitas. Additionally, Alkalino puts in those drums and those pace changes to spice up the disco vibe a tad. The main thing about this one is the aged vibe that it provides, combining it with just enough drums to keep this one trotting forward whilst keeping the soul front and center. Just such a good example what you can achieve in terms of sound and feel if you think outside of the box a little.

‘I Know It’s A Good Thing’ by Shamir

To be honest, that ‘On The Regular’ single I could’ve lived without, though I’m still gutted I couldn’t make it to his live show earlier this week. I do love this track of his EP so much though. It’s got the kick going in the background, but it’s the piano and the fragility and desperation in the voice that gives this rather down paced track its power. Those backing vocals he brings in are also just an ace little touch that just add the right amount of feel to this one. At about the two minute mark he kills the drums for a moment, doing just the piano and his vocals that are singing “God knows I’m hard to please”, after which the beat comes back again. It’s just the mixture of all these elements, even in the delivery of the vocals (which later become more bombastic and emotional, which it has to, as the instruments do the same), that make this one both quirky and working brilliantly at the same time.

 

 

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