Tag: Rizlab

First Watch: Ghostpoet feat The D.O.T ‘Trouble’

On Wednesday 30th November Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. took to the stage at Village Underground for the third RizLab project to take-part in the world’s first live interactive music video shoot for the collaborative track ‘Trouble’.

After Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. asked fans to send in trouble making suggestions, the online audience voted for various multiple choice options in real time. The artists were faced with a Yeti in a snowstorm, bad disco dancers, a cheerleading quartet, a choreographed boy band and a homage to the Stonehenge scene from Spinal Tap. Watch it and read more here!

Ghostpoet + The D.O.T. = Rizlab

 

I’ve just come back from this Rizlab event I’ve been writing about, where they got Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. (formerly known as Mike Skinner from The Streets) to create a song called ‘Trouble’, then shoot the video in real time by giving fans online a choice of what kinds of trouble the three of them should go through while filming.

It ended up with some cheerleaders, a bad disco scene and a boyband miming to the words. Yet somehow the whole thing didn’t feel camp…

I had the chance to check it out while it was being filmed in Shoreditch and it was so good. I mean, the whole thing didn’t last more than four minutes but the DJ sets inbetween were immense. These Rizlab kids know how to throw a midweek party.

Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. – Damu remix and final preparations

We’re less than a week away now from the live-streamed, one-take video shoot for Ghostpoet & The D.O.T.’s collaborative track for RizLab, ‘Trouble’. Fans have been voting for ways to make trouble for the artists during the performance, and on the night online viewers will be able to vote and effect what happens on stage in real time. The footage will then be used to create the music video for the single.

Meanwhile, the incredible Damu – who recently released a debut album ‘Unity’ on Keysound – has put his stamp on ‘Trouble’ with a euphoric reworking.  The track can be streamed here.

Win tickets to see Ghostpoet and Mike Skinner this Wednesday

Having announced its third project of 2011 last week, today RizLab sheds more light on the details of Project 3, put together by Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. Now that the recording of their collaboration ‘Trouble’ is complete they have set about creating a truly groundbreaking music video concept. The result is an interactive live-streamed music video.

Performed and shot in one take in front of a small audience, the ‘Trouble’ video shoot will be broadcast live online . Over the course of the track, ‘A or B’ options will be presented to the online audience and the favorite option will happen live in real-time to cause trouble for the artist during their one take performance.

Whether it’s an army of cheerleaders invading the stage or a water cannon fired at the artists they will have to deal with whatever is thrown at them.

With the chaos over, the resulting footage will be used to create a truly unique music video soon after. Learn more about the project or apply for tickets here.

Ghostpoet and Mike Skinner collaborate for RizLab

RizLab today announced its third project of 2011 with Ghostpoet and The D.O.T., the new band formed by Rob Harvey and Mike Skinner.

This is very exciting- as you may know, I might just be one of The Streets/ Mike Skinner’s biggest fans, and this sounds awesome.

Over the course of the last year, Ghostpoet has quietly and quickly become recognised as one of the most exciting new artists in the UK. His laconic flow, razor-sharp lyrical observations and a raw yet melodic approach to beat-making led to a Mercury nomination for his debut album (‘Peanut Butter Blues and Melancholy Jam’) on Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings and an army of fans, including Mike Skinner.

Mike Skinner’s admiration for Ghostpoet’s work had brought them into the studio together to work on some demos. Following RizLab’s approach, Ghostpoet and The D.O.T. went back into the studio and created the track ‘Trouble’ – a synth-heavy, up-tempo beat from Mike that features Ghostpoet’s trademark lethargic rhymes and Rob Harvey’s distinctive vocals on the chorus.

With the track complete, the next step is the video. Ghostpoet has already created spectacular videos for ‘Liiines’ and ‘Survive It’, while Mike Skinner has long been known for his self-directed videos. Given both their history, RizLab is expecting something truly off the wall.

Click here to watch the first in a series of trailers from Ghostpoet and The D.O.T.; the first being an 80s-style science film shot in Mike’s studio. Learn about the track, the collaboration and the project, and stay tuned for further details over the next few weeks.

Rizlab announce Bestival line-up

RizLab have announced their full Bestival line-up which includes Frankie Knuckles, SBTRKT, Mylo, Erol Alkan, Greg Wilson and Black Devil Disco Club amongst many others across the three days.

Additionally, further details of Friendly Fires’ RizLab project have been revealed including full details of the collaborations between Friendly Fires and SBTRKT, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and LONE, plus the release of a video of the artists at work in the studio and in discussion about the project. Find out more here.

Friendly Fires create a new exclusive mix for RizLab

Last week RizLab announced that Friendly Fires will be the next artists to work with RizLab; curating a one-off exploration of “The Past, Present and Future of Dance Music” at RizLab on the opening day of Bestival. As an introduction to their project, Friendly Fires have created an exclusive mix for RizLab as a preview to their appearance at Bestival.

Friendly Fires commented: “The mix is a 30 minute journey that includes tracks that represent our collective love of dance music and our formative influences. The tracks we’ve included pinpoint moments that made us think differently about music, that sounded like absolutely nothing else we’d heard before, while others are classic moments in a scene we’ll always hold dear to our hearts.”

The Friendly Fires RizLab mix can be heard exclusively here. To support the mix the band recorded a short film in which they provide insight into the broad range of dance artists and tracks that they love.

Ed Macfarlane (lead singer) references artists such as deep house originator Kerri Chandler who was an early influence. Chris Clark’s work on Warp Records is mentioned; his manipulation of live drum samples an example of how diverse and complex dance music can be. Blawan’s recent release “Getting Me Down” is a record that Ed’s been listening to – a dirty, raw, bass influenced house track that includes a beautifully crafted Brandy sample. Andrew Weatherall’s remix of the My Bloody Valentine track “Soon” is included as an example of how a traditional band line-up can work perfectly with dance music.

Jack Savidge (drummer) identifies “Flash”, a 1995 release from Green Velvet, as an example of how dance music can be inspired by the classic soul and pop records of the 60s and 70s. Jack’s frame of reference is exceptionally broad, including artists such as US based electronic duo Blaqk Audio and Germany’s Superpitcher. Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs is mentioned as one of Jack’s favorite contemporary dance acts, as he loves his ability to incorporate jungle and speed garage with elements of the past to create something very modern.

Edd Gibson (lead guitar) discusses the moment when he began to appreciate that dance music didn’t need to be full on 4/4 – that it can have depth and sophistication.  He references LFO’s bass-heavy techno track “Freeze” as an example of how much emotion can be conveyed with the most minimal of instrumentation and production. SBTRKT is also praised for his ability to blend high-spirited club beats and deeply soulful vocals. Edd also picks out Mike Slott as an artist he’s keeping his eye on – a musician whose roots in Jazz and Classical music have merged with his love of Hip Hop and Electronic music to create a unique, textual sound.

To see Friendly Fires talking about their RizLab project go to www.rizlab.co.uk/projects.

Friendly Fires headline Rizlab 2 at Bestival!

Friendly Fires will be the next artists to work with RizLab – curating a one-off exploration of “The Past, Present and Future of Dance Music” in the RizLab arena on the opening day of Bestival.

Moshi Moshi founder Stephen Bass is one of the creative curators for RizLab. He’s a renowned talent spotter and was one of the first people in the industry to spot Friendly Fires’ unique ability to anthemic songwriting with dance floor fillers.

Stephen commented: “I’ve known Friendly Fires for a while so, when we first started doing RizLab, they were the first band that I went to speak to. As soon as we started talking about what we could do they were immediately attracted to the idea of exploring their love of dance music in a live environment.”

Friendly Fires commented: “Our goal was to have a line-up that acted as a timeline to show where electronic music started and where it is now. The idea was to create a bill of legendary yet varied names from the genre to create something perfect for Bestival. As a band we’re always been keen to show off our genuine love and passion for dance music. It’s great to have this opportunity to select our own line-up as it’s not something we’d normally have the opportunity to do.”

The line-up will include:

PAST: Frankie Knuckles and A Guy Called Gerald

PRESENT: Friendly Fires sets and collaborations

FUTURE: SBTRKT, LONE and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs 

Win exclusive tickets to see Jamie xx at Rizlab in London

Thanks to Rizlab, we’re giving away two tickets to one very lucky winner to see Jamie xx and Quayola perform at a secret London location on the 11th August. Read all about the event here. To enter, just email your name and address over to alfitudecomps@gmail.com with ‘Jamie xx’ on the subject bar before 12pm on the 7th August 2011. Good luck!

Jamie xx to collaborate with Quayola for the first ever Rizlab event

RizLab gives visionary artists a platform to freely experiment and embrace their creative passions. Launched to develop unique and innovative music experiences, RizLab has partnered with pioneering DJ and producer Jamie xx for it’s first project on August 11th in London.

Jamie xx has chosen to work with world-renowned visual artist Quayola. On the night, Jamie xx will be playing an extended four-hour set that will premiere new material from his forthcoming EP. At the same time, Quayola will be performing live in real-time alongside him to create a visual feast on two 17 metre wide screens in full HD.

Quayola, who, amongst others, has exhibited at the V & A, Venice Bienalle and the Royal Albert Hall, is famed for using photography, geometry, time-based digital sculptures and AV installations in his immersive multi-media performances. For this performance, Quayola will be using the custom-built software Partitura alongside long-time friends and collaborators Abstract Birds. Apply for tickets on Rizlab’s website here and enter our own competition to win a pair of tickets right here!

The second RizLab project will be curated by Friendly Fires at Bestival on Friday 9th Sept and will explore a defining musical genre with special guest appearances.