HEADS WE DANCE

Honour Before Glory FREE Show

2010-03-12T10:27:00.001Z

New Leeds act Honour Before Glory, the solo project of former Forward Russia guitarist Whiskas, play a free show tonight at the Brudenell Social Club, Leeds. While ordinarily not HWD’s cup of tea, on tracks like ‘Lions’ and ‘Broken Bottles, Empty Hearts’ Honour Before Glory reveal the beginnings of something genuinely special. Doors are at 7.30pm and support comes from Fran Rodgers and Yanni Montoya.

Woman E

2010-03-11T06:50:00.001Z

Old friends of HWD, The Animal Farm, have just added their production magic to the new Few & Far EP by UK/German synth-pop duo Woman E. Woman E describe their music as “subversive pop” and have intrigued us by claiming to mix disco with a Leonard Cohen obsession. You can check out their tracks here or get yourself down to their own bi-monthly electro-pop night ‘Crime Wave’ at the Queen of Hoxton in London.

Justin Faust - Holdin' On

2010-02-27T14:11:00.001Z

Well, it's great to have a chance to post this track. Our good friend Justin Faust is currently rampaging up the blog charts with his great new tune - 'Holdin' On' - out now on Discotexas records. Have a listen to the title track below. The release also includes remixes by Moulinex and Nightriders, and if we were you, we would BUY IT!

For those of you not yet familiar with Mr. Faust, he is a Munich based producer with a decidedly French, filter-disco influenced sound. He has in the past turned out a couple of superb remixes for us, and you can check out his take on 'You Are Never Alone With Model 21' from our Dance Technology album below.

Justin Faust - Holdin' On

Heads We Dance - You Are Never Alone With Model 21(Justin Faust Remix)

Kid Cudi feat Ratatat – ‘Alive’

2010-02-22T16:03:00.001Z

Despite its ubiquity and chav-ringtone appeal, HWD loved the Crookers remix of Kid Cudi’s ‘Day ‘N’ Nite’; we even worked it into ‘My Heart Is Set On You’ during our live sets. None of this prepared us for Kid Cudi’s debut album Man On The Moon: The End Of Day, a sprawling and surprising concept record which recalls Marvin Gaye, Andre 3000’s The Love Below and the best of Kanye West. Amongst numerous highlights is ‘Alive’, one of two collaborations with HWD favourites Ratatat.

Kid Cudi – ‘Alive (nightmare)’

Synthesizer Club

2010-02-21T13:59:00.000Z

This is basically how we learned how to make our records:

CAUTION: Unless you are synth geeks, you will probably not find this video very funny. I think it's hilarious, which probably doesn't reflect very well on me.

Ryan Nexus Top 5

2010-02-19T13:20:00.002Z

Ryan Nexus has been making waves with his remixes in recent months, his mix of Yeah Yeah Yeahs' 'Heads Will Roll' making it to the Hype Machine #1 spot late last year. He's put together a brilliantly morbid Top 5 for us and provided us with an exclusive new track, 'Poppin Young Pussy', for your download pleasure - we love it's old-school mashup vibe!

Ryan Nexus' Top 5 Songs To Play At My Funeral

1. "We'll Meet Again" - Johnny Cash version

2. "Waters of Nazareth" - Justice

3. "Fake Plastic Trees" - Radiohead

4. "Blaze of Glory" - Bon Jovi

5. "Teardrop" - Massive Attack

Encore bonus track- "Where is my Mind?" - Pixies

We're wondering what exactly he has planned for the 'encore'... We've very kindly taken the time to turn this Top 5 into a Spotify Playlist for you, so click the link and pretend you are at Ryan's funeral. Yeah, you feel a bit sad but isn't the music great?

Now get your download on:

Ryan Nexus - Poppin Young Pussy

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (Ryan Nexus Remix)

DeLooze - Big Love

2010-02-17T10:40:00.001Z

It is our great pleasure to introduce you to our new label-mates DeLooze. They've given us their cover of Fleetwood Mac's 'Big Love' for you to download. HWD are split into two camps over the issue of Fleetwood Mac; Becky and Pete think they're great, Yoni thinks they are a crime against humanity. We are all however, in agreement that this is a great cover - check it out for yourselves:

DeLooze - Big Love

Shook Top 5

2010-02-15T12:28:00.032Z

Another top 5 for you from another fantastic up-and-coming producer. We've been enjoying Shook's stuff for a while now and thought it was time to spread the word... And the tunes. Without further ado...

TOP 5 video clips that got me all shook up

1. As a kid I always wanted to play jazz piano like Ahmad Jamal. But there is NO WAY of course. This video explains a lot. I listened to this piece over and over again just to hear the switches in the bass and the interaction between Gary Burton and Ahmad Jamal. There are just so many musical ideas going on in this piece, it's just a musical gold mine.

2. Bob James is a major inspiration for me. He composed such great music. The Taxi theme song 'Angela' is just brilliant. His melodies will tear right through you.

Watch Here

3. Who doesn't like Herbie? Who doesn't like Quincy? What if they are both in the studio making music? Well, the answer is: Magic.

4. Alright, now something totally different. As a kid I watched a lot of Disney. Yeah, Disney! The movie Fantasia struck me the most in terms of an audio visual experience. Looking back at it now, it opened a lot of doors in the sense of a perfect fusion between the two. Visuals were in perfect harmony with the music. It didn't distract from the music at all. The visuals made the music only stronger. See for yourself in this piece where they play Bach's Toccata in D-minor.

5. I like cats. And I like Hall & Oats. So here is Hall & Oats and my favorite youtube cat. This will make your day.

Download one of Shook's originals and his Jupiter remix below:

Jupiter - CHiP (Shook Remix)

Shook - #2

Yeasayer – ‘Love Me Girl’

2010-02-10T18:46:00.003Z

HWD have become pretty disillusioned with indie bands over the last few years. More often than not the media hype and rough-around-the-edges production values have merely distracted attention from a serious lack of substance and quality ...or maybe we’re just getting old enough to see through the bullshit! Thankfully Yeasayer have done a great deal to restore our confidence. New album Odd Blood is an Eno-infused gem which sparkles with genuine vitality and imagination.

~~Yeasayer – ‘Love Me Girl’~~

Hot Chip - 'We Have Love'

2010-02-05T10:26:00.001Z

HWD have never been huge fans of the geek-chic synth sound of Hot Chip. Despite a couple of strong singles they’ve always sounded a bit too twee and weedy – the bedroom recordings of the kids who get beaten up for their dinner money. New album One Life Stand hasn’t exactly dismissed this impression; the album track ‘Brothers’ includes the lyric ‘I can play X-Box with my brother/It’s not about who won or lost’. Thankfully though, Hot Chip have managed to tap into a darker and more engaging sound elsewhere, notably on the string-led ‘I Feel Better’ and the driving ‘We Have Love’.

Hot Chip – ‘We Have Love’

Goldfrapp – ‘Rocket’

2010-01-26T11:13:00.007Z

I imagine Goldfrapp must have found it somewhat ironic that, just when they release an album which departs from their trademark synth-disco sound, along come a whole host of female fronted acts patently influenced by it. You can’t then blame Goldfrapp for ditching the neo-folk psychedelia of Seventh Tree for ‘Rocket’; their synth heavy Van Halen ‘Jump’ inspired come back single. HWD have always much preferred disco and strict machines to pan-pipes and tie-dye so we’re hoping that ‘Rocket’ is indicative of the rest of Goldfrapp’s forthcoming album Head First.

Goldfrapp – ‘Rocket’

Any excuse to post this too - love it!

Pitch Twit Top 5

2010-01-25T19:41:00.014Z

Our latest Top 5 is by up-and-coming Leeds based producer Pitch Twit - definitely one to watch! Hope you enjoy this window in to his world!

Pitch Twit's Top 5 Favourite (Random) Things

My favourite chocolate cake This cake is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Whenever I make it, anyone who tries it always can't actually believe how good it is. When I do it I use Green & Blacks chocolate and instead of using all dark, I use half 70% and half milk. It is a ridiculous cake. It might even make you giggle whilst you're eating it. Ingrediants For the cake: 200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids 200g butter , cut in pieces 1 tbsp instant coffee granules 85g self-raising flour 85g plain flour 1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda 200g light muscovado sugar 200g golden caster sugar 25g cocoa powder 3 medium eggs 75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp) grated chocolate or curls, to decorate Ganache:- 200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above 284ml carton double cream (pouring type) 2 tbsp golden caster sugar Method Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted - don't overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through. While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk. Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes - if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don't worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don't worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely. When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.
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My favourite African guitarist - D'Gary I saw this guitarist at the Canmore Folk Festival back in 2004 and was instantly blown away by the technicality of his playing and of the rhythms that were being used by him and his band. I got an album (Akato Meso) and have listened to it loads - as opposed to other times at festivals when you really love a live performance by an artist you've never heard of - rush off and buy the CD only to get it home and find that its actually rubbish. Beautiful amazing music.

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Favourite Cheap Retreat - Leh, India I went to Leh while I was travelling round northern India a few years ago with my girlfriend. The dry looking part in the top right of the pic is the old town and the green bit everywhere else is the nicer bit though. We stayed there for about two weeks and really chilled out. Rooms are about 50p a night - less if you want a long term stay. If you eat at the right places you can get a meal for about 30p. If I ever wanted to write a book, or do a concept album or something like that, I'd just spend six months in Leh over a summer just doing exactly what I wanted and nothing more.
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Favourite Intimate Gig - Wayne Krantz @ 55 Bar, New York Ages ago I was in New York with two good mates, and one of them (Chris Sharkey) knew where to go for some really in your face contemporary hard funk from some of New York's finest jazz musicians. If you go to New York you HAVE to go and see the Wayne Krantz Trio. This little gig goes down as my favourite intimate gig of all time (and the other times I went there). The level of musicianship is beyond the level you could previously comprehend (especially the drumming) and the grooves are just so sick!

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Favourite Dangerous Ride - Metal Bob Sleigh, China I was in some place in China with a band I was with at the time and we came across this crazy and rather dangerous ride. Apparently there's one at one of the Great Wall sites in Beijing, so if you ever go to see the Great Wall of China, go to the section where that ride is - its well well good! I made a video whilst I went down it.........

Fredrick Carlsson Top 5

2010-01-22T00:30:00.028Z

We'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you to one of our favourite new up-and-coming producers - Fredrick Carlsson, from Gothenburg in Sweden. He's put together a Top 5 with a ridiculously long title for us. Check it out, then head off to his MySpace to hear some more of his tracks.

Fredrick Carlssons Top 5 Films From the 80s With Awesome And Inspirational Soundtracks (Or At Least One track) That Everybody Should Watch In 2010:

5. Teen Wolf

4. BMX Bandits

3. Risky Business

2. Wierd Science

1. Gremlins

In an interesting coincidence, Yoni from HWD used to be a Teen Wolf, and Becky turns into a Gremlin if we feed her after midnight. Pete used to own a BMX. Now have a listen to Fred's remix of PNAU's 'Embrace' below:

D.O.D.'s Top 5 Tracks That Inspire His Sound

2010-01-20T00:30:00.001Z

Another Top 5 for you - this time from D.O.D.

Top 5 Tracks That Describe My Very Unusual Sound:

1. Beni - Maximus (Harvard Bass Remix)


2. Jakes - Warface


3. Nikolai Markus - Bushes (Fatboy Slim Remix)


4. Noob & Brodinski - Peanuts Club (BeatauCue Remix)


5. All Seeing I - The Beat Goes On


Thanks to D.O.D for that - download his remix of the classic Stranglers track Golden Brown below. This is a nice coincidence actually because Pete always tries to play Golden Brown in our rehearsals even though he doesn't know the chords. This repeated insult to the legacy of a great song upsets Yoni and Becky no end and we are glad that we are able to finally vent our frustrations in public. Thank you internet.

The Stranglers - Golden Brown (D.O.D Remix)

HWD's Favourite Collaborations

2010-01-18T12:49:00.001Z

We were driving up to Darlington on Friday to play a show when 'Under Pressure' by David Bowie and Queen came on the radio. It got us thinking; what are the best collaborations of all time? Most are absolutely terrible it seems (although surely there is a special place in all our hearts for Jacko and Macca's 'The Girl Is Mine').

We've decided on five that we really like, and put them on a Spotify playlist for you to check out. What do you think of our choices? Have we missed out anything blindingly obvious? Let us know your favourites!

HWD's Fave Collabos
Afrika Shox - Leftfield and Afrika Bambaataa
Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie
Getting Away With It - Electronic and Neil Tennant
Got Your Money - Ol' Dirty Bastard and Kelis
Where The Wild Roses Grow - Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue

Putting this together reminded me how good Chris Cunningham's video for Afrika Shox is too. Have a look:

Club Smith's Top 5 Videos Ever!

2010-01-18T00:22:00.002Z

A stunning selection of videos from Club Smith, who we like because they live in Yorkshire, like us! Go and check them out on their MySpace, and in the meantime download their track 'The Courtyard' from their new The Loss E.P. below.

Club Smith's Top 5 Videos Ever!

5. 'Pumping on your Stereo' Supergrass:

Watch It Here

"A bit like the Scissor Sisters 'She's my Man' video. But LOADS better."

4. 'Can You Feel It' The Jacksons:

"Apparently, the Jacksons were so into the idea of themselves as gargantuan cosmic messiahs that they agreed to let the song be almost inaudible for many parts of the video. Ace."

3. 'Toe Jam' The BPA and David Byrne and Dizzee Rascal:

"One of those music vids that you'll just never forget. Norman Cook's cameo is a highlight.
Apparently there's an un-censored version somewhere to be found but i wouldn't want to spoil it."

2. 'Can you give it' Maccabees:

"Beautiful grainy scenery, English nostalgia, endearing characters and broken bones. It's like Last of the Summer Wine meets the X-Games."

1. 'Sabotage' Beastie Boys:

Watch It Here

"Spike Jonze is a bit of a hero of mine, from his low budget skate videos to big-budget, heart-felt blockbusters his stuff has always excited me. Moustaches, aviators, fat ties and amature stunts.. What's not to like?!"

Club Smith - The Courtyard

Coin Operated Boy Top 5

2010-01-16T02:00:00.000Z

Coin Operated Boy put us a nice little top 5 together. Have a read then pop over and visit him on his MySpace.

Coin Operated Boy's Top 5 Things John Frusciante Has Done. Ever.

1. The solo in 'My Lovely Man', from BloodSugarSexMagik

My favourite part from my favourite song from my favourite album. The song itself is pretty sad - It's about former guitarist Hillel Slovak - and John's solo brings all of that emotion to fittingly powerful climax.

2. 'Murderers' from To Record Only Water For Ten Days

This is one of the best examples of how Frusciante can wring bucketloads of meaning from just a handful of notes. Really simple, and all the more haunting for it.

3. The main riff in 'The Zephyr Song', from By The Way

It's just perfect isn't it? Like 'Murderers', the melody's almost insultingly simple, but that's why it works. Once it's in your head it won't be leaving any time soon.

4. The solo in 'I Could Have Lied', from BloodSugarSexMagik

Another from BloodSugarSexMagik? Damn right, it's a mint album! Like 'My Lovely Man', this solo captures the mood of the track perfectly. Bruised and visceral.

5. The main riff in 'Purple Stain' from Californication

Bit of a random pick this, but it's just so damn funky! Honestly, who would have thought that such a sparse riff could work this well? Old Gregg would be proud.

Coin Operated Boy was also good enough to let us post an mp3 of a remix he did for Pistola Kicks. It's ace - download below.

When we've done a few of these lists you can send us a "Top 5 HWD Blog Top 5 lists" if you fancy being a bit post-modern. And wasting your time. Now download these mp3s!

Pistola Kicks - Boquerones (Coin Operated Boy Remix)

Heads We Dance - Take My Picture (Coin Operated Boy Remix)

Jeuce's Top 4 Things of 2009 (+1 For 2010!)

2010-01-14T00:30:00.005Z

Another Top 5 for you - this time from our label mates Jeuce. If you think they have impeccable taste then head over to their MySpace! Download their remix of Ellie Goulding's 'Under The Sheets', and their 'Winter Sessions' mixtape below.

Jeuce's Top 4 Things of 2009 (+ 1 for 2010!)

1. Top Dance Release of 2009 - Jack Beats - U.F.O

2. Top Band Release of 2009 - Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

3. Top Blog of 2009 - Kid City Blog

4. Top clubnight for 2009 - Manchester Warehouse Project

5. One to watch for 2010 - Kito

Ellie Goulding - Under The Sheets (Jeuce Rework)

Jeuce Joyrider - Winter Sessions Mixtape

HWD’s Pick of the BBC’s Sound of 2010: Hurts

2010-01-13T02:00:00.010Z

According to the BBC, Manchester’s Hurts are “Tears For Fears as shot by Anton Corbijn”. A quick glance at the video for single ‘Wonderful Life’ and you’d be forgiven for dismissing Hurts as a slavish pastiche of moody 80s electro-pop. Surprisingly, with ‘Wonderful Life’, the duo of Theo Hutchcraft and Adam Anderson has crafted a genuinely engaging and beautifully atmospheric debut release. Hurts’ minimal aesthetic and refusal to give out much in the way of information is also a refreshing antidote to the usual deluge of record label sponsored hyperbole surrounding new acts. Love the video too!

Hurts – Wonderful Life

B-Xentric's Top 5 Inspiring Sounds for 2010

2010-01-11T02:00:00.012Z

Ok! This is the first of a new regular feature on the HWD blog. We’ve been emailing some of HWD's friends and collaborators to ask them to send us a Top 5 list of…absolutely anything they want! First up, our good friend and ‘Take My Picture’ remixer, B-Xentric, who has sent us his Top 5 songs and sounds which are inspiring his sound for 2010. In his words this is “a small window into what I listen to”. Check out the tracks below, along with B-Xentric’s reasons for the tracks making his Top 5.

1. Retrovox – ‘Midnight Star’ – “It’s all about the rollin bass for me on this track.”

2. Carmen – ‘Time To Move’ – “I love the great pop voice of this vocalist along with the great synth stabs.”

3. Cerrone – ‘Give Me Love’ – “Bongos will be making their first appearance on my tracks all because of this track.”

4. Dam-Funk – ‘Galactic Fun’ – “I love the good vibes this creates with its lead melody and good vibes are important in a track for me, I wanna make peeps smile not gurn.”

5. Chic – ‘Le Freak’ – “Pure disco track, on this I’m listening carefully to the guitar as I now have a guitarist for my productions.”

Visit B-Xentric on MySpace
Follow B-Xentric on Twitter
Get the B-Xentric remix of ‘Take My Picture’ here

SebastiAn - Threnody

2010-01-07T23:38:00.002Z

There's been a lot of talk about this track on a lot of blogs the last few days, and it seems that most people really hate it! It's certainly true that this isn't easy listening; nine minutes of industrial droning and whirring accompanied by rising dissonant tones probably isn't everyone's cup of tea. I think it works brilliantly though. Imagine it as a film score, soundtracking some kind of future-industrial landscape, like the image below of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (an old HWD fave). Finally the two minute pay-off at the end is just typical SebastiAn. It seems to me that he's the most truly original of all the Ed Banger artists and he's up against some pretty stiff competition - can't wait for his album later this year!

SebastiAn - Threnody

While I'm here I thought I'd also post another track that's been doing the rounds, seeing as it's by two chaps that have remixed us in the past I thought it would be appropriate to put it up on this blog - enjoy!

Frankmusik and Don Diablo Ft. Ish - Confusion Girl

In With The News!

2010-01-04T11:19:00.007Z

Happy new year from HWD! We hope you had a great holiday and that going back to work this week hasn't been too much of a struggle.

Since the release of the Love Technology album in June last year we've been busy in the studio and rehearsal room coming up with loads of new tracks and fresh sounds; we wanted to keep progressing and not just kick back and make our second album Love Technology II. We decided to release the 'Take My Picture' single as an indication of where we're going and have been really excited by the reaction - thanks! If you missed it, you can watch the video here and buy the single here.

This post is therefore the first of a new, regular blog we're going to do as the second album develops. We're going to post our favourite new records and other things that are inspiring us, as well as feature contributions from our friends and collaborators. We're also going to start posting videos of us in the studio/rehearsal room and taster clips of the second album very soon. Please feel free to send us comments and/or your own favourite new tracks for us to check out!

To get us started, here's HWD's Top 10 songs of the last decade - click on the link for a ready-made Spotify playlist! In no particular order:

'Emerge' - Fischerspooner
'Aerodynamic' - Daft Punk
'Toxic' - Britney Spears
'Drop It Like It's Hot' - Snoop Dogg
'Hard To Explain' - The Strokes
'Hey Ya!' - Outkast
'This Boy's In Love' - The Presets
'One Armed Scissor' - At The Drive-In
'Waters Of Nazareth' - Justice
'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' - Kylie Minogue