Foo Fighters have scored their fifth UK Number One album with their 10th studio album, ‘Medicine At Midnight’.
The band’s new album, which arrived last week (February 5), debuted at the top spot with a total of 42,500 chart sales – 74 per cent of which were physical copies, including 10,500 on vinyl.
Foo Fighters outsold its six closest rivals combined, including Fleet Foxes‘ 2020 album ‘Shore’ (which debuted its physical release last week) and Black Country, New Road’s debut album ‘For The First Time‘.
“I would like to thank everyone for honouring us with this Number One record,” frontman Dave Grohl said after finding out the band had reached the top spot. “After 25 years of being a band it still kind of blows our minds that this could actually happen and we’re very grateful and very thankful.”
He concluded: “We can’t wait to get back there to see you guys, sooner than later, I hope! We’re ready – every day we’re one step closer. Thank you very much, it’s an honour to have this Number One record. See you soon!”
See Grohl’s acceptance speech below:
‘Medicine At Midnight’ is Foo Fighters’ fifth album to hit Number One in the UK, following previous releases ‘One By One’ (2002), ‘Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace’ (2007), ‘Wasting Light‘ (2011) and ‘Concrete And Gold‘ (2017).
In a four-star review of ‘Medicine At Midnight’, NME‘s James McMahon called it “slinky”, “shimmery”, and noted that it boasts one of the best songs they’ve ever recorded.
“After a year that took so much, the return of the Foos feels like the culture getting back in credit,” the review reads. “Consider the record’s closing track, ‘Love Dies Young’, which sparkles with effervescence that the last 12 months have lacked – it’s one of the best songs the band have ever put their name to.”
Meanwhile, Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Kate Bush and Rage Against The Machine are among the nominees for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2021.
With the thumping bass, vocal reverb, and strong percussion hits of her official studio debut, “Too Late,” LA-based Sam Blacky has managed to carve out a space for herself within the house music scene. Out February 12th via Blacky’s new imprint, Stabby Records, “Too Late” is the anticipated pinnacle of her four years spent touring as a DJ and releasing mixtapes.
Forward-thinking yet retro-inspired, the track synthesizes both disco snares and psychedelic synths to generate bouncing club energy. Meanwhile, a subtle cyperpunk-inspired bassline adds suspense and edge, setting “Too Late” apart from the crowd. According to a press release, Blacky is set to deliver more releases throughout 2021, marking an explosive year for the fresh voice.
Imanbek announced in Fall 2020 that a collaborative EP with Rita Ora was in the works, and now the wait for the four track project has concluded. Titled Bang, the two artists have come together for four unique singles that are all linked by the common denominator of club music embodiment to the core.
Co-produced by David Guetta and featuring Gunna, the first single, “Big” and its heavy-hitting roster slate it as a likely contender for project’s radio favorite; however, each song carries its own unique capacity for mainstream appeal. “Bang Bang” is classic Imanbek in style, equipped with prominent thrumming house notes that drive the track’s big room house energy. Meanwhile the KHEA-assisted “Mood” marks a tonal shift, adding dance-inducing hip-hop to the collection. “The One” sees a return to spotlighting Ora’s vocals amidst a dazzling production backdrop.
This project is not only a global collaboration between five incredible artists, but also a celebration of Ora’s Eastern European heritage. To showcase this, Imanbek and Ora put out an accompanying short film shot in Bulgaria to celebrate Bang‘s release.
Ora speaks about the EP’s accompanying film in an official release, stating,
“Every detail of the film was meticulously planned to create something that feels so true to my cultural background. Shooting the film in Bulgaria gave me a chance to showcase the incredible architecture, epic scenery and historic landmarks – I’m so excited to be able to share the beauty of this part of the world and just pay homage to my history.”
Tags: David Guetta, gunna, Imanbek, KHEA, Rita Ora
Jerry Seinfeld, Awkwafina and rapper Jadakiss are among the names who have recorded announcements about coronavirus safety for New York City’s subways.
It comes after social media influencer Nicolas Heller (better known as New York Nico) announced last month that he was partnering with the city’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) to curate new subway announcements, recorded by various famous New Yorkers.
The full list of participants has now been released, which includes the aforementioned names as well the likes of Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Rapaport, Angie Martinez, Bob The Drag Queen, and rappers Dave East, Young M.A. and Cam’ron. See the full list below.
It’s unclear at this time whether the announcements, which include reminders to wear masks and practice social distancing, will be limited to specific stations.
Sharing a sneak peek of the many different voices that New Yorkers will be able to hear on their subway commute, the MTA have posted a compilation video of the famous voices on voiceover duty.
“Hear these iconic New York voices (and more) playing throughout the system now,” the transport corporation captioned the video – watch it below.
Hear these iconic New York voices (and more) playing throughout the system now ?
Meanwhile, Jerry Seinfeld has reflected on a previous interview with the late TV icon Larry King.
A clip from a 2007 interview, in which King asks Seinfeld about his self-titled hit series going off-air, has resurfaced following King’s recent death at the age of 87.
The video saw King saying “You gave it up, right? They didn’t cancel you. You cancelled them,” before Seinfeld replied: “You’re not aware of this? You think I got cancelled? Do you know who I am?”
Now addressing the infamous interview on Twitter while paying tribute to King, Jerry Seinfeld wrote: “Always loved Larry King and will miss him. The ‘cancelled’ bit was just me having fun with his little mistake. Nothing more. Or less. #ripLarry”
Atonal bass isn’t talked about that much in fan circles, but it’s absolutely one of my favorite flavors of dubstep. It’s incredibly raw and always goes hard as fuck, who wouldn’t dig it?
“Your Luv” by Trampa just released on NSD: Black Label and it’s as pure an example of atonal bass as they come. The bass is just… there. There’s no melody to it, no real key to speak of (although someone more versed in music theory could surely come up with something), it’s just in your face destruction akin to a concussion bomb. No fire, no burnt ends emblazoned in the pavement, just pure bass carnage.
If that sounds like it’s something up your alley, listen below! “Your Luv” by Trampa is out now via NSD: Black Label.
Stop the presses, ILLENIUM has new music on the way. The beloved future bass artist has given a hint that an album is incoming with one simple post.
Where there is a photo shoot, there is music. He further shared why things have been quiet on the production front, “Sorry if I haven’t been 100% there for you guys this past year. When the pandemic first hit I was so exhausted from touring nonstop. Being in the studio for 12 hour days was something I missed so much. Been grinding hard on this next body of work. Can’t wait to share it!!”
His standards are clearly high because last year, he delivered an impressive amount of work. In 2020, he released “Feel Something” with Excision and I Prevail, “In Your Arms” with X Ambassadors, ASCEND (Tour Edits), “Nightlight” with Annika Wells, “Paper Thin” with Tom DeLonge, and “Hearts on Fire” with Dabin and Lights.
The fact that this was his quiet year means we have a lot to look forward to with this upcoming album. Stay tuned as more information arises.
Rapper KXNG Crooked has shared his thoughts on 2Pac’s ‘All Eyez On Me’ to marks the album’s 25th anniversary today (February 13), as well as revealing to NME that he has an unreleased track that has a special connection to the legendary rapper.
Crooked, who has worked with the likes of Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, called the Death Row Records album a “multilayered” project “packed full of all the messages we love hip-hop for”.
“‘All Eyez On Me’ allows listeners to experience hip-hop on a number of different levels,” Crooked told NME of the album, which features the hits ‘California Love’, ‘How Do U Want It’ and ‘2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted’. “From an underground level, to a mainstream level, to a cultural level, it’s such a multilayered album.
“It’s packed full of all the messages we love hip-hop for. The Public Enemy messages. The Ice Cube messages. It gives you rhyme and ciphering, with people like Method Man, Redman and Kurupt being on it. It gives you that slick talk that we love from the street corners. It has everything.”
He continued: “When I first heard it I felt like there was going to be no stopping 2Pac. He was so vivid with his words and that’s one of the reasons why we loved him so much. I thought he was about to make another 10 albums just like it and then be the biggest superstar we’ve ever seen.”
2Pac. CREDIT: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images
Unfortunately, that didn’t end up being the case. 2Pac was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas just seven months after the album’s release in September 1996. Crooked, who himself was once signed to Death Row Records years after 2Pac, revealed that he actually got the opportunity to meet his hero before his untimely passing.
“Him and Snoop [Dogg] were re-recording ‘2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted’ for a St. Ides beer commercial,” Crooked explained. “Because I’m from Long Beach I went to a lot of Snoop sessions, a lot of Dogg Pound sessions. It just so happened that 2Pac was at this particular Snoop session. I was blessed to be a fly on the wall that day and watch that man work.”
He went on: “They say if you shake hands with Frank Sinatra, you’re a made man in the music business. That’s how I felt back then with 2Pac. If you ever dapped him up then you were on your way to being a made man in the rap business. I definitely felt like a made man after that.”
Discussing how 2Pac inspired him to keep pushing on with his own career – even when he was homeless and sleeping in the back of a library in Long Beach – Crooked told NME that he has a song called ‘Dear Mama’ that he recorded before 2Pac released his famous track of the same name in 1995.
“When I was young, my mother left California for Oklahoma because the economy was fucked. Everything had turned super expensive,” said Crooked. “But I decided to stay. I wound up homeless and I started missing my mom so I wrote her a letter. I recorded it at this studio owned by two former NFL payers, Chuckie Miller and Leonard Russell, who took an interest in me. That song was called ‘Dear Mama’ and it was done before 2Pac did his.”
He continued: “About a month later 2Pac drops his ‘Dear Mama’ track. I said, you know what, I can’t use this song. I wasn’t even in a position as an artist at this time in my career to put music out. I was just making music for myself, for my soul and my sanity. But when I heard 2Pac’s ‘Dear Mama’ I realised I was on the right path because my favourite rapper of all time had created a song in the same vein as mine.”
“My record still exists,” Crooked added. “And just because of this conversation I’m gonna put it out. It’s a young Crooked, and you’ll definitely be able to tell.”
Meanwhile, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland recently revealed their hopes to do a 2Pac Vs. The Notorious B.I.G. VERZUZ battle.
Last month, ‘The Best Of 2Pac’ was released on vinyl for the first time.
As is pretty well known by now, David Solomon, the CEO of Goldman Sachs, produces and DJs on the side. He’s pretty darn good at it too as evidenced by his appearances on the Billboard Dance charts and his booking at Tomorrowland back in 2019 (sigh, memories). Now Solomon is back with his first original track of 2021, “Cross Your Mind,” and it’s a smooth, dancefloor heater.
“Cross Your Mind” wastes no time getting started. Right off the bat we get the slightly tropical sounding synth notes that make up the melody of the song. Slow handclaps keep the beat as the alluring female vocal comes in. She’s definitely thinking about a former lover, and it seems like she regrets that the relationship has ended. The vocal refrain is something we can all relate to, “Do I ever cross your mind? Because I think about you all of the time.” The drop takes the synths beats and layers them over a club-ready house beat.
“Cross Your Mind” is also the first track that David Solomon has released under his own name. He had previously released under the moniker of DJ D-Sol, but, his real name lends an air of gravitas to it. “Cross Your Mind” is out now on Payback.
The late Avicii is being honored in his hometown of Stockholm with a new memorial site. The news comes almost three years after the tragic passing of the beloved producer.
The plans have been announced by the Stockholm local chapter of the liberal Moderaterna party which chairs the district committee of the capital district of Östermalm. The memorial site is said to be approved by next Thursday. According to a report from Antenne Münster, “the people at the place in the center of Östermalm should be able to remember Avicii alias Tim Bergling on the one hand, but also honor all people with psychological problems who died too early on the other.”
In a quote obtained by the publication, Klas Bergling, Avicii’s father, spoke for his family and said “This place will offer an opportunity to remember Tim and his music, which meant and means so much to many people around the world.” At the time of writing, there is no word as to when and where the memorial site will be built. The beloved producer grew up in Östermalm so all signs seem to point to this being the location.
Early this year, an alternative version of Avicii: True Stories with never-before-seen footage surfaced on a YouTube channel, The Avicii Archives. The 2017 documentary offered fans an intimate look into Avicii’s remarkable rise, as well as his struggle with his mental health. The late producer will also be memorialized further in the upcoming biography by Swedish writer, Måns Mosesson. Tim Bergling – The Official Biography is slated to be released on November 2nd, 2021.
After the announcement of an event cancellation fund by the Dutch government in late January, festivals are gearing up to make their return this summer. With a commencement date of July 1, the €300 million guarantee fund will insure events cancelled due to COVID-19, allowing organizers to plan for the second half of 2021 without financial risk.
Similar to those announced in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the government reserve will cover musical festivals, business fairs, and sports competitions that attract over 3000 attendees. Netherlands festivals have already followed suit to prepare for programming later this year. Some such as Awakenings and DGTL—both of which are now slated to take place September 11-12—have pivoted to reschedule their customary event dates to the fall in order to receive insurance from the fund.
Drum ‘n’ bass festival Liquicity has also communicated the good news to its ticketholders and prospective attendees, reflected in a risk-free ticket policy. The fund has driven an optimistic outlook for the impending festival season, as echoed by Liquicity organizers who state,
“Festivals in The Netherlands are currently selling out in record pace due to this new government announcement.”
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