Number four in this continuing series , Hong Kong in the 60s have taken the project's base elements and bound them up in poptastic goodness. Each track starts in abstraction then spurs off into a slightly kooky, off centre, electronica that’s imbued with a haze of summery impressions… A bleached azure of harmonics wrapped in a suitably psyched delivery... 'The Ungrateful Root' starts out a slow span of synthetics and sluggish pendulum swing… quickly picked up in a drum Thumbelina and propelled further by a two finger key drone and [...]
It is happening again. After two dormant weeks of doing virtually nothing (OK, very little is more like it), evenings this week were spent spinning vinyl by The Smiths and painting Andi's sewing room in preparation for putting in the bamboo flooring this weekend. Next up will be my record room, which will be a big pain; moving thousands of CDs, LPs and 73 Singles is not a task I will find enjoyable (hence the top photo). But the finished product will be the ultimate reward. I digress. [...]
Stuarto and I talked a lot just before my show began and in the minutes after it started about the radio station he's been building at his house. He's dubbing it 1020Radio, and you can check out the (right now) super minimalist site he's running over at 1020Radio.net . You can also find it on Facebook . It's been a long time coming; the station is nearing completion and just about to hit the Internets. All goes well, and time permitting, [...]
I waited till 2011 to finalize my albums list - all my lists - partially due to laziness, being busy, the holidays... but mainly because I'm not sure what the hurry is. I don't do this for the web traffic (clearly), so I gave myself a little more time to decide than usual. (And as long as this goes up before the Village Voice' s Pazz n' Jop, I don't feel delinquent.) So here's my list, the top five or so have been a lock for almost half a year, but the rest were in flux right till I [...]
Vol 2 with remixes by Design A Wave and Dolly Dolly. My Fantoms Remixed Vol 2 by Hong Kong In The 60s
My Fantoms Remixed Vol 2 by Hong Kong In The 60s 1. At Your Door (Design A Wave Remix) 03:53 2. My Fantoms (Dolly Dolly Adults Only Remix) 03:57 Interview with Tom Robinson (BBC 6 Music) hongkonginthe60s.com degsianwvae.co.uk dollydollyimage.blogspot.co.uk
On Wednesday October the 19th Music Like Dirt will be joining forces with Oxfam for a charity gig featuring some of my favourite music of recent years. Its all part of the Oxjam festival which sees hundreds of gigs across the country to raise money for Oxfam's work. Check Oxjam's website to find a gig near you, or even better buy a ticket for my night from We Got Tickets for the very reasonable price of £6. I am both honoured and excited by the artists who've agreed to play but [...]
Proper Songs have just released the first in a series of remixes of songs from Hong Kong In The 60s' wonderful album "My Fanthoms" . The series is called "My Fantoms Remixed", and the first volume consists of Grovesnor's version of "Diaryland" and Rough Fields' remix of "You Can Take A Heart, But You Cannot Make it Beat". The next edition will be released in September, and will be led by Design A Wave's 'At Your Door'. You can download the [...]
These interpretations by Grovesnor and Rough Fields are the first in a series of remixes of tracks on Hong Kong In The 60s' debut album 'My Fantoms'. My Fantoms Remixed Vol 1 by Hong Kong In The 60s
My Fantoms Remixed Vol 1 by Hong Kong In The 60s 1. Diaryland (Grovesnor Remix) 06:15 2. You Can Take A Heart But You Cannot Make It Beat (Rough Fields Remix) 04:50 hongkonginthe60s.com grovesnor-music.co.uk roughfields.org
L’amour et la mort. Sans doute les thèmes les plus lus et relus par les artistes toutes disciplines confondues depuis la nuit des temps. Mais ne fuyez pas : il ne s’agit pas ici d’un opéra rock en hommage à une quelconque tragédie grecque, ni d'un album concept rococo, mais juste d'une production twee pop inspirée par un recueil de nouvelles écrites par Théophile Gautier intitulé My Fantoms , comme le présent album. Hong Kong In The 60s s’est en effet entiché des belles et courtes histoires centrées sur des fantômes féminins de retour d'entre les morts à [...]
'Other People's Toys' is a 5 track EP released two months after Special Benny's debut album Toys . It features some unique remixes of tracks taken from this album by the likes of 'Specialist' and Johnny Beverton. The reason I think this EP is worthy of a feature is because these artists have done what any good remixers should, they've made the song their own. You can really hear their own unique musical stylings in each of these tracks from Hong Kong In The 602s stripped out (almost MIDIish), yet [...]
A band I've been meaning to feature on this blog for well over a year now, Hong Kong In The 60s finally released their debut album 'My Fantoms' digitally on the 2nd of May and will also release it physically on June 6th. Influenced by early electronic pop, 1960s Chinese music and European film soundtracks, the 12 tracks include bittersweet pop songs, dreamlike instrumentals and even excerpts from a mouse opera for children. [...]
“My Fantoms" is a record of heart-melting beauty. With a collection of 60s and 70s analogue sounds, textile synths and carpeted spongey drum machines, Hong Kong in The 60s present their vision of song, reminding us of forgotten sounds like The Passage, Young Marble Giants and Robert Wyatt, as well as the debt we all owe gentle pop. The melodies are sung with the perfect balance of honesty and control… the control is so welcome. This record is with me a lot. It’s fresh, new but familiar. I love this." -Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas) 'My [...]
My Fantoms by Hong Kong In The 60s 1. When You Were Dreaming 03:37 2. You Can Take A Heart But You Cannot Make It Beat 03:20 3. Les Petits Chasseurs De Son 01:42 4. Softly Sung 03:58 5. My Fantoms 03:19 6. Theme From King Of Chinatown 03:04 7. Diaryland 02:53 8. All At Sea 03:10 9. Cobb's Box 02:15 10. At Your Door 04:30 11. Les Petits Chasseurs Au Bord Du Lac Lunaire 02:40 [...]
Here it is, the Turntable Kitchen March 2011 mix. It came together surprisingly quickly, and yet I feel like it is one of my favorite mixes I've put together in awhile. It is certainly eclectic, but that undoubtedly reflects the fact that my mind has been suffering from musical attention deficit disorder. I've been listening [...]
Today's new discovery? Hong Kong in the 60s. This London-based trio make music that is cuddly, analogue, soothing and shimmering. On their debut LP, My Phantoms, they have woven together a beautiful and quietly understated collection of feather-light ballads delicately imbued with gently rolling melodies, twinkling ambiance and vintage Casio keyboards. Lead vocalist, Mei Yau [...]
Hong Kong In The 60s are a multilingual London three-piece who formed in 2007 and are influenced by early electronic pop, 1960s Chinese music and Italian film soundtracks. Using their collection of old Casio keyboards, the group combine bittersweet pop melodies and atmospheric electronics to create what Sean O’Hagan of The High Llamas describes as a “lovely, understated and quite beautiful sound”. Whats not to love about this amazing song? Enjoy Hong Kong In The 60’s [...]
Med hjälp av influenser från tidig elektronisk pop, kinesisk 60-talsmusik och italienska film-soundtracks skapar London-trion Hong Kong In The 60s ett sockersött och atmosfäriskt pop-sound, som trots ganska enkla medel (gamla Casio-keyboards huvudsakligen) aldrig blir enformigt. Deras debutalbum My Fantoms släpps genom Proper Songs den 2 maj, och kan nu förbeställas/höras på Bandcamp . Nedan kommer smakprovet You can take a heart but you cannot make it beat - deras "... updating of the feather-light Brazilian-inflected sounds of ‘60s and ‘70s sunshine pop." [...]
Library Music done by actual librarians from Oxford? Now that's an interesting proposition!. Although of course it's not the only appeal of Hong Kong in the 60s , the London hauntologists, who managed to befriend the man Jon Brooks aka The Advisory Circle and Ghost Box with their restrained electronic pop melodies. Fans of the Ghost Box aesthetic , retrofuturism , and all kinds of nostalgic and ephemeral music should jump on Places, their free download EP, and subscribe to their blog as well. [...]
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