DiS Does Pop #13: What's the point of the Brit Awards?
In a world where we have the NME Awards, Mobo Awards and Mercury Prize exist, why bother with the Brits. DiS Does Pop investigates...»
In Depth
In Photos: Photographer's Favourite Images - 20 from 2012
We asked our photographers to send through their favourite music images, that they had taken in 2012. So here's twenty of them, in no particular order.»
Drowned in Sound's Favourite Albums of 2012: 100-51
DiS' albums of the year countdown begins...»
Electric Picnic 2012: The DiS Review
These are interesting times for Ireland’s Electric Picnic festival. »
Bestival 2012: the DiS review
That Bestival 2012 was possessed of the kind of cloudless skies under which it made its name as the last big party of the summer meant it was inevitably going to be a good one.»
Open'er 2012: Penderecki's violin revolution in Poland
“If you love music, this is the place to come,” said Mikolaj Ziolkowski, the chief organiser of Heineken Open’er. We were sat backstage in a tent on the disused military airport in Gdynia, northern Poland, where his festival takes place.»
Ten Years Of Camden Crawl: Then and Now
While probably quicker to list those artists we're not bothered about seeing than the ones we are, DiS would like to take this opportunity to wish the Camden Crawl a happy tenth birthday by taking a look back through the archives at some of those artists who've graced the festival since it first opened its doors back in the spring of 1995.»
The Insider: Dear Paul Morley, IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT, F^CK OFF!
When two things collide sometimes it just really gets to you. For me, those two things this week were the Mercury Music Prize and the Review show / Newsnight Review / whatever they’ve rebranded it to with a panel of ‘experts’ discussing whether the music industry was up the shitter on Friday night. Paul Morley, Krissi Murison, Tom Service (Guardian classical music editor) and Miranda Sawyer shouted over each other, deferred to Paul Morley’s endless endless banging on about Marx / Philip Glass / anything else that makes him sound like the preening egotist he truly is for 45 minutes interspersed with the thoughts of Chairman Mills (Beggars Group) and some other industry types on the Mercury red carpet who, surprisingly, decided that the music industry isn’t dead. Oh, and Dave Ellis got some face time to claim T In The Park (founded 1994) as one of the ‘original’ festivals. Jesus. This followed reams of tedious opinions about how The XX (sorry, theallinlowercasexx) were the ‘dull but right’ choice for the Mercury. Yawn.»
Spotifriday #60 - This Week on DiS as a playlist
This week I've arranged the playlist in alphabetical order. I will argue with those of you who think that The xx shouldn't be filed under "X" but will probably lose because I have not known tiredness like this since about yesterday. As such, the descripti»
Øya - The DiS review, Part II
We return to the Medieval Park in Oslo for the final two days of the festival.»
Melt 2010: the DiS review
The sweltering heat combined with the surging pre-festival buzz turns every hour into cold-one o’ clock, so a few friends and I hit the beer tent. Here, a friendly German guy turns round and exclaims in mild disbelief, ‘You’re English and you came all the way out here? Wow, don’t you have your own electronic music festivals?’ At this point I’m still taking in the vast arena shimmering in the distance, then people start diving into the cool swimming lake and I pick up a €1 beer. Erm, not sure if we do festivals quite like this one back home.»
Spilt drinks on the digital carpet: DiS at The Creators Project
By James Lawrenson and Daniel B. Yates The Creators Project is “a partnership between Intel and VICE that brings together innovators across disciplines and explores the different ways they use digital technologies to further their artistic pursuits»
Les Eurockéennes (Saturday): The DiS Review
Les Eurockeennes: A Diary - Day ‘Deux’ On Saturday it is still bloody boiling, and I know I shall have to pace myself if I am to last till Vitalic at 2am*. This is why it is not until late in the afternoon - the heat mostly broken - that I amble down»
In Photos: Fanfarlo Glastonbury 2010 Photo Blog
Fanfarlo have a new single entitled Fire Escape out on Monday. Their video to promote the single has two endings, one with a happy ending, and one with a not so happy ending.»
Les Eurockéennes: A Preview
Eurockéennes, or ‘Les Eurocks’ (should you wish to appear down with les Fronch) is a music festival in Belfort, near the Swiss border. Jay-Z, Missy, Fuck Buttons, Hot Chip, The XX, Janelle Monae, LCD Soundsystem, Health and Mr. Julian Casablancas will be there. Here's why you should join them. »
The Insider: In Hype and Hope – where next for the big three?
Whilst XL, Domino, 4AD, Wichita and others put new acts on the map and control the direction and priorities of the new alternative scene, the major labels look distracted and erratic in their signing policy and approach to new acts. Many of the staff realise the game has changed but no one across the big three is really looking as though they know the rules by which to play. For now, to allow the scenes to flourish and to protect itself from further unwise and costly bad investments the sensible major label should focus on catalogue and known artists. It isn’t a panacea but its a way forward for a group of companies that look to be in serious need of new strategies. »
ATP Matt Groening: The DiS review
The honour of curating the first ATP of 2010 went to Simpsons creator Matt Groening, and despite it not being the busiest of ATPs in terms of punters, or brightest in terms of sunshine, no one can have many complaints about this year's line-up or the subsequent performances enjoyed over the course of the weekend.»
This Week's Singles: 25/01/10
Even though there is nothing worse than those who indulge in stress-based or who-is-the-most-busy competitiveness, I still intend to make a vulgar bid for the throbbing-veined, red-eyed rosette today. You see, not only did I move house (and not one of those 3 taxi-loads, from one end of the borough to another affairs - I mean a Proper Move, cross-country, involving the help of VANS and BURLY MEN who seemed to think it appropriate to CAST ASPERSIONS on my sexyal REPUTATION). I also went to Paris and back, did a tax return, DJed at a five year old’s birthday party and bore the weight of the BIGGEST, most CRASHINGIEST writing deadline you ever did hear about. Oh, I has it so very very hard. And there is you, swanning about there in actual jobland in actual offices. AY ME.»
This Week's Singles: 16/11/09
After the torrent of superlatives doled out to Animal Collective last time, I will admit to toddler-high expectations for this week’s singles. I thought it could only be a hopeless, pleather jacket shop-bought sort of rockness and disappointment; a glass of warm Lambrini served in Styrofoam compared to last week’s vintage bubbles in cut glass. [OH SHUT UP, WENDY.] But it turns out there are a few surprises, one of which * exclusively * reveals THE COLD HARD TRUTH about the XX. Oh yes, it do. »
Spotifriday #24: This Week on DiS as a Playlist
Ah, another cold and misty week in London is nearly over and amid end of list year list compiling and finishing off some exciting new features, the record releasing and music news hasn't relented. Anyhoo, here's our weekly Spotify playlist to accompany the content this week on DiS.»
CMJ Days 1, 2 & 3: The DiS review
Our eyes are held open by matches and our ears have taken a hell of a pounding, but DiS has survived the annual five-day multi-venue reign of terror that is the CMJ Music Marathon 2009. This 29th incarnation of the festival was marked by the usual hype and rumors, and DiS fought off torrential rain, huge queues, and a brush with the NYPD to bring you this report. »
Offset 2009: The DiS review
This year's Offset took place, as always, in Hainault Forest and it would have been rude to turn down the opportunity to see the likes of Let's Wrestle, Damo Suzuki, The Horrors, Future of the Left, Pulled Apart By Horses, Wild Beasts, The xx and about a hundred or so others.»
A Month In Records: August 2009
We take a look at the very best of releases during the month of August. And boy, were there a lot of them!»
Details of Reading & Leeds coverage on the BBC + Zane's must-see tips
As one of the official partners of Reading & Leeds Festival, the BBC will be recording and broadcasting various bits of the festival live. Here are all the details of what they will be broadcasting live and which shows they're hosting live from the site. There will be much more available online (the best bits of which we'll be featuring on DiS).»
This Week's Singles: 10/08/2009
Always on the look out for rare and bespoke ways in which to test out the sevens, this week I attempted Trial By Bicycle. So if you want to know which singles had me grinning despite slipping gears and arduous uphill mini-marathons, you have come to the right place. »
Field Day 2009: the DiS review
Spurred on by the repeat mantra ‘there’s no way things can go wrong a THIRD year in a row', DiS’s Charles Ubaghs and Andrzej Lukowski headed down Victoria Park way last Saturday to sample the delights of this year’s capital-based Field Day festival. And barring some rain, things didn’t go wrong: bar queues? Nuh-uh. Lines for the toilet? Seemed pretty non-existent (or at least from a gruff, manly perspective). There were a few other issues, mentioned below, but here be our highlights.»
Latitude 2009: The DiS Review
To paraphrase Billy Piper, Latitude is pretty much honey to the b for the middle class legions of the DiS writing team, and thus it was in considerable numbers that we fell upon this year's edition of the idyllic Suffolk festival. Here are our reviewers' highlights.»
Dot To Dot preview: A DiS mixtape
This weekend sees the Dot To Dot Festival hit Bristol (Saturday 23rd) and Nottingham (Sunday 24th). DiS is rather excited as this year's line-up is arguably the best one yet, so with a little help from MySpace and YouTube, we've compiled a mega mixtape of the best of this year's artists.»
Spotifriday #24 - This Week on DiS as a playlist
1. The Magnetic Fields - 'The Luckiest Guy On The Lower East Side' It seems almost that it rains almost every time I sit down to write the short, often nonsensical notes on each of the playlist tracks. Then I say, "listen to this little gem to cheer you »
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