Exclusive: The Smile That Wrote This Song

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We haven't even finished up on our 2010 Who's Who feature and things are already beginning to take off for the chosen few that we've already covered.

Velo were first out of the blocks in a lightning-quick flash with their monstrous remix of Ellie Goulding hitting the Hype Machine #1 spot (congratulations guys!).

Now Talking Pictures are back in a similar fashion, except they are on the other side of the remixing coin with The Aspirins For My Children taking over the reigns on Back In Time, adding some of his ADHD-addled charm and trademark synths to proceedings, cultivating a far more upbeat sliced and diced piece of electro-pop.

Not only that, but they're also part of a huge line-up at Camden Barlfy on 19th February that includes live performances from The Shoes, Talking Pictures and the much loved and newly signed Monarchy, with TAFMC springing up yet again on DJ duties.

I wonder if he'll play his mind blowing remix of Gold In The Fire...

Talking Pictures - Back In Time (The Aspirins For My Children Remix) (YSI) EXCLUSIVE

In Motion: We Won't Rewind

Japayork - Our Now

It seems that it's not enough to simply be a musician these days; you've got to be a graphic designer, photographer, direct your own videos and be an all round creative guru. 22 year old Londoner Japayork is no exception.

Whilst Our Now is not my favourite track (that accolade is owned by the simply mesmeric I Need It All), the video really adds some mood and flavour to proceedings and although it's very early days; it's a very solid start.

I'm sure we'll be posting more about him in the future, but for now check out the Myspace for the aforementioned tracks and more info.

Exclusive: Throw Out Your Heart

Okay, six bands into our Who's Who rundown, and it's time for an interval, of sorts.

And Oh. My. God. What an interval...

Following on from my recent words, Velo have made a swift return to these parts with their aforementioned Starry Eyed remix for the much-loved Ellie Goulding. Sie and Pete don't waste an ounce of the original in creating this grinding disco edit, effortlessly keeping intact everything that made the original so good while stamping their own mark all over it, creating something as home on the radio as it is on the more discerning dancefloor.

The sweet nature of the original is warped with distorted chants and a mammoth drum breakdown that calls to mind the Thrust Lab remix of Problem Is by HEALTH - quite how they incorporate such influences but remain defiantly pop is a true testament to their remix genius. Inject the unabashed funk of Pete's own original bass parts and the oft talked about 'Next Level' isn't so much reached and breached, as smashed.

Exclusive drop for you below. Spread the Velo.

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Velo's Wild Eyed Edit) (limited download)

2010 Who's Who: Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs - Uv Been Robbed (Joking But Not) EP Teaser

As we shift in to the second half of our Who's Who list, it's time to re-introduce the multifaceted, multi-talented mastermind that is Entrepreneurs.

Judging from the tantalisingly devious teaser video above and the absolute monster of a remix below, it won't be long before things really start to blow up for Entrepreneurs.

A debut EP is set for release towards the end of the summer and with what is clearly one of the freshest approaches to remixing around; Entrepreneurs are definitely one to keep an ear on over the course of the year. For now, I'll leave you with an early contenders for remix of the year.

Marina & The Diamonds - Mowgli's Road (Entrepreneurs Space-Hopper Remix) (YSI)

2010 Who's Who: Hussle Club

I've been chomping at the proverbial blog bit to sing the praises of my third
One to Watch since first discovering him back in November, so with light now glowing green-for-go I'll waste no more time in introducing you to the right royal Prince Terrence of New York, a.k.a Hussle Club

Already known to many as drummer for the likes of Santigold, Spank Rock
and the fully Illegal Tender-endorsed HEARTSREVOLUTION, Hussle Club sees Prince Terrence take a trip down the post-punk path and away from the Island club sounds of his previous bands, into darker disco territory - it's a stone cold, carved-from-Gotham-granite sound; one minute handclaps and cowbells, the next 80's-influenced electronics, pinned together by Prince Terrence's percussion and vocals.

Lead single I Have High Expectations of What I want To Be But In The Mirror I Don't See Them Staring Back At Me can be got below and as part of an excellent remix package via the peer-less peeps over at RCRDLBL.

The King is dead, long live the Prince...

Hussle Club - I Have High Expectations... (YSI)

Hussle Club - Loose Tights (limited download)

2010 Who's Who: Age of Consent

I'm retreating from the shiny-bright light of the last couple of bands for the next of our 'Who's Who''s, stepping instead into the darker recesses of this thing called pop with London's newest purveyors of dystopian heartache, Age of Consent.

Comprising the talents of two former Shitdisco-ers Joe Reeves & Darren Cullen, Age of Consent sees the duo emerge from the chaos of Shitdisco's frantic party tunes and into the arena of Heaven 17 and Depeche Mode's slow & ominously atmospheric dance - influences that may concern lovers of the two's previous band were it not for the undeniable strength of classic songwriting evident in tracks such as The Beach.

Reeves and Cullen enlisted the untouchable talents of Luke Smith on production duties for these early demos, and together with the former Clor genius have crafted a sound a little bit intense and a little bit massive; all brooding beats and crunching synths, it's raw and affecting electronica.

Check Heartbreak below, still so new it's yet to be mixed or mastered: even so, you'd have to be a few short of a full set not to be getting excited...

Age of Consent - Heartbreak (Demo) (YSI)

2010 Who's Who: Talking Pictures

Once the leaves are back on the trees, the sheep have finished impregnating each other and hosepipe bans are being enforced, it can mean only one thing; summer is quickly approaching. It's around this time that Talking Pictures will be everywhere.

Solid information is pretty scarce right now, but the demos that I've had the pleasure and privilege of hearing thus far indicate that TP are a cut above most of the other overly polished synth-pop (the new indie landfill?) contenders that have been congesting the blogs for the last year or so. The reason for this is pretty simple; they have the material to do some serious chart damage.

Soon to break free from the confines of the studio, where they have been working with a host of producers including IT favourite The Aspirins For My Children, they will be performing a showcase at The Boileroom in Guildford on the 23rd of this month.

Check out their demo Back In Time for only a glimpse of things to come.

Talking Pictures - Back In Time (Demo) (YSI)

2010 Who's Who: Velo

Keeping things London-based for the second band in our 2010 series, moving from a basement studio in the East, to one in the North, and from GFJM to the glorious pop of Velo.

Led by Sie Medway-Smith and Pete Cochrane, Velo are that rarest of breeds in that they seem totally at ease matching electronic production with organic instruments while maintaining a 24-carat ear for a hook and radio-friendly chorus - a sound the French, Swedish and Australians have had locked-down for years but somehow escaped us, until now...

A combination of gorgeous melodies and lifting choruses, mixed in with inescapably tight bass, pounding drums and soaring synths saw industry vying for their scribble within weeks of their emergence, and with a seemingly never-ending supply of even stronger material and whispers of imminent deals, Velo are a safe bet for huge things.

Currently rehearsing with a full band in preparation for their live debut this February at one of London's biggest club nights, Sie and Pete have also just completed work on a devastating remix for a certain Miss Goulding's major-label debut single, as well as finding time to remix a host of 2010's other great white hopes; all demonstrate the duo's midas touch to fullest effect, and are sure to surface soon in all the right places, so keep both eyes wide-open. In the meantime, take a dip in the sublime Trading Alibis.

Velo - Trading Alibis (YSI)

2010 Who's Who: Gold Future Joy Machine

Let's start the hyperbole off with a band that I've been attempting to pin down since March last year, Gold Future Joy Machine.

Lead by frontman Johnny Kenton, the five-piece are almost a law unto themselves. Having spent most of 2009 recording an album's worth of demos whilst holed up in their makeshift basement studio in Hackney, and simultaneously hosting their own invite only warehouse parties to test them out on friends and followers, they have basically refused to play ball with anyone outside of their inner circle.

The fact that they've done everything on their own terms and devoid of outside influence is both something of a rarity in current times and something that I have the utmost respect for, and it definitely seems to have paid off.

They now have the entire music industry at their mercy and have managed to build a team of people around them that will hopefully do them justice. I'll be posting a lot more about them in the coming months, but for now check out Pariah.

Gold Future Joy Machine - Pariah (stream only)

2010 / 730 Days Old

Today is a triple-whammy in that it's a New Year, a new decade and it's also 2 years ago to the day that Illegal Tender began.

2010 is going to be an exciting and eventful year for the blog and beyond. It will be the year that UK bands re-emerge as a worthy adversary to do battle with the unrelenting wave of female artists that have dominated the hearts and minds of 2009 and the recent crop of lo-fi US bands that have captured everyone's attention.

Rather than emulate the BBC's Sound of 2010 list, which is predictably the release schedule of the majors, XL and Rough Trade from now until April bar a few exceptions (Joy Orbison, Gold Panda), we will be posting the 10 unsigned artists/bands that we think will shape the rest of the year and beyond throughout January.

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