STYLEGUIDES

Portformat – The Repeat Factor

styleguides — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:04:35 +0000

portformat’s new album ‘the repeat factor’ will be released 3rd december 2009 on my small record label tokyo dawn records. below is an exclusive streaming preview for you before the album officially drops. first previews on other blogs include 92bpm and moovmnt. the guest vocalists on this especially spacey r’n'b/hip hop album include georgia anne muldrow, shuanise, suzi analogue, dudley perkins, blaktroniks, obey the altar native, bless1, gajah, caits meissner and thesaurus rex. mixing was done by comfort fit..
turn it up loud, this is the repeat factor!

DJ Charts November ‘09

styleguides — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:31:24 +0000

starting mellow and ending with disco, here are the styleguides november charts with some lovely new tracks in the box by parallel dance ensemble, 4hero, shuanise, redshape, josé james, blaktroniks etc. some new material from my label tokyo dawn records is also available via amazon soon – portformat’s album ‘the repeat factor’, dropping 3rd december 2009.

Post Punk ‘81-’84

styleguides — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:06:43 +0000

the wikipedia explanation of postpunk is pretty accurate:
“Post-punk is a popular musical movement with its roots in the late 1970s, following on the heels of the initial punk rock explosion of the mid-1970s. The genre retains its roots in the punk movement but is more introverted, complex and experimental. Post-punk laid the groundwork for alternative rock by broadening the range of punk and underground music, incorporating elements of Krautrock (particularly the use of synthesizers and extensive repetition), Jamaican dub music (specifically in bass guitar), American funk, studio experimentation, and even punk’s traditional polar opposite, disco, into the genre. It found a firm place in the 1980s indie scene, and led to the development of genres such as gothic rock, industrial music and alternative rock.”

this time’s post punk bonus track is gang of four’s ‘anthrax’:

for more on post punk i recommend simon reynolds’ very thorough books on the topic:

DJ Charts October ‘09

styleguides — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 22:02:34 +0000

it’s been a little quiet on styleguides recently, but here’s an update with some of this month’s autumn highlights including releases by portico quartet, dam funk, memory tapes, the very best, hyperdub etc.

bonus video is j. dante breakdancing to comfort fit’s beat ’superposition’, recently released on my experimental label imprint tdr:

Road Movie Music

styleguides — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:25:13 +0000

this styleguides compilation started out as a musical temp score for a road movie horror film that never got finished. too bad not only the movie isn’t available, also some of it’s most important music titles such as ‘the common people – those who love’, ’slaves – slave time’, ‘flash and the pan – california’ and ‘the guerrillas – lawdy rolla’ aren’t even available on amazon or youtube, although they’re that good. anyway, check this out, quentin.

this time’s bonus track ‘walking in the rain’ (1978!) is from the miserably underrated band ‘flash and the pan’, who are not available on amazon but simply can’t be missing on styleguides:

RIP Wycliffe ‘Steely’ Johnson

styleguides — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:18:08 +0000

the news report that steely from the jamaican production duo steely & clevie passed away yesterday due to complications from pneumonia. the electro riddims of keyboardist wycliffe ’steely’ johnson and drummer cleveland ‘clevie’ browne heavily influenced the jamaican dancehall sound since the 80s, with hit productions made for gregory isaacs, maxi priest, foxy brown etc. clevie had pioneered the use of drum machines in reggae and both steely and clevie were instrumentalists for the house bands of reggae kings such as lee scratch perry, king jammy and bob marley. rip steely!

About Me

styleguides — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:56:31 +0000

the music on this blog has been highly subjectively selected by marc wallowy, who works as music supervisor for ads and films in munich. previously working as a freelancer for american and german network agencies and music labels, i’m currently managing director of the music agency renommee and the small record label tokyo dawn records. get in touch if you have a film that needs rock solid licence management and high quality sound design.

largest music projects so far include:
a) over 50 million downloads for the newcomer music platform
mercedes-benz mixed tape
b) 500.000 cds for coca cola, over 1 million cds for mercedes-benz
c) nearly 1.000 tracks placed in advertising and film projects during the last three years

project references (excerpt tbc):

Sun Ra ‘14-’93

styleguides — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:26:48 +0000

a short musical introduction to one of the most controversial, mystical and possibly most radical and innovative jazz musicians of all time – sun ra. the movie ’space is the place’ find this introduction for him:

Sun Ra – space-age prophet, Pharaonic jester, shaman-philosopher and avant-jazz keyboardist/bandleader – lands his spaceship in Oakland, having been presumed lost in space for a few years. With Black Power on the rise, Ra disembarks and proclaims himself ‘the alter-destiny’. He holds a myth-vs reality rap session with black inner-city youth at a rec center, threatening “to chain you up and take you with me, like they did you in Africa” if they resist his plea to go to outer space. He duels at cards with The Overseer, a satanic overlord, with the fate of the black race at stake. Ra wins the right to a world concert, which features great peformance footage of the Arkestra. Agents sent by the Overseer attempt to assassinate Ra, but he vanishes, rescues his people, and departs in his spaceship from the exploding planet Earth.

first bonus track is ‘that’s how i feel’ from my possibly favourite sun ra lp, ‘lanquidity’, from 1978 on philly jazz/evidence records:

second up is ‘when there is no sun’ from the equally rare album ‘new steps (live in rome)’ 1978:

styleguides can also recommend these books for a deeper view into the mystics and music of sun ra:

DJ Charts September ‘09

styleguides — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 22:22:03 +0000

quick charts update for september featuring highlights from this months album releases by blaktroniks, dam funk, comfort fit, manuel tur, sorcerer, dorian concept, lcd soundsystem and others.
the august charts are still available here.

first bonus track is fresh daily’s brooklyn-based single ‘untucked nunchucks’ from their debut album ‘the gorgeous killer in crimes of passion’:

the second bonus video by little dragon leads us to hong kong:

Love From The Sun

styleguides — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:45:22 +0000

here is the soundtrack for your summer!

essential love songs towards the sun from the late 50s to now, starting off with nina simone’s beautiful version of ’summertime’ and closing with a hawaiian soul classic. a styleguides compilation not be missed!

this time’s bonus track is norman connor’s nearly astral jazz ode to the sun from 1974, not available on amazon and definitely in need of a proper reissue: