RMX - Music News Magazine

Donna Summer ‘missed’ by music world

RMX — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:21:27 +0000

Donna Summer “defined a whole genre of music” says musician Adam Lambert.Donna Summer is going to be missed “so, so much”, says Steven Tyler.The disco queen passed away this week at the age of 63. She had been battling cancer, which she had kept a secret from everyone except her husband and children.Many stars have paid their respects to the legendary songstress, with American Idol judges Steven and Randy Jackson sharing their thoughts.”She was the point man of that era, and we’re going to miss her so, so much,” Steven told ET Online before Randy added: “She is the lone queen of dance music, so everyone should pay homage to that. Just a true pioneer.”Former Idol contestant Adam Lambert also remembered the late singer, saying Donna “defined a whole genre of music”.”She’ll definitely be missed,” he shared. Donna’s loved ones recently confirmed that her cancer “was not related to smoking.”"Ms. Summer was a non-smoker,” the family statement explained.”Obviously, numerous factors can be attributed to the cause of cancer in general, but any details regarding the diagnosis and subsequent treatment of Ms. Summer’s case remain between her family and team of doctors.”Her body will be buried in Nashville where the star moved in the mid 1990s.

Remembering the King of Pop: Michael Jackson’s crystal glove is expected to fetch $400,000 at an auction

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:14:36 +0000

The crystal glove is a potent reminder of those magnificent shows that Michael Jackson used to give in his heydays. Now the piece is being auctioned and the conservative estimates are that it will fetch $400,000. The actually sale is going to be held in December this year but there is already some interest from potential bidders. It is said that the auction is going to include stage costumes that were won by Jackson. The Julien’s Auction house in Beverly Hills (California) has been given the contract to handle the sale on the 2^nd of December 2012. The proceeds will go to the ‘Guide Dogs of America’ as well as another charity in Las Vegas called the ‘Nathan Adelson Hospice.

Remembering an iconic artist

He was dubbed the King of Pop partly due to his extravagant dance moves and the startling effect of his concerts. The Michael Jackson World Tour is going to start at the Museo de la Moda in Santiago (Chile) today. It will then stop off at other locations in Europe, the USA, South America and Asia. During the tour the garments worn by the singer will be on display. They include various jackets and custom-made shirts which he wore during performances of ‘Beat it’ and ‘Bad’.

One of the items that are attracting a lot of interest is a gold belt that belonged to Michael. A spokesperson for the auction house gave an introduction to the sale: ”There is no doubt that Michael Jackson was a global fashion icon as well as award winning and beloved musician”. They make reference to his unique style and his personal life which attracted lots of attention (some of which made the singer very uncomfortable in the latter stages of his life). Last year nearly $1 million was raised following an auction of his personal belongings.

Lana Del Rey has announced the release of a new single ‘National Anthem’

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:12:56 +0000

The idea is going to be very controversial especially in the middle of the Jubilee Year. Now Lana Del Rey has thrown a spanner in the works by announcing a new single which has been provocatively titled ‘National Anthem’. It will come out to the public on the 8^th of July. This is the latest track to be extracted from her debut LP which is called ‘Born to Die’. It was released at the start of the year and has some more than 2 million copies internationally. A host of remixes were inspired by the new single. The acts that have been working on these include DC Breaks, Tensnake, Afterlife and Todd Terry. You can catch them on digital download and the 7” picture disc format.

What can we expect from the new single?

At the moment Lana Del Rey is attending the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier today she won the ‘Best Contemporary Song’ prize at the Ivor Novello Awards in London. This was in recognition of her work on ‘Video Games’. There was also news that she would be writing a song that is set to appear on Cheryl Cole’s album. ‘A Million Lights’ will be something of a comeback album for the ‘Girls Aloud’ singer. It is set to be released on the 18^th of June this year. This is her 3^rd studio album as a follow up to ‘Messy Little Raindrops’ which came out in 2010.

In the upcoming months Lana Del Rey will be playing host at a number of UK festivals. These are the Isle of Wight festival, the ‘Lovebox’ festival and the Latitude festival. She will also be making an appearance at the Hackney Weekend which is organized by Radio 1. She is a great song writer and therefore we can expect that the ‘National Anthem’ is going to bring something special. Hopefully it will not be modeled on ‘God Save the Queen’.

Axl Rose has thanked the crowd for ‘not throwing shit’ at opening night of Guns N’ Roses’ UK and Ireland tour

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:11:49 +0000

If he thanked them for not throwing shit during the opening night, what would they do if they were angry? Axl Rose was grateful that the audience decided to behave with some decorum during the opening night for the ‘Gun N’ Roses’ tour. They are currently covering both Ireland and the UK. The tour started at the O2 in Dublin on the 17^th of May. It lasted for three hours and the band only left after 1.15am. There was everything in the show including six costume changes and Pyrotechnics. The band did a cover of the ‘Pink Panther’ theme tune. As usual they arrived very late but then proceeded to perform 21 songs. Although they were late by up to one and a half hours, the audience got their money’s worth.

Dealing with unruly crowds

The band staged an infamous gig in 2010 where they were bottled off the stage after just three songs. Axl Rose thanked the audience for being disciplined after he sang the set closer ‘Paradise City’. The Irish crowd was animated but they did not do anything that could be construed as being even mildly embarrassing. The ‘Guns N’ Roses’ frontman was diplomatic: ‘Thanks for coming out, thanks for putting up with my lame ass and thanks for not throwing shit’. Earlier on he acknowledged a leg injury that he suffered while attending a party in Russia the previous weekend: “As you may have heard I had a little accident. I’m learning what I can and can’t do. I hope you don’t mind me moving less than usual”.

His movement is certainly better than it was the last time that Axl Rose held a gig here. During the performance the singer did not show signs that he was injured. The band did some pieces from their greatest hits collection as well as some cover versions. They sand pieces from their album ‘Chinese Democracy’ which was released in 2008. ‘Splitting the Atom’ by Massive Attack was their entrance number. This was then followed by a number of show stoppers including ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘It’s so easy’.

A Music Album Review of ‘Language’ by Zulu Winter

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:09:37 +0000

The album ‘Language‘ by Zulu Winter was released on the 14^th of May this year under the ‘Play it Again Sam’ record label. It was produced by Tom Morris. During this review we picked out an interesting fact: Will is a nerd who boasts an intricate knowledge of the London Underground system. For example he says that the only tube stops with all the vowels are South Ealing and Mansion House. Setting aside the trivia, this is a serious album worthy of a detailed review.

The band represents the new wave of British acts that are diversifying the entertainment industry. ‘Language‘ by Zulu Winter is such an example. It uses the so called cool musical motifs and speaks to a particular audience. Some people may complain that these songs are too ‘popular’ but in this review we feel that the hard edge is not necessary for creating a successful career. This band has displayed remarkable patience from their early days in Oxford. The populist approach is favored by many bands but through hard work Zulu Winter has been able to produce something worthwhile. They have been practicing together for 12 years and it shows in the detail of the album.

Hardcore music fans will enjoy the album ‘Language‘ by Zulu Winter because it is a testament to good old fashioned graft. They rely on great guitar playing but this supported by some impressive bass lines. Their throbbing will touch your heart. Although I am not personally a fan of synthesizers, on this record it they used with intelligence. Their rhythms are very tight and that means that you never lose timing or structure even on the umpteenth time of hearing the album. ‘Silver Tongue’ is a display of bass and drums with some wonderful golden chorus lines. The coloring in ‘We Should be Swimming’ is worthy of a mini opera. Most of the time one feels that the band is able to mask any problems that they may have.

Those who are looking for something to dance to will be satisfied with the track titled ‘Key to My Heart’. The best thing about this album is the use of instruments. They have cut out any dross to create great pieces such as ‘Let’s Move Back to the Front’. The ethereal beauty of the song is never interrupted with unnecessary decorations.

This is a very good effort for a band that is only making the headlines now. In the future they are certainly going to be a force to be reckoned with. Sometimes the vocal abilities are trumped by the use of instruments. This is just a minor complaint.

The ‘Foals’ are set to release a new mix album called ‘Foals Tapes’ in July

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:06:49 +0000

Rumor has it that the ‘Foals’ are going to release a new mix album called ‘Foal Tapes’ this July. The band is originally from Oxford and is currently working on their 3^rd studio recording. A compilation of the material will be released on the 2^nd of July. This is the 3^rd band to contribute to the ‘Tapes’ series. They follow in the footsteps of ‘The Big Pink’ and ‘The Rapture’. The compilation will feature various artists including Nicolas Jaar, Caribou, Tony Allen, ‘Blood Orange’, ‘Art Department’ and ‘Teengirl Fantasy’. During an interview Edwin Congreave discussed the new project: “It’s easy to throw some random music together and call it a DJ mix, but I wanted to make something more ambitious than that.” We will have to wait and see whether they have achieved those objectives.

A new album for a fresh band

The interviewer asked Edwin Congreave about the song selection. He said that he tried to diversify tastes and consulted with the other members of the ‘Foals’: “We wanted it to reflect the taste of the whole band, so I picked music from the last five years of shared listening”. The singer said that they also got inspiration from a tour in an ex-Royal Mail delivery van which he referred to as the ‘DIY band cliché’. They nurtured their talent by listening to playlists that were done by other members of the group. Apparently they used a ‘ropey old cassette player’.

The spectrum of their interests included ‘Nineties math rock, Greek folk music, Kompakt compilations, early Metronomy demos and endless Arthur Russell’. He said that sometimes the process was “infuriatingly eclectic, but it stretched our minds wide open.” Edwin Congreave from the ‘Foals’ plans a DJ Tour this summer. He will visit various entertainment hotspots including Glasgow, Manchester and London. The tracklisting for ‘Foal Tapes’ is given below:

Nicolas Jaar – ‘Variations’

Clark – ‘Ted’ (Bibio Remix)

Dorian Concept – ‘Tropical Hands’

Condry Ziqubu – ‘Confusion (Ma Afrika)’

The Invisible – ‘London Girl’

JR Seaton – ‘Way Savvy’ (Gatto Fritto Remix)

Blood Orange – ‘Dinner’

Tanner Ross – ‘B Side’

Teengirl Fantasy – ‘Cheaters’ (John Talabot’s Classic Vocal Refix)

Château Flight feat Marie Daulne – ‘Superflight’ (Maurice Fulton Remix)

In Flagranti – ‘Effective Placebo Affect’

Tony Allen – ‘Kilode’ (Carl Craig Remix)

Art Department feat Soul Clap & Osunlade – ‘We Call Love’

Cerrone – ‘Give Me Love’ (Frankie Knuckles Remix)

Arnold Jarvis – ‘Take Some Time Out’

Oni Ayhun – ‘OAR003-B’

Sepalcure – ‘Every Day Of My Life’ (Jimmy Edgar Remix)

Marshall Jefferson vs. Noosa Heads – ‘Mushrooms’ (Justin Martin Remix)

Julio Bashmore – ‘Battle For Middle You’ (Maurice Donovan Dub)

Caribou – ‘Sun’ (Midland Edit)

Konono Nº1 – ‘Paradiso’

Gospel Comforters – ‘Yes God Is Real?’

Introducing the World’s Richest Musician: Bono from U2

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:04:45 +0000

The U2 frontman is not just a pretty face. He is fond of pontificating on world poverty and environmental protection. Now Bono is set to become the world’s wealthiest musician today. He will officially overtake Paul McCartney, one of the surviving members of ‘The Beatles’. On the 18^th of May the rich tables were overturned as a new kid on the block made his presence felt. It is all about assets and great investments. The change in Bono’s fortunes arose out of the decision by FaceBook to float its stock exchange tomorrow. All the investors who bought into the scheme are set to get lots of money. The Irish singer is just one of the beneficiaries of this bubble.

Does this remind of the Dot.Com companies?

The hype surrounding FaceBook is real but the figures given us cause for concern. Apparently Bono owns 2.3% of the shares on the social media giant through his private equity firm Elevation Partners. They bought them for $90 million in 2009 but now they are going to make a very good return if the shares are snapped up. At the moment the social media network is valued at over $100 billion. This ensures that Bono is entitled to about $1.5 billion. This is way above the money that Paul McCartney has with a fortune of about $1 billion.

Despite the fact that he is about to become filthy rich, Bono is still working on a number of projects. There are rumors that new material is coming out following his partnership with the songwriters for the upcoming band ‘One Direction’. There are also links to Carl Falk who has been referred as the ‘Swedish Pop Svengali’. He penned instantly recognizable songs such as ‘What Makes you Beautiful’. Meanwhile his Bono’s bank balance will continue to grow as long as the hype is not ultimately debunked.

Kevin Costner: I showed real Whitney

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:45:13 +0000

Kevin Costner wanted people to see Whitney Houston in a “different way” when he spoke at her funeral.

The singer died aged 48 in February. Kevin and Whitney were close friends and worked together on the 1992 movie The Bodyguard.

Kevin gave an emotional eulogy at Whitney’s funeral and put a lot of thought into what he wanted to say about the superstar.

“It’s unusual to watch the world talking about someone that you have a fairly unique relationship with. It’s almost surreal. This little drumbeat began: ‘You need to say something,’” he told Parade.

“My wife and I flew into New York on a Friday night, and the next day we went to the funeral. I was writing [my eulogy] on the plane, in the limo, in bed. It was important. When I first walked into that church, it was electric, man… I started [speaking] with the idea that sometimes what you think life will be it won’t be at all, and about what was real between Whitney and me, what we talked about… I wanted to impart a bit of the Whitney that I knew, and maybe people could think about her in a different way.”

Whitney was one of the music industry’s greatest ever stars. She also battled drug abuse and Kevin wanted the world to know how vulnerable she was, despite her worldwide fame and talent.

“Oh, yes. I tried to identify it in my eulogy,” he replied, when asked if he sensed Whitney’s vulnerability. “I think about Whitney a little bit the way I think about the Kennedys. I know there’s trouble, but I choose to think about a lot of other stuff. The trouble is as real as the achievement, but it does not tarnish it.”

The 57-year-old actor also spoke about his desire to work with Whitney on the big screen. He knew she was the perfect choice to play Rachel Marron in The Bodyguard and was willing to delay filming the movie for her.

“You don’t do that for everybody,” Kevin said of postponing the film. “And it was a pretty seminal moment for Whitney. I was told that the movie made a big impression on the black community because I took Whitney in my arms and kissed her, not as a black woman but as a beautiful woman. That’s how I saw her.”

Dannii Minogue ‘turns down X Factor deal’

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:43:54 +0000

Dannii Minogue has reportedly snubbed a £1 million deal to return to the UK X Factor.

The Australian singer had been in talks with bosses for the TV show this week, but the negotiations are believed to have ended after she turned down the offer. There was speculation that the star’s management team had demanded £5 million to secure Dannii’s return to the judging panel.

“We made it no secret that we wanted Dannii to come back and we thought we could make a deal,” a source told British newspaper The Daily Mail. “She asked for £5 million, which was silly money and clearly a negotiating tactic, a silly one at that.

“We were in talks until late on Wednesday night and went up to £1 million for the series. Everyone thought she would take it, but she didn’t.

“We then walked away – as our feeling was that we wouldn’t be held to ransom.”

However, sources close to Dannii, 40, have branded the money rumours “ridiculous”.

“A million pounds is a huge deal,” the insider said. “There was never any bid made for £5 million. If she wanted to do the show, she would have done it.”

It has been claimed the beauty was “hurt” by recent revelations about her secret affair with Simon Cowell when they both worked on the show. She was reportedly approached about coming back for the new season just weeks after the rumours surfaced.

This is believed to have impacted her choice not to reprise her role as a judge.

“It was so upsetting for her to be described as one of Simon’s ‘toys’ and for him to talk about their fling in such a humiliating way,” a source told British newspaper The Sun. “Huge sums have been put on the table and it’s not convinced her. It wasn’t about money. She could easily have got more than a million. They desperately wanted her.”

Dannii was tipped to re-join the show following the recent departure of Kelly Rowland.

Simon will not be a judge this year, but will remain executive producer.

Auditions are scheduled to begin next week and it is believed they will take place in front of three judges instead of the usual four. Take That star Gary Barlow and Louis Walsh have both confirmed they will be returning to the panel.

The Wanted apologise for blackout

RMX — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:42:28 +0000

The Wanted “went from door to door” to apologise to residents after causing a mass blackout while shooting their promo.

The British band – comprising of Max George, Jay McGuiness, Siva Kaneswaran, Tom Parker and Nathan Sykes – caused havoc when filming their music video for Chasing the Sun in Los Angeles.

After an electrical transformer in their production blew and brought down power in a number of neighbouring streets, the boys took it upon themselves to personally apologise for the upset.

“The lads went from door to door saying sorry to most of those whose nights had been ruined,” a source told British newspaper The Sun.

“It was funny in a way but a load of the neighbours were ready to punch them – it was just the lads’ manners that saved the day.”

The Wanted have been enjoying considerable success in America with Chasing the Sun. The track has also been chosen as the lead song for the new Ice Age film.

The five-piece are currently preparing to perform at America’s Billboard Awards this weekend, which also includes shows from Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.