Food & Tunes

It’s rare that we find ourselves loving everything about an Artist.

Let’s face it, when you work in the music industry it’s easy to find things to criticize or dislike - it’s simply, the nature of the beast. Now we could tell you we think KASTLE, aka Pittsburgh native (he now calls San Fran home) Barrett Richards, is the one of the most brilliant producers we’ve heard, leave you with a link to his Soundcloud and let you do the rest… but why not prove to you why we actually believe the aforementioned statement to be true?

Some may throw the term “genius” around too freely, but when Richards was able to teach himself the guitar and piano before reaching his teens, you can see that we’re talking about a special talent here. Years djing in the Northeast rave scene coupled with an obsession for r&b and hip-hop has given birth to some of the freshest sounding tunes we’ve ever heard. 

Take this remix of JMSN’s Alone. As haunting as it is chilling, you’d be forgiven for thinking Diplo, The Weeknd and Disclosure were behind the wheels. Yet, it sounds unmistakably Kastle. That is, filtered r&b vocals (“sampling is considered an art form”), teamed with devilishly crisp beats and lush, soaring strings. Press play above, it won’t be the last time you do it, trust us.  

This effort is only bettered by, and perhaps the most definitive Kastle original to date, Stay Forever.    

I just want you close, where you can stay forever.

Words can’t describe how beautiful this track is. 100BPM bass goodness + a mysterious half-time beat + syncopated synths = fucking brilliance. You can listen to the full Stay Forever EP, released on Kastle’s own, and recently formed Symbols imprint, below. Be sure to check out other hot producers on the label like Cosmic Revenge and UK duo Maribou State. 

Now that’s enough jibber-jabber out of us.

Do yourself a favour and get involved with Kastle.

If you’re not convinced, you probably need your ears checked. And perhaps a slap across the face. And a long-hard look in the mirror probably wouldn’t go astray either.  

If you’re anything like me, you will love a good chicken schnitzel sandwich, and if you love a good chicken schnitzel sandwich, you have probably tried South Dowling Sandwiches’ version of the old classic (if not, shame on you, get of your arse and go do it to yourself, now). Without detracting from SDS’s version, which does and always will hold a special place in my heart, Kings Lane is serving up some stiff competition.

My mission for schnitzel meant the menu fell foul of my attention. I did however have a few minutes before old mate got started on my lunch to watch him pull together some almighty salad that seriously challenged my desire for deep fried chicken schnitzel - about a minute in fact, which is in my view a bloody long time to toss around the idea of not having a) schnitzel and b) bread. This salad however was huge and from what I could see it had grilled baby octopus, grilled chicken, and steak (!!!) in it. I asked him what it was and while I may have misheard, I am pretty sure he said it was an “all meat salad”. It looked fucking amazing.

At the end of the day I stuck to my guns primarily because very little will come between me and chicken schnitzel once the idea has set in, but also because I wanted to ensure an accurate comparison with SDS. I, as one always should, added Swiss cheese and potato to my three solid pieces of schnitzel and lettuce encased between two pieces of bread, each easily exceeding an inch in thickness. The menu version comes with herb mayo but old mate behind the bar suggested I try herb mayo on one side and some kind of spicy mayo on the other side. It was truly sage advice and a suggestion I am only too happy to pass on. The end result was a schnitzel sandwich easily on par, if not, dare I say it, better than SDS’s version; I guess that’s why its called Kings Lane.

90 minutes after hoovering the beast down I am still full and now partially understand why (if the writing on the wall is true) a bloke recently sold his grandmother for one of these bad boys. Indeed, with a schnitzel sandwich fit for a King and an “all meat salad” do yourself a favour and, Eat Here.

Kings Lane Sandwiches

1/28 Kings Lane, Darlinghurst 

For lunch orders call 02 9360 8007 before 12pm

Few things can beat that feeling you get when you listen to a song for the first time and instantly, it grabs you. Straight away you’re in a groove… your head and shoulders bouncing… your feet tapping… and then, before you can control yourself, you’re up, out of your chair, busting out. That’s how we felt when we heard “Up” for the first time - the debut single from the aptly named German duo Nod One’s Head (aka Lotte & Moritz). 

Plain and simple - Up is mesmerizing - we’d go far as to say it’s one of the freshest things we’ve heard this year, sitting somewhere between Disclosure and The Magician = pure fucking gold. Berlin is in the building people.

The duo’s first EP, ”She’s A Criminal”, will be released on July 1st.

Here’s a taste of what’s to come - and trust us when we say this, these guys are going to be big.

Happy Friday everyone.

Tjena läget hur mår du? I should know more Swedish than that considering I’ve been best friends with a Swede for five years. Well, I know a couple more things, but basic anatomy only gets you so far.

While I might not have picked up much in the way of vocab, I have been able to get my ears onto some fantastic Swedish pop. I don’t feel as though I came into the friendship particularly green (after all we did meet partly because I was able to rattle off a few Swedish bands), but I do have to give credit to Magnus for the introduction to Tiger Lou and many others.

I instantly fell in love with the first album Is My Head Still On? and everything since. Now, technically Tiger Lou is no more, but it’s some consolation that the man behind the moniker, Rasmus Kellerman, has continued to write music. His 2010 album under his own name was fantastic, and he has just announced that he’s formed a new band. Have a listen to what he’s achieved so far and decide for yourself, but personally, I can’t wait to hear what’s coming next. Puss och kram!

All you blog-heads out there have probably already heard the name Mr Little Jeans, and, like us, be pleasantly surprised to learn that she is Monica, a Norwegian 20-something who has been frequently been described as St Vincent meets Deborah Harry.  

It’s safe to say that her rendition of Arcade Fire’s “The Suburbs” was the most talked about cover of 2011, breathing new life into a classic like James Blake did for Feist’s ‘Limit To Your Love.’ It also made it’s way in the triple j Hottest 100. Sure, it was actually #100, but still, pretty good achievement when you consider the likes of Friendly Fires, Digitalism and Justice didn’t make that prestigious cut. 

Last month the irrepressibly beautiful “Runaway” found it’s way on to our speakers, and we haven’t pressed stop yet. Showcasing a haunting and somewhat breathless voice, this single has an uncanny knack of staying in your head for days to come. It could be this very simple chorus line “when you runaway, you can go anywhere,” that quite clearly all of us can relate to.

Whilst her catalogue is small, it’s pretty clear that Mr Little Jeans could just be the answer to our prayers - a soulful female “Artist” who doesn’t make headlines for having big lips, or starting a slanging match on Twitter for the sake of good press and hype. Let’s just pray that she sounds just as good live as she does on record.

Happy Friday.

Thanks to the legends at Archery Club and Acclaim Magazine, Slow Roast Records honcho and pretty much the most amazing DJ we’ve ever seen,  CRAZE is coming back to Australia for a doper-than-dope national tour this May / June. He’ll be joined by label-mate and one of the rising stars in the house world, CODES. For those who haven’t seen Craze in action before: a) were you born yesterday?; and b) check this shit out below:

And here is the brand spankin’ new clip for “Deeper”, which shows Craze and Codes take a little journey into liquid house… we’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do. Funky to the max. It has anthem written all over it !!!

RIGHT! It’s my first post for F&T so might as well kick it off the best way I know how – with my favourite track at the moment (see here)

A$AP Rocky (photo by Ysa Perez)

I don’t care what people say about Swizz Beatz not being able to rhyme, his beats are insane and he knocked up Alicia Keys so in my eyes, the guy is a BAWSE. Plus having araabMUZIK on the boards is a major coup. Two of the best producers I know on the one track (I hope you’re reading Timbaland, you big sell-out. What the hell happened to you, anyway?). A$AP Rocky spits on it too – he’s defo doing big things at the moment.

Check out A$AP Rocky being interviewed by Nadwuar doing his usual thing: breaking rappers’ brains. (Definitely NSFW) 

Shout out to the guys doing the Chappelle Show robot and the Harlem Shake at the end.

Have to say, though, hearing Swizzy saying “GODDAMNIT” repeatedly reminds me of an interview funny man Aziz Ansari did with Complex magazine last year, when he described what it was like to be in the studio with his friend Yeezy and Jay-Z when they were recording Watch The Throne:

“Some stuff with Swizz, and it was so funny just hearing him do the Swizz Beatz ad-libs. Just like, [imitates Swizz] “Uh-huh, Goddamnit! 1-2, 1-2. Vroooom!” I was just sitting there dying, I thought that was the funniest thing in the world. I wanna be Swizz Beatz. I don’t want to do comedy anymore, I just want to do ad-libs. Just make noises before rappers start rapping. [Laughs.] That would be a great job.”

Ok, on to the next one. E-40 ft. Juicy J & 2 Chainz – They Point. Absolute tune and an unmistakable Bangladesh beat. Great club track with your regular rap video with loads of T&A, cars and grillz. Ticks all the boxes, check it

Also massively obsessed with this

Big K.R.I.T. can do NO wrong in my eyes. That beat. That flow. Yes and YES! Check out his latest mixtape 4EvaNaDay right here 

Something ridiculous for y’all: Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE pasta. So a rap about it is another level. Off Green Lantern’s upcoming mixtape Invade the Game, it’s Future featuring Pusha T and Emilio Rojas

To sign off, this one’s for Mrs F&T. LOOK HOW DAPPER HE IS, HIM AND HIS EYEBROWS AND SWOON-WORTHY VOICE. Here and here.. 

Till next time, lovers. X

P.S. I realize there’s not much food here but I promise I’ll be more diligent in documenting my meals. In the meantime, here’s slow-cooked David Blackmore wagyu beef with chimichurri on a sourdough rolI that I had on a recent work trip. So delicious it hurt.

We like lists. There’s something satisfying about crossing things off. Even better though are “wish-lists.” With Radiohead coming in November, and Prince about to announce he’ll be here in Sept/Oct (Holy Jesus), 2012 is already shaping up as a damn good year for music and touring.

That aside, we’re feeling greedy - so here are the tours we want the most in 2012… 

French Connection - BRODINSKI & GESAFFELSTEIN

We’ve been talking these guys up non-stop for a while (yes, we know)… but seriously, one listen to Control Movement and you’ll see why Gesaffelstein has pretty much reinvigorated the whole techno scene. OK that’s a big call, but he’s definitely leading the charge with good support from fellow-Bromance-r (best name and new label in the world) Brodinski, whose recent remix credits are more than drool-worthy - Nero, Justice, Yuksek & Lana Del Rey. Rumours are rife that Stereosonic have landed the French duo’s signature… we can only hope we get to see them at a Motorik party too!

BROMANCE #1 : Brodinski & Gesaffelstein from Bromance Records on Vimeo.

Indie’s shining light - GRIMES

She’s without question 2012’s most unique and intriguing buzz act (even though she’s multiple releases in). Part pop, glitch, new age with dashes of industrial, punk, witch-house and R&B - we can only imagine Grimes’ live show would be as random and sporadic as her influences. We tip this “curator of culture” to make a Summer festival appearance.

No college drop-out: NICOLAS JAAR

We hate it when education gets in the way of a good tour! We know every man and his dog (and their cousin), have been trying to bring the amazing Nicolas Jaar live show to Australia for a few years now… made harder by the fact that Nico is still at college in NYC! Judging by this lovely footage from The Standard Hotel in New York, we can imagine this going down a treat at Falls…

Come to our Playground - MODESELEKTOR

When Modeselektor were announced for Playground Weekender this year we found ourselves in quite the quandary. Trying to save for a wedding VS. blowing our funds to see one ridiculously amazing live act (plus a few others). Then the tour was postponed =  BIG sigh of relief… See, sometimes procrastination can be a good thing! Stay tuned, we reckon the legends at Novel have something amazing in the works for later in the year.

Rap’s new star: KENDRICK LAMAR

He’s worked with the likes of Lil Wayne, Snoop Dogg and more recently The Game, and Dr Dre is currently helping him produce his next release, Detox. It seems that super-stardom is all but a certainty for this 23 year-old Compton native. His humorous world-play is unmistakable - who else could come up with lyrics like:

B*tch, I’m a cut you off - coz every time you come around you be hollin’ that woop-dy woo, blase blah, he say she say, oh my god - shut the fuck up.”

You’d have to think that something like Winter Beatz (perhaps with Wiz Khalifa) is a likely scenario come mid 2012.

The ever elusive: SOUL CLAP

We’ve almost reached our tether when it comes to waiting for Boston-duo Soul Clap to grace Australian shores. Especially when you consider their mantra “The Clap is on a mission to change the world, one dancefloor at a time.” We’re here guys. Waiting patiently. Hurry up! Then again, with preparations on their solo album all but wrapped-up, perhaps the clever lads at Geist have planned this to a tee. Expect to see Finely Tuned (i.e. Agwa cruise awesomeness) and perhaps a Meredith or Sydney Festival fighting this one out. Well done in advance to the victor.

Soulful glitchiness: DISCLOSURE

The post-dubstep genre has some stars in the making in Disclosure. They seem to fall somewhere between the thick, garage of SBTRKT and Mount Kimbie’s dreamy moodiness - not bad company huh? Their tunes, in particular the mesmerising Flow, showcase a brilliant understanding of soulful house as well. Thanks to our good mate Perseus for bringing this to our attention last month. Headline club shows are a must first time around for this on-the-rise UK outfit - sold out Good God shows await. 

Wash that mouth? : AZEALIA BANKS

We don’t want anything about Azealia Banks to change… well, perhaps she could sharpen up on her geography. She tweeted earlier this year:“So many exciting things happening this year. !!!! I reaaaaally can’t wait for australia !! I wanna go on a safari! It’s like another world!” Here’s hoping young Azealia, who came third in BBC’s acclaimed Sound of 2012 List, is not confusing down under with South Africa. Either way, you can bet your bottom dollar we’ll see her here in 2012. Our tip - she’ll follow the path of M.I.A and Santigold and be here in September for Parklife. 

Crew Love: DRAKE & THE WEEKND

One half of the F&T family was lucky enough to meet Drake at Soho Beach House in Miami last week. I believe her exact words were “Oh my god, I love you… I’m from Australia.” To which he smiled. Lucky the other half of F&T isn’t the jealous type. But in all seriousness, we can’t really put our finger on why Drizzy hasn’t ventured to Australia yet. You get the feeling he’d love the ladies and they’d more than love him back. Is it a money thing? If his lyrics are anything to go by it doesn’t sound like he needs it. We’d like to think he’s been waiting for the ‘right’ time. And with his second album doing crazy things around the world, including chart success in Australia for the Gil-Scott Heron inspired Take Care (peaked at #9 on the Aria single charts), that time might just be 2012. And who better to share the journey with than last year’s biggest buzz-act, Internet sensation and frequent collaborator The Weeknd. Can you hear those panties being thrown on stage? Since we’re dreaming, maybe they could pack Nicki Minaj in their suitcases? We reckon the Dainty Group are already all over this! 

For this edition of Friday Fun, we’ve decided to wind-back the clock and remember some of those amazing r&b hits we used to grind/smang’/pop/bounce to…

PLAY THIS LOUD & ENJOY!!!