It's been a few years since Andrew Hodson released the Matinee Orchestra record and I've been wondering what he's been up to. For those in the know, Andrew was the artist/producer responsible for the stunning Map Music project and more recently, the Matinee Orchestra, an album described as "sort of like Sigur Ros meeting Mum and deciding to move to England and go acoustic". Fuzznut interviewed Andrew over email and we talked about how he goes about creating music, and what the future holds.

---

Fuzznut: The way Matinee Orchestra was recorded seems to be very similar to Map Music; a collection of individual "field" recordings that are then assembled into songs on your computer. Is that a pretty fair assessment? If so, is this your preferred approach making music? What excites you about this process?

AH: The Matinee Orchestra music is actually written away from the computer on guitar and piano not on the computer. We record the song and then I mess with it to write new sections, add field recordings, and do loads of overdubs with a core group of people to make the songs. Sometimes they change quit a lot in this process. What excites me about this process? Well I pretty much work every day on music and I just love it and I like it when it touches you and make you feel something. Map Music was more of a concept piece and I hope to repeat the concept as a artist in the future.

Fuzznut: How much are the songs on the record planned out? Do you leave what gets recorded to the other musicians then create tunes from that? Or do you have an idea of what the songs will sound like going in?

AH: The songs are quite planned out but there is always room for new ideas from the members of the Matinee Orchestra i.e. Graham Hardy on trumpet and Matt on piano or Jo on violin. So mostly, the first part is planned, the second is to create the tunes and improve.

Fuzznut: When I read reviews for the Matinee Orchestra record, I hear it described a lot as "laptop" music. Why do you think people have latched on to this term? Surely most musicians these days create music on computers.

AH: I have no idea why this is or why it was described like this. Some people are even surprised that it is real instruments. Like I get asked "is that violin real or fake" and I'm like it's "real" cos it is but it seems such a weird question. I also get asked where I get my samples from. I actually record my own from scratch. I would never take something from some one else's record. Where's the fun in that?? It's much more fun to create something. I thought that was what I do right?

But to be honest, I think the term "laptop" album was actually in the press release that Arable Records did and most people tend to use quotes or terms from press releases.

I think I might of even written that in the press release myself (not realising that people would just copy it) and if I did, I guess what I meant was I traveled around and recorded everyone individually so it was a laptop orchestra, i.e. we did not all play in the same room but the laptop was our room.

Fuzznut: What sort of music are you listening to right now? How are you finding new music to listen to?

AH: I just produced the Cath and Phil Tylor record last year so I listen to that a lot. I though it was brill. I'm also producing Abdul Khan and the Projections, Paul Smith's (of Maximo Park fame) solo record, a band called the 1,2,3,4s, Jazzfinger and a new Matinee Orchestra record so I am listening to all these.

I listen to a lot of music. I'm really in to the LCD Soundsystem 45 minute track they did for Nike (although I hate Nike). Also check this out from the place I work. Oh, and and Ronnie Hoyte, I think this guy is cool, totally cool. Anything on the Nofi Label in Newcastle as well.

Fuzznut: Any projects coming up? Anything you'd like to plug at the moment?

AH: I think I already answered that (see above).

Links

• Matinee Orchestra
• Map Music

Permalink to 'Interview: Andrew Hodson of The Matinee Orchestra'

Cover Versions aren't just a cheap way of exploiting talentless pop groups. Done correctly they are a great way of reaching out to potential new fans and showing a band's creative side. The best covers turn the original completely upside down and make it something completely different.

Nearly every band in the history of music has released a cover version in one format or another. Be it an a-side, a b-side, a hidden track or a charity single, everyone can name one or two cover versions that do the original justice or even surpass it.

So what are some of Fuzznut's favourites? Read on and find out what makes us turn the amp up to 11 everytime...

Mark Ronson - Stop Me

Sure, Version was a mixed bag of songs but this string-laden Smiths cover (with a little bit of the Supremes tacked on at the end) was fantastic and was played in Indie clubs up and down the country. Plus it pissed off several self-righteous Smiths fans which can only be a good thing.

The Futureheads - Hounds of Love

Kate Bush's synthy eighties track was transformed into a festival singalong track by the Maccam rockers. Although they have hidden themselves away from the music scene of late this rocker of a track is still incredibly popular.

Urge Overkill - Girl You'll Be a Woman Soon

Originally by Neil Diamond, this song is infamous for being in Pulp Fiction. Whether it makes you want to run around with a gun and snort illicit substances I'm not too sure but this cover version makes the song trendy as fuck.

William Shatner - Common People

Ol' Captain T. Kirk turned this Pulp song into something else - not only did he record it in his infamous talking style, he also roped in a massive choir to sing the last chorus. Sounds strange on paper, but it's really a stroke of genius.

The Boy Least Likely to - Faith

Not many people have heard of this band, but their scarily chipper acoustic cover of the George Michael song always makes me grin like an idiot when I hear it.

Kaiser Chiefs - Flowers in the Rain

In 2006, Radio One released an album called Established 1967 which was a collection of specially created cover versions. Although the album had its fair share of clangers, this cover of The Move's song (which was also the first song played on the station) stood out. It brings the song firmly into the 21st century and makes it sound fresh and exciting.

Jealous Guy - Roxy Music

Originally by John Lennon, this song was covered by Roxy Music in memory of his death. Whilst the original was stark and plain, the Roxy Music version is elaborate and incredibly well-produced.

Ben Folds - Bitches ain't Shit

The NWA released this song about glocks and girls in the early nineties, but this was covered by Ben Folds has made its way onto many a gig playlist. Although you would have thought a gangly white boy covering this song would fail drastically, it sounds really good, in a geeky, ironic way. Even when played on a piano.

Scissor Sisters - Comfortably Numb

This debut single from the Scissor Sisters caused a lot of debate - was it better or worse than the original Pink Floyd version? Although it doesn't surpass the chilled out Pink Floyd track which is a song about lonliness and despair, it does turn it on its head and make it totally discotastic.

Travis - ...Baby one more time

You never would have expected Travis to play an acoustic version of Britney's first hit. Despite it being stripped down to the bare bones it works really well. Let's just hope that they don't cover Piece of Me.

Permalink to 'Our Favourite Cover versions (Part One)'

This week's Top 3 picks from the top 40:

Currently #10 : Kelly Rowland - Work

Pure bum-shimmying pop to rival Beyonce, with shamelessly dirty lyrics. Listen closely, it's funny.

Currently #29 : Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor

Indulgent, cute, addictive...my current 'happy place' in song form.

Currently #23 (New Entry) : Alphabeat - Fascination

Perked-up Euro-pop that couldn't get more twee if you covered it in bows. Catchy as fuck though.

This week's Top 3 turkeys:

Currently #3 : Nickelback - Rock Star

The tale of desperation for stardom, ringing a little too true. Cheesy and ensuring Chad will never be a real rock star.

Currently #6 : Adele - Chasing Pavements

I liked this the first few times but now I don't think I can ever listen to Adele's dreary tones ever again.

Currently #11 : Taio Cruz feat. Luciana - Come on Girl

Anything with Luciana has to be here. Meant to be 'pouty' or 'edgy' I think. Sounds like a spoilt chihuahua barking.

Permalink to 'Chart Overview: 2nd March 2008'

If emo wasn't bad enough, any Radio 1 listener or chart follower must have noticed a new genre of music that has sprung up out of seemingly nowhere. It started about two years ago when the Arctic Monkeys became popular. Now don't get me wrong here, the Arctic Monkeys, whilst not my cup of tea, are not the ones who are making me want to rip my eyebrows out whenever I hear them. But it is they, they who spawned several bands and singers that make burning your eyes out with hot pokers seem more appealing than switching the radio on.

Let's not beat about the bush here. I'm talking about:

• Scouting for Girls
• The Enemy
• The Pigeon Detectives
• The Hoosiers
• Jack Penate
• Reverand and the Makers
• The Twang

In fact, I honest-to-Chris Cornell can't tell the difference between the first three bands. Seriously, they sound identical to me. I'm sure I've probably missed some other offenders off the list, and I'm also sure that as I write this, more of these jumped up little shits will be forming more bands that sound even more the same as each other.

What these 'artists' (and I use the term looooooooosely) have in common is their fucking irritating, bouncy upbeat music, with no dynamics, no real thought, meaningless lyrics, 'wacky' sounding lead singers with 'I'm one of the people' regional accents and most of all, their complete and utter lack of soul.

You may not even have noticed this sudden upsurge of mediocre wank- indeed, the likes of Jo Whiley and Edith Bowman have been drip-feeding you this shite in dribs and drabs until you have become completely used to it. STOP. Stop and think about how this is now what people see as 'indie'. Stop for a second, and think about Radiohead, and the Manics, and even Embrace and Coldplay, and real musicians and real soul.

This stuff is now what 12 and 13 year olds are growing up and being influenced by. This is what they think is 'indie', or 'alternative', this is the unfortunate soundtrack to their rebellion.

Amongst teenagers, rock has been lost to emo. Now indie has been lost to this, and nobody seems to have noticed.

Permalink to 'Feature: A New Breed'

Not many people know about Northern Soul – but the people who do are dedicated to the cause. If you fall into the former category, this report should give you a little bit of insight into the phenomena behind it, and give you some inspiration if you want to check out some of the music. Don your Ben Sherman shirt, grab your bowling bag and come with us for a trip back many decades ago…

Like Chicken Tikka Masala, the term Northern Soul was devised in the UK. It was coined by Dave Godin in the early 1970’s, although the majority of Northern Soul hits were recorded in the 1960s. In the late 60’s, he found that many Northern men were coming into his London record shop to buy fast-paced American Motown music from the mid-60s. In order to make things easier for his staff, this kind of music became to be dubbed Northern Soul.

Northern Soul hits never fared too well in the popular music charts, but this was the way that Northern Soul fans liked it to be. Most songs were about love, either celebrating or mourning it. Many Motown hits came under the Northern Soul umbrella, although many British artists found their records played in the clubs as well.

Northern Soul clubs such as the Wigan Casino, Twisted Wheel and Blackpool Mecca were very popular in the 1970s – these clubs were fabled for their diehard punters and hectic dancing – many goers took amphetamines so that they could dance non-stop all night. These club nights were well reputed for their playlists – a bad song during the night would mean that people would clear the dance floor en masse. Although these clubs are no longer in existence, the spirit still lives on.

There are plenty of Northern Soul nights about right now – most of them are small and intimate but the people who go there are devoted to the music and are loyal regulars. The biggest national Northern Soul night at the moment is Brighton Beach – true, you’ll find a lot of hipsters there who go because it’s trendy rather than for the music, but all in all it’s a fun night, with a good mix of Northern Soul classics and indie pop. There’s a lot of Northern Soul weekends scattered around the country where the stars of the Northern Soul scene play to thousands of frantic fans.

Not many modern artists have seen fit to revive the Northern Soul sounds, but this is probably a good thing! There are hundreds and hundreds of Northern Soul hits – some rarer than others and most Northern Soul fans still haven’t heard them all yet.

A Northern Soul primer.

If you are keen to get into Northern Soul, these songs are a good place to get started. Although the original vinyls are expensive and hard to find, you can find many good Northern Soul compilations being sold cheaply on online music sites.

Just Brothers – Fried Tomatoes

A fast paced instrumental that Northern Soul fans can show off their best moves to. Sharp-eared music lovers may recognise this as the sample which was used in Fatboy Slims “The Rockerfella Skank”

The Continental Four – Heaven must have sent you

A sweet slowie, one of my favourites.

Al Wilson - The Snake

A Northern Soul anthem, great to dance to with a story behind the lyrics. All Northern Soul fans have to know this one. Now sadly being used to advertise Lambrini.

Tony Clarke - Landslide

Check out the drum and horns on this classic. Like the majority of Northern Soul thumpers, this one comes in well-under the three minute mark.

Wayne Gibson – Under my thumb

Although cover versions were rare in Northern Soul, this cover of the Rolling Stone hit could not be any more different than the original. Listen out for the hand-claps.

Jimmy Radcliffe – Long over the night is over

A soulful tear-jerker, which was one of the last songs that was played at the end of the night at the Wigan Casino.

Frank Wilson – Do I love you (indeed I do)

Probably seen as the quintessential Northern Soul track, this tune ticks all the right boxes. An original vinyl of this track once sold for £15,000

Marlena Shaw – Let’s wade in the water

An ultra-sexy Northern Soul hit. Put it this way, she’s not talking about fishing.

Permalink to 'Feature: Northern Soul'

Permalink to 'Stereo Types: The Indie Cindy'

I headed down from Manchester to London last Friday for an event that sounded way too good to miss- the UK Air Guitar championships. Held at Carling Academy Islington, the venue suddenly went from practically empty to rammed full in the space of about 15 minutes. On walked the hostess- a short, mulleted, leotard-clad American woman, who did a rather decent job at presenting the night and dealing with some of the more eccentric characters on stage.

Previously, the week before, a qualifying round took place, meaning that those Guitarists who got through could skip the Gong Round on the night, and go straight through to Round 1.

The Gong Round saw everything ranging from the most rockin' of rock 'n' roll to a performance which didn't even include any air guitar. Each competitor had 30 seconds to prove themselves, and received a score out of 6 from each judge.

The scoring throughout the night did seem rather random at times. Almost everyone scored over 5 out of 6, scoring below 5 meant you were pretty shit. Even the guy who's thirty seconds unfortunately included no guitar scored over 4 from two judges. One judge, quite rightly, gave him zero. If there is no air guitar, surely there should be no score!

Round 1 saw the pre-qualified entrants join the 5 that just got through. First up was The Hoxton Creeper, last year's winner. He put on a pretty solid performance, but the judges seemed to be somewhat in love with him. One sensed slight favouritism. Highlights of this round included Turak, a truly rockin' air guitarist who is what the word METAL was invented for, The Hooded Fingerer and Shreddie Van Halen, who were both quite mad, and The Axel Vicious, who, from the reaction of the crowd, was the people's favourite. Rightly so in my opinion; he played the air guitar how it is meant to be played, rocking out and managing to keep it technical at the same time.

Turak, The Hoxton Creeper and The Axel Vicious were the three who went through to the final. They had a minute of an unprepared song, which turned out to be Icky Thump by the White Stripes. What a shit song to air guitar to. All the performers gave good, sold performances, especially considering the shitness of the song, but it was The Hoxton Creeper who the judges chose to represent the UK in the World Air Guitar Championship in Finland. This was not so much of a surprise...

All in all, a great night, with a responsive, up-for-it crowd, and a lot of heavy mettle from the competitors. The Axel Vicious was the highlight for me, and for most of the crowd, and he will surely be crowned champion next year.

Permalink to 'Air Guitar UK Championships 2007'

Dear Mr Blunt,

I haven't heard your latest single yet, but I can sense it's presence lurking on the Radio 1 playlist, ready to pounce on me just when I think all is well. I would love to listen without prejudice, but quite frankly, the sound of your bizarre croons makes the bile rise in my stomach.

I thought BSE had subsided in recent years, that is until I read recently that your new model girlfriend enjoys being serenaded by you. I can only hope for her sake that she finds money attractive enough to overlook certain ear-strangling flaws.

It is unfortunate for you that your surname rhymes with certain unpleasant terms of address, but perhaps this was simply meant to be.

I really can't take another song akin to 'Goodbye My Lover', possibly the worst, most badly written, most irritating 'song' ever created, so I ask of you this simple request: Please, for the sake of Music, and the sanity of radio listeners everywhere, stop.

I reiterate: Please, cease this aural torture. I'm sure you have enough money already.

Yours, with the utmost contempt,

A Music Fan

Permalink to 'An Open Letter To James Blunt'

So you've bought the albums, worn the T-shirt, and in all likelihood fantasised about your future marriage or life-long friendship with your beloved Rock Star. You are in your twenties, even thirties, but can't quite bring yourself to chuck out those tatty posters in favour of more tasteful, framed, expensive wall-candy. You slyly Google the target of your affections at every opportunity when your boss is not in the room, and your colleagues aren't looking. Sound familiar?

You, my friend, are one of an elite few; those of us who still obsess like teenagers, who just want that little bit extra from our Rock Stars, who can't quite ditch the dream that one day we will be scooped up on to that tour bus and travel the world, flipping the birdie to our boss as we drive away into the sunset, beer in hand, rock 'n' roll lifestyle ahead.

And more often than not, we don't want to sleep with them. Oh no. It's much worse. We want to be their friend. A far more terrifying prospect for any poor innocent Rock Star.

For all of you who have read the above, and instead of (quite rightly) fleeing the page have felt like we have got you completely pegged, then rejoice. For I am here to tell you that meeting your Rock Star isn't as hard as you think. There are, of course, conditions:

1. It must be a mid-level band or artist. Stadiums or arenas are near-impossible without the right contacts.
2. You must be patient and really want to meet that Rock Star.
3. You must kiss goodbye to your dignity.

You have two options when it comes to meeting your Rock Star; before the gig, and after the gig has finished. Reaching your target during the day is more difficult, but is damn well attainable. For a start, you need to stake out your venue. Go inside and have a snoop around. The band may even just be hanging around. If not, find their dressing room! FYI, the dressing room in Manchester Academy is on the second floor, at the end of a corridor. Also FYI, there is nobody stopping you going down that particular corridor until doors open at 7pm when they put a barrier and a security guy there. At worst, there are student staff wandering around, but they really don't give a shit, in fact, they can be quite helpful in telling you if the band is in the building.

Loitering outside the dressing room almost always results in a victory. I've never encountered any hostility via this method, although you may want to research your Rock Star before invading their space uninvited. Trust me though, at 7pm you are screwed. I've tried the sneaky dash tactic, and always been caught.

If you can't find the dressing room, then stake out the tour bus. Chat to roadies, the bus driver, the support bands. They'll most likely be friendly and could even get you a backstage pass if your ultra-lucky. But this is unlikely. Best bet is to use this time to find out where the band currently are, or where they will be after the gig. In Manchester, at the Acedemy, this WILL be Big Hands.

If you've actually made it to the gig with no luck (and I hope that in your desperation you at least scoured the local bars by this point), and you are female, then you may yet have a shot. Get yourself to the front and make yourself known. This only really has a chance at gigs where the majority of the clientele is male. But it has happened to me once. After giving up hope, at the end of a gig, the roadie jumped off the stage and gave me and my friend a backstage pass each. Just like that. And just because we were the only girls. Foolish roadie! We are not groupies! We just want your friendship!

If it's the end of the gig, the dedicated Rock Star Stalker should be legging it out of the venue and to the tour bus. Often, shy bands will retreat immediately to their tour buses, never to emerge. It is your job to beat them to it! Other less-shy bands will take their time in coming out, so you need to be prepared to wait for a while. Always wait by the tour bus, and always make sure you know which is their tour bus. Also, make sure you have been to the toilet. I have waited two hours before now.

The waiting-by-the-bus method is almost a sure thing for meeting your hero. If it's getting late and you want to bail, give yourself one last shot by going to Big Hands, or your nearest bar in whichever place you're in. Almost all bands will go on to a bar, even if it's just a couple of members.

Once you meet your Rock Star, it is up to you to charm the pants off them. The furthest me and my partner in crime got was an invitation on to the tour bus, followed by a trip to a club, followed by free tickets and VIP passes for the next gig. Yes, we were that good. We rocked at Rock Star Stalking. It took practice, but we got there. And the high you get from a successful Stalk is amazing.

If you've read this far into this article, then you must want it badly, and are therefore destined to join the Stalking Elite. So go forth, my friends, and fulfil your potentials. Go forth and stalk.

Permalink to 'How To Meet A Rock Star'

Since the days of Napster, there's been a world of music available on the internet, and it's easier to download than ever. BitTorrent is currently a very popular way of downloading the latest and greatest sounds - and despite what the RIAA might tell you, some of the music available via BitTorrent is even legal. Here's a quick guide to get you started in the world of downloading music via BitTorrent.

Step 1: Get a BitTorrent Client

What's that, I hear you ask? Simply put, you need a program installed to help you download the music you want. You can use the official BitTorrent client, but those of us in the know use something along the lines of uTorrent. There are a multitude of options, but they all do the same thing - they organise and help coordinate the files you download.

Once you've downloaded a client - I use uTorrent, and I'll be using it for this tutorial - install it with the included installer, and once you're done, run the program. (If it asks you to associate .torrent files with the application ,select 'yes' to make your life easier). Once the program's running it should look something like this:

Don't worry about the multitude of options and statistics presented before you. You're now ready to start downloading!

Step 2: Find some .torrents!

If you want to start downloading something, you must first find what you're after - and there are thousands of sites out there that can help. Some of the more popular ones include The Pirate Bay, TorrentSpy and Mininova. There are many, many others - but that should be enough to get you started.

In this example, I'm searching for 'Avril Lavigne' on Mininova - just type in what you're after and click 'search'. The top result - 'The Best Damn Thing' is her latest album - so let's download it!

Step 3: Start the Download

Click the Green 'download' arrow (or whatever the download link is on the particular site is you're using), and your browser should start to download a file with the '.torrent' extension - this file contains the information your BitTorrent client (in our case, uTorrent) needs to download the actual album data itself.

If you have set up uTorrent to automatically handle .torrent files, it should load the .torrent file automatically - otherwise, save the .torrent file somewhere and use the 'Add Torrent' option in the 'File' menu of uTorrent. Either way, once you've opened the .torrent file you'll see a window like this:

Simply click 'OK' and the .torrent will be added into your list of things to download.

Step 4: Patience

Yep, now you have to wait. There are many, many factors that can affect exactly how long your download will take - but you don't have to wait for the first to download before you can add more torrents, so you can go ahead and search for more things to download.

Not every torrent will work - the download is dependent on the data being available amongst other BitTorrent users, so some torrents will simply refuse to work - others may work, then subsequently stop.

With a spot of luck, though, you should start to see some movement - it may be slower at first - but eventually, the music you selected will make its way to you, piece by piece.

Step 5: Success!

If the download counter reaches 100%, then congratulations! You've completed the download successfully. You can locate the files you downloaded quickly in uTorrent by right clicking on the file and selecting 'Open Containing Folder'. This will take you quickly to the files in question, where you can play, copy or delete the files as you please.

Caveat downloader: If you download copyrighted material via BitTorrent, then there's a very good chance (depending on local laws) that you've infringed copyright by downloading such files. Just so you know...

Permalink to 'How To: Download Music from BitTorrent'