Free mixtape - 12 x 12 #1

Today marks the start of a week of giveaways on my blog. These mixtapes are designed to showcase some of the best music from 2012, whether that's stand alone single releases or tracks from some of my favourite albums of the year. There'll also be a few nods in the direction of artists who I think will go on to bigger and better things in 2013. Each one will be 12 tracks long and span many musical genres, so there should be something for everyone.

To listen to today's mixtape just click on the mixtape above, or right-click to download. Share it with your friends, and don't forget to come back for another one tomorrow! Here's the tracklisting:

1. The Gaslamp Killer - Nissim
2. Joey Bada$$ - Hardknock (feat. CJ Fly)
3. Bobby Womack - Dayglo Refelection (feat. Lana Del Rey)
4. Frank Ocean - Pyramids
5. Holy Strays - Christabell (B)
6. Lower Dens - Brains
7. Rudimentary - Feel The Love
8. Slugabed - Mountains Come Out Of The Sky
9. Bitches - Kill Birds, Eat Shit
10. Benjamin Damage & Doc Daneeka - Battleships (feat. Abigail Wyles)
11. Ty Segall - Handglams
12. Quakers - Earth Quaking (feat. Akil)

New mixtape - DJ Cull presents 'ATP curated by me'

DJ Cull presents 'ATP curated by me' by Dj Cull on Mixcloud

I'm off to the ATP Festival Nightmare Before Christmas (curated by The National) tomorrow. Over the weekend there's a mixtape swap session, where the themes is 'ATP curated by me' i.e. the artists you'd pick if you were running the festival. So here's my mixtape, and rather than just picking a bunch of people who've made my favourite records I've tried to focus on bands who I know are really good live, either because I've seen them myself or I've heard good reports. You can listen to the tape above, or click here to download the whole thing for free. And if you're the person who ends up getting hold of this at Camber Sands then please get in touch! Here's the tracklisting:

1. The Gaslamp Killer - Nissim
2. Gonjasufi - Nickels and Dimes
3. Friends - I'm His Girl
4. Egyptian Hip Hop - Iltoise
5. FM Belfast - Underwear
6. Matthew Dear - Get The Rhyme Right
7. Little Roy - Dive
8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
9. Peaking Lights - Amazing and Wonderful
10. Pinkunoizu - Time Is Like A Melody
11. alt-J - Bloodflood
12. John Wesley Coleman III - Million Faces
13. The Acorn -Slippery When Wet
14. Bitches - Kill Birds, Eat Shit
15. Peter and Kerry - Knees
16. Ty Segall - Handglams
17. British Sea Power - Who's In Control
18. These New Puritans - Three-Thousand
19. Big Deal - Talk
20. Withered Hand - Religious Songs

Track of the Day: 'Gold Dayzz (Maribou State remix)' by Ultraísta

A fresh remix from the brilliant eponomously-titled album from Nigel Godrich's Ultraísta. On this mix UK duo Maribou State take the original and make it a little darker, a little deeper, a little warmer and a little fuzzier, resulting in some hazier dayzz than you heard it first. I've listened to it a lot today and I much prefer it to the original (which was pretty good to start with).

You can listen to the track, and download it for free, below.And if you haven't checked out the album yet then you really should.

Recommended music: 'Trans Am Summer Blues' by John Wesley Coleman III & 'Twins' by Ty Segall

Occasionally a guitar-based 'rock' album comes along that for a minute makes me want to throw out all my electronic records, pick my electric guitar back up and just rock out. In the past few weeks not one but two albums have had that effect on me.

The first is 'Trans Am Summer Blues' by John Wesley Coleman III, a name that's new to me but who'll I'll definitely be looking to see on tour if he comes to the UK. It's a proper balls out rock'n'roll record that wears its heart on its sleeve and its soul in a glass of bourbon. Recorded during a time of personal loss (and I'd imagine a few 'lost weekends' as well), this is the antithesis of pretentiousness.

The two standout tracks are the 2 longest (by far) on here. 'Million Faces' sees Coleman singing his heart out and sound not dissimilar to Axl Rose, and ends with the best guitar solo I've heard on a record this year. The title track 'Trans Am Summer Blues' sees him with his tongue in his cheek as he name-checks the likes of Dennis Hopper, Sailor Jerry & R. Stevie Moore, along with a (possibly genuine) request to open for the Fiery Furnaces. It's a brilliant contemporary blues track that even manages to pay homage to / take the piss out of  'The End' by The Doors (I'm not sure which).

With the exception of closer 'Box O' Donuts' (a surprisingly heartfelt acoustic ballad) the remaining tracks are all sub 3 minute rock'n'roll songs which will undoubtedly engender much dancing / po-going when he plays them live.

The second album is 'Twins' by Ty Segall. This is not the first album I've bought by Segall (hell, it's not even the first I've bought this year, this is the third album he's put out in 2012) but it's by far the best thing he's done in ages. Segall's album is a slightly darker, more menacing affair then Coleman's, but there's a good balance of light and shade on display here. The inclusion of Brigid Dawson on vocals on 'The Hill' adds a 60s vibe to the proceedings while 'You're The Doctor' channels The Ramones. Elsewhere there are hints of Iggy Pop and glam rock (and even Lenny Kravitz on 'Who Are You), while my favourite track 'Handglams' is a downbeat bluesy rocker straight out of the early seventies with a scorching guitar ending.

Both of these albums are guaranteed to blow away the cobwebs, so grab one or (preferably) both and play them LOUD!

'Trans Am Summer Blues' is out now on Tic Tac Totally records and 'Twins' is on Drag City.

Track of the Day: 'Tougher Than a Soldier's Boots' by Songs For Walter

Altogether more lovely than you might expect from a song inspired by Louis Theroux's programme on religious extremists the Westbro Baptist Church. Songs for Walter are the alter ego of Laurie Hulme (and are named after his grandfather), and here Hulme has created 170 seconds of shimmery indie pop that deserves regular plays both at home and on the radio. You can download the track for free below.

Recommended music: 'Desert Strike' by Fatima Al Qadiri

You might remember Fatima Al Qadiri from the excellent 'Warn-U' EP that she put out last year as Ayshay. Now she's back under her own name, with an EP named after, and inspired by the Sega Megadrive Desert Storm game that Fatima used to play with her sister while they were growing up in Kuwait.

As you might expect from its influences, there are undertones of war and religion on these tracks, and an eerie feeling of the calm in the eye of the storm. 'Ghost Raid' starts the EP off with the most beat-driven track here, a skittery percussion-led piece that feels a bit short - you feel it could go on building and building but it stops too soon.

'Oil Well' features the sound of a rifle being loaded and fired as part of its percussion, while a spectral voice oohs and aahs the melody. 'War Games' ratchets up the beats as well as the oppressive feel, with deeper voices underpinning a track that gets more involving as it progresses, adding more synths and even a snatch of organ before the end.

The title track is the most powerful on the record, perfectly marrying the sound of drums with keyboard riffs and manipulated vocals to produce something that provides a nagging sense of dread, like the feeling someone is following you home on a dark night but you can never see them. On the flip side the final track 'Hydra' is much more upbeat. If you added a nifty beat it could easily be something that Jamie xx had put out.

'Desert Strike' is out now on Fade to Mind records. You can listen to the whole EP below.

Live - in pictures & videos: alt-J / Michael Kiwanuka / The Maccabees at LSO St. Lukes, London 24/10/12

LSO St Lukes, bathed in Mercury Prize spotlights

Wednesday night in London saw us heading to LSO St Lukes for an intimate gig by three of this year's Mercury Prize nominees, hosted by Nick Grimshaw.

alt-J at LSO St Lukes, 24/10/12

First on the bill were alt-J. It's no secret that 'An Awesome Wave' is my favourite album of the year, and it was great to be able to see them perform it live in such an intimate venue.

They played pretty much everything off the album, and the songs came across really well live. It will be great to see them develop as they get bigger and release their next album.
Next up was Michael Kiwanuka who, as well as being nominated for the Mercury, also won the BBC's Sound of 2012.

Michael Kiwanuka, LSO St Lukes 24/10/12

There's no denying that both Michael and his band are talented musicians, and a couple of the tracks in particular were brilliant, but for me there's nothing new or cutting edge about it. I'm sure it would've sounded awesome in the late sixties or early 70s though...

Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees

Last up were The Maccabees. I think their latest album 'Given To The Wild' is a real step forward in terms of songwriting and maturity. The band are used to playing in bigger venues than this these days, so this was a rare chance to get up close to them. There was an intensity to their live show that I wasn't expecting, and overall I was really impressed by them.
Channel 4 will be showing highlights from the gig next Wednesday night (31st October), and the winner of the Mercury Prize 2012 is announced on November 1st.

The Maccabbes, LSO St Lukes 24/10/12