6 Music picks: Strict Status and Joy Wellboy

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Strict Status - Locked In

Scottish producer and musician Emma Welsby is one of a rare breed of female drum ‘n bass producers. As Strict Status she records, produces and provides the vocals on all her tracks, we like this one Locked In. A music degree at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and a successful professional session drumming career later she’s now teamed up with Neil Harvey to create Nova Code. Nova Code is a new collaborative project involving, er, well YOU if you like:
“This project incorporates live musicians, visual artists and anyone else we find along the way with insane abilities. The aim? To have everyone perform their contribution live in the form of a gig in August 2012.” Get in touch if that tickles your fancy!

Joy Wellboy - Within Another Dimension



It’s not often we here at TOW receive a missive from Brussels - Geert got in touch about a band on his label Doctor Vinyl Records called Joy Wellboy. Intrigued we took a listen and were immediately hooked by frontwoman Joy Adegoke and her producer/ musician partner Wim Janssens. The debut album Let’s Make Love Before We Die is, as they put it: “Not the gospel as we know it, and it's not quite the church as we know it…” Ok! Excellent. Either way it’s got us hooked and Joy is an eyeful, as you’ll see from their videos.

6M Picks: Grimes and Pisces

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Grimes - Genesis

  Grimes - Genesis by factmag

This solo electronic musician has been busy - album number 4 since 2010 is due out in March and we cannot wait to hear the whole effort if this sneak preview is anything to go by. Lo-fi synth with strong confident beats and an ethereal vocal line ticks boxes for us, previously ticked by the likes of LA producer Nite Jewel and chill wave maestro’s Sleep Over... Thanks to The Girls Are for tipping her for major success in 2012 - noting that this album is due out on 4AD, remember what that did for Tune-Yards? Exciting.

Pisces - Voodoo



A UK exclusive from Sarah Negahdari’s new project Pisces. Remember her from Happy Hollows? The LA based psych rockers we tipped for Tom back in 2009. Sarah’s broken out on her own for this, a few members of HH do join her for recording sessions though so she’s keeping it in the family. The kitchen of an abandoned downtown LA studio apartment is the setting for what you hear and Voodoo is one of our tracks of 2012 already, catchy as hell with that infectious vocal line. More please Sarah!

6 Music Picks: Thought Forms and Beccy Owen

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Thought Forms - Song For Junko

  SONG FOR JUNKO by Thought Forms

Part of the ever evolving and interesting Bristol lo-fi rock scene, Thought Forms are Charlie, Guy and Deej and play wondrous, experimental, rock-infused soundscapes. Sky Pegs is their EP that we took Song For Junko from - released on Geoff Barrow's excellent local label Invada Records. Hats off to the Portishead producer and multi-instrumentalist for giving emerging talent from his Hood a chance - Thought Forms supported Portishead in the States in 2011, needless to say it was a highlight of the year: high five you guys!

Beccy Owen - You Are Gone



Already known to Tom and 6 Music Introducing as the frontwoman with joyful indie electro-rockers Sharks Took The Rest, we did some snooping and Beccy Owen has had a solo career well worth a mention. Based in Leeds but originally from Wales, she says she writes 'eccentric pop music with a big dark heart.' We took this song from her solo album released in 2008 Down With Gravity. Gorgeous stuff.

6Music Picks: Who should be big in 2012

Tom Robinson has been so good to The Other Woman. We’re heading into our third year of being his Girl Music Guru and he’s always enthusiastic, warm, genuinely interested in what we’re jibbering on about and our biggest fan (we like to think...) TOW is privileged to have ten minutes of his 6 Music Introducing show every week to showcase two bands we’ve decided need some serious airplay. For the New Year’s show though, we got a whole half hour! Whoop! Thank you Tom, you are the best.

Here we go, in no particular order, the band’s that (if we ruled the world) would be number 1 in 2012:

Hysterical Injury - Maths

 

Yes we know we’ve banged on about this band, along with most of the other new music bloggers out there. Hysterical Injury are just one of those bands who you wish would go stratospheric, they are grungy, DIY and have one helluva front woman in Annie Gardiner, how can they go wrong? With a debut album on the horizon (Dead Wolf Situation/ Crystal Fuzz/ Feb 6th) we’re excited... This noisy Bath-based duo may just make 2012 their own.

The Lovely Eggs - Allergies



Holly and David are musical genius. Holly is one of our all time favourite in-your-face, brilliantly talented front women and these two do things completely on their own terms. With the mighty Gruff Rhys on production duties on this Too Pure Singles Club released single, could 2012 be their year? It’s like, sheesh, five years too late if it is!

Lady Leshurr - Lego



This quick fire MC from Birmingham has been on our radar since early 2010 and we’ve been watching closely as her reputation has spread. Culminating in a New Band A Day nod from The Guardian’s Paul Lester recently and the release of her Off The Leash EP. Formidable and above all, she’s have a good time which is always fantastic to see!

The Horn The Hunt - Animal Magic



Clare Carter is another of our front women of 2011. Catching The Horn The Hunt live a few months ago the tiny blond singer is mesmerising. Their second album Depressur Jolie is dark and gloriously synth laden, with Clare’s vocals keeping it all together. This Leeds band are surely a cert to play some of the rockier festivals this year? Oh wait that would take creative, adventurous programming...

Chapter 24 - Spindle



Another band we’re hoping will take 2012 by the horns are Corby band Chapter 24. We’re big fans at TOW and Tom’s hugely into them too. Forget all the Riot Grrrl/ Slits comparisons - yes, there’s a girl on vocals but frankly that’s where it ends. Their heavy blend of funky spiky guitars and reverb heavy vocals result in something entirely poppy and psychedelic. A True Gem.

6 Music picks: Death Rattle and Dominique Young Unique

Death Rattle - The Dig




A while ago when chatting to Tom on his show he mentioned That Mouth, a London band who he was very excited about. Whilst mooching around for tracks to play on Amazing Radio last month we thought we'd find out what they're up too - turns out after releasing their debut album in October, TM is no more... welcome Death Rattle! Their first single The Dig is a dark and brooding track with a rather freaky split-face video to go with it. TOW reckons Death Rattle are plumbing some sort synth-laden depths and we can't wait to hear their debut, which they've been recording across the channel in Normandy.

Dominique Young Unique - Life Of A Party



Whilst perusing Guardian journalist Paul Lester's playlist on the Amazing Radio website we came across this young, quick fire rapper from Tampa, Florida. She's just released her third mixtape Stupid Pretty, the follow up toDomination and Glamorous Touch which respectively spread like wildfire across the net. The title track of the mixtape has a fantastic video of Dominique in a tiny pair of bright orange pants and a t-shirt wandering around London Underground, much to the embarrassment of the regular commuters. Surely it's a matter of time before this one cracks day time Radio 1...

6 Music picks: No Cars and 2:54

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.   


No Cars - Sellotape




How good is this video? Talk about capturing the vibe of a band and the atmosphere of a gig - pure joy in this case. No Cars are Haruna, Sachi and Kyoko who've released their debut album Yoko Eats Whales this year. Haruna tells TOW that 'we are gathered to save the earth, or kidnapped from Tokyo'... the truth though is that they met at her ex's gig. She goes on to say they're influences are: 'Vegetables. I don't listen to music much but the other girls in the band like juke box the ghost.(I don't know who they are)'. Officially they're 17, don't worry girls we won't spill the beans on how old you really are - not that it matters to us! But if Flo can do it so can you ;)

2:54 - Scarlet 





London based sisters Hannah and Colette Thurlow are 2:54, with the help of Alex Robins and Joel Porter. This gloomy but very polished pop group recently supported hipsters Bos Angeles in the UK and will be touring with The Big Pink in February. Someone's got them on the fast track as they've already worked with producer Rob Ellis (PJ Harvey) and look set to make great waves. It's all a bit moody, don't bloody smile whatever you do... diggin' this track (Serious Face).

6 Music picks: Dreama and We Spies

Every week we get to play two tracks for Tom Robinson on his excellent BBC 6 Music Introducing show... you can listen again here.  

Dreama - Somethin Yesterday





Ah bliss, we finally get to play Dreama on BBC 6 Music! As we suspected, Tom R. is now a big fan and she's getting more play on his excellent show. Dreama is a young MC from west London who got in touch with TOW and pointed us towards her mixtape A Dreama's Reality which is available for free at her website. Dreama aka Martina Simon has written poetry since she was a young thing and says she naturally moved into rap and music. TOW loves this track for it's simple, hardcore electro back beat and her cheeky vocal. Check out her website too for her excellent and very informative blog!

We Spies - The Sea, You See

  The Sea, You See by WeSpiesUK 

 
Now to a young Brighton band who we can't stop listening too. Headed up by singer Lucy Elliot We Spies call themselves 'ambient indie' and that does them justice to some extent. But it's Lucy's frantic on-the-edge vocal style which sets them apart from their peers. Lucy is joined by Joel Frosh, Ed Davis and Joe Spencer.