Backstage and Music at Lako Bukia AW12

Check out my soundtrack for the Lako Bukia AW12 show for London Fashion Week, including my brand new bespoke Arcade Fire remix and an unreleased track by LORE, and some photos I took below backstage. You can see more of the collection currently HERE.

Lako Bukia AW12 Soundtrack by Erol Sabadosh by Erol Sabadosh on Mixcloud

LFW Day 2: Lako Bukia

I kicked off the second day of LFW with the Lako Bukia SS12 show at Vauxhall Fashion Scout for which I did the soundtrack. I created an original bespoke remix of Arcade Fire's The Suburbs (Continued) which I mixed in with Nicolas Jaar's exquisite remix of Azari & III and Caribou's remix of Radiohead. For the finale I chose the upbeat synth-pop sound of Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) by Arcade Fire to contrast with the minimal soundtrack of the main show.

Lako's delicate and beautiful collection mixed Asian-influenced style and prints with a contemporary minimal design to flattering and striking effect, the flowing chiffon dresses were complimented by structured uniform pieces that retained a soft element in their boldness with a red, black and white color palette. Gorgeous.

Below is a photo I took backstage, the full video of the show and a link to stream just my soundtrack featuring my original remix of Arcade Fire as well as a link to download.

 Lako Bukia SS12 Catwalk Soundtrack by Erol Sabadosh by Erol Sabadosh on Mixcloud

CLICK HERE DOWNLOAD SOUNDTRACK

Arcade Fire at Hyde Park, Listen to 2 new songs!

I went to see Arcade Fire at Hyde Park for Wireless a few days ago. It's been a while since I've seen them live, having first seen them way back in 2005 at the first London Astoria gig. Since then I've mostly seen them in small venues, including the amazing church gigs they've done, and having never seen them at a festival this was the biggest Arcade Fire gig I've been to. It was bizarre witnessing 60,000 people sing along to a band that I've mostly listened to on my own or with smaller crowds, but it was mostly an enjoyable experience. Interestingly I thought their newer material suited the atmosphere more so than their Funeral-era songs, and I wish they had actually played more from The Suburbs. Overall it was a great show but I still prefer seeing them in a more intimate environment! Check out photos below and two previously unreleased songs which will appear on the deluxe edition of The Suburbs along with a short film by Spike Jonze, coming August 2nd from Merge.

Arcade Fire - Speaking in Tongues (feat. David Byrne) by MergeRecords
Arcade Fire - Culture War by MergeRecords

My Top 10 albums of 2010

1) Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens returned this year with his first song-based album since 2005's critically acclaimed Illinois, a bold and breathtaking work of intense beauty and unbridled creativity. Stevens opens the album with a short stripped-back folk song about unrequited love which comes to rest on the conclusion that, in this case, "words are futile devices." What follows is an epic journey into Stevens' conscious, exploring loss of love, existential woes, religious faith and physical and mental illness, with inspiration taken from the artwork of schizophrenic self-proclaimed prophet Royal Robertson, which is featured in the cover art. The album's sound is quite difficult to describe; imagine giant steam-powered robots from outer space invading the Earth while Sufjan's disembodied voice floats through the atmosphere as a huge classical orchestra provides a suitably thundering, apocalyptic soundtrack. I can't recommend this album enough, it's a towering achievement and easily the most accomplished release of the year.

Listen to I Walked by Sufjan Stevens

2) Twin Shadow - Forget

On this, his debut LP (produced by Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor), George Lewis Jr. pares down core elements of 80s New Wave, disco, indie rock and R&B into a slick and meticulous album about lost youth and nostalgia.

Listen to Slow by Twin Shadow

3) The National - High Violet

The National continue to hone their mature sound; lead singer Matt Berninger's lyrics are more creative and compelling than ever and the band reach epic levels of haunting beauty.

Listen to Bloodbuzz Ohio by The National

4) LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

James Murphy and co. release another post-punk inspired electro gem rife with fearless energy and colored by Murphy's charming wit.

Listen to I Can Change by LCD Soundsystem

5) The Walkmen - Lisbon

The Walkmen follow up 2008's dark and moody You & Me with a musically more upbeat and energetic album, but singer Hamilton Leithauser sounds as wounded as ever, though there seems to be a reassurance in his voice this time around that makes it seem as if things are just fine either way.

Listen to Angel Surf City by The Walkmen

6) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Arcade Fire's most epic album yet, a sprawling dystopic vision of cultural decay that samples a wide variety of retro genres.

Listen to We Used To Wait by Arcade Fire

7) Titus Andronicus - The Moniter

A boisterous and exhilarating rock record about modern discontent and the Civil War from this band from Glen Rock, New Jersey.

Listen to A More Perfect Union by Titus Andronicus

8) Menomena - Mines

A more emotionally driven album than any of their previous work, but one that retains their quirky and schizophrenic compositional style.

Listen to Dirty Cartoons by Menomena

9) The Books - The Way Out

The first album in five years from the American duo who create acoustic compositions on guitar and cello and cut them up with various samples and found recordings. This is by far their most ambitious, creative and yet easily palatable work yet.

Listen to Beautiful People by The Books

10) Spoon - Transference

Another slick release from these indie rock veterans, generally more sparse and minimal than their previous efforts; tracks like Who Makes Your Money have a real tight swagger and subtle atmospheric production elements add to the concise songwriting.

Listen to The Mystery Zone by Spoon

Also considered:

Joanna Newsom - Have One On Me
No Age - Everything In Between
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph
Black Keys - Brothers
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Dreamend - So I Ate Myself Bite By Bite
Xiu Xiu - Dear God I Hate Myself