Actually I’m only pretending to be all surprised, I knew about it all along. I made a 30 minute set of my most recent finished and unfinished tunes, exclusively for BCB Radio. I’m not even going to put it up anywhere else. Actually that’s a lie too, I’m going to put it up on Music Glue – a site that allows artists to grow their mailing lists by exchanging their music for listeners’ email addresses. That’s fair isn’t it? Yes.
To listen to the set on radio show’s own website click on this ‘ere image –
Or if you wanna download it for later then click on this image right here –
‘Bulletproof’ will be the first release on Sic Outfit, a UK based label recently set up by Tom Sidebottom – aka Pitch Twit. Tom is a UK based producer with over 14 years of experience in electronica and dance music production. Two tracks will be included in the release – ‘Bulletproof Feat. J Dog (Original Mix)’ and Bulletproof Feat. J Dog (Dub Mix)’.
Opening track ‘Bulletproof’ immediately grabs you and gives you a healthy injection of energy. It’s an uplifting hard hitting Nu Disco track similar to the likes of Danger and Justice. The production is of the highest quality with plenty of sub and a good amount of all round fatness and a messed up vocal from J Dog of Black Diamond Bay (UK) fame.
‘Bulletproof’ is the first release from UK independent record label – Sic Outfit. This label is an independent label run by UK based Tom Sidebottom aka Pitch Twit. The label will release electronic music covering electronica, breaks, house, deep house, drum n bass and techno. Sic Outfit was initially set up as a fictitious record label (sic outfit being an anagram of fictitious), but was later realised legitimately. The label was initially set up to enable Tom to release his own tracks from his eclectic catalogue.
The Sic Outfit website can be found at sicoutfit.com and is held within the Pitch Twit website, which is at pitchtwit.com
Time for release number two I reckon (probably a bit late actually! damn it!) . Anyway – just like you could have guessed – it’s gonna be the Prod/Pitch Twit collab/remix – No Frills. Here’s the press release:-
PITCH TWIT / PROD – NO FRILLS (PITCH TWIT REMIX)
SINGLE OUT APRIL 5TH 2010
TRACK LIST: 1. No Frills (Pitch Twit Remix) 2. No Frills (Pitch Twit Remix – Dub)
LABEL: SIC OUTFIT CAT NO. SIC0002
“Memorably mad electro” – The Times
“Future Anthems” - Track It Down
“Alluring and addictive….. refreshing” – Daily Music Guide
“The world of Pitch Twit is somewhere I really didn’t want to leave” – Noise Makes Enemies
Pitch Twit is the pseudonym of Yorkshire musician and producer Tom Sidebottom. The music is about melody and energy. Tom is also co-founder and producer in Exceptional Records’ most recent signing – Black Diamond Bay.
Prod dares to challenge the unknown, creating a raw, edgy but freakishly smooth blend of hybridized musical conventions. He takes the musical ethos of his past, and distorts it for the present, putting together an album of astounding jazz-soaked, glitched out neo-soul beats, all tightly wound and interlinked within in his salad day influences of old school jungle, techno and electronica.
Pitch Twit takes one of Prod’s vocals and places it beautifully over a spacious house backing – giving Prod’s soulful voice centre stage. The track’s pace is perfect – everything happens at the right time, and the rolling bass line and spacious chords give the track that ‘I could listen to this all day’ sort of quality. At the same time, the beats are crisp and energetic – giving the track dance floor appeal – maybe an outdoor terrace next to the beach. Lush.
For more information on this release please contact
Tom Sidebottom +44(0)7932 079000 tom@sicoutfit.com
Heads We Dance asked me to do a remix and also a blog of my five favourite things. Here it is. Right Here. Just there underneath.
Pitch Twit’s Five Favourite (Random) things
My favourite chocolate cake
This cake is the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten. Whenever I make it, anyone who tries it always can’t actually believe how good it is. When I do it I use Green & Blacks chocolate and instead of using all dark, I use half 70% and half milk. It is a ridiculous cake. It might even make you giggle whilst you’re eating it.
Ingrediants
For the cake:
200g good quality dark chocolate , about 60% cocoa solids
200g butter , cut in pieces
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
85g self-raising flour
85g plain flour
1⁄4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
200g light muscovado sugar
200g golden caster sugar
25g cocoa powder
3 medium eggs
75ml buttermilk (5 tbsp)
grated chocolate or curls, to decorate
Ganache:-
200g good-quality dark chocolate , as above
284ml carton double cream (pouring type)
2 tbsp golden caster sugar
Method
Butter a 20cm round cake tin (7.5cm deep) and line the base. Preheat the oven to fan 140C/conventional 160C/ gas 3. Break the chocolate in pieces into a medium, heavy-based pan. Tip in the butter, then mix the coffee granules into 125ml/4fl oz cold water and pour into the pan. Warm through over a low heat just until everything is melted – don’t overheat. Or melt in the microwave on Medium for about 5 minutes, stirring half way through.
While the chocolate is melting, mix the two flours, bicarbonate of soda, sugars and cocoa in a big bowl, mixing with your hands to get rid of any lumps. Beat the eggs in a bowl and stir in the buttermilk.
Now pour the melted chocolate mixture and the egg mixture into the flour mixture, stirring just until everything is well blended and you have a smooth, quite runny consistency. Pour this into the tin and bake for 1 hour 25- 1 hour 30 minutes – if you push a skewer in the centre it should come out clean and the top should feel firm (don’t worry if it cracks a bit). Leave to cool in the tin (don’t worry if it dips slightly), then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, cut it horizontally into three. Make the ganache: chop the chocolate into small pieces and tip into a bowl. Pour the cream into a pan, add the sugar, and heat until it is about to boil. Take off the heat and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth.
Sandwich the layers together with just a little of the ganache. Pour the rest over the cake letting it fall down the sides and smoothing to cover with a palette knife. Decorate with grated chocolate or a pile of chocolate curls. The cake keeps moist and gooey for 3-4 days.
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My favourite African guitarist – D’Gary
I saw this guitarist at the Canmore Folk Festival back in 2004 and was instantly blown away by the technicality of his playing and of the rhythms that were being used by him and his band. I got an album (Akato Meso) and have listened to it loads – as opposed to other times at festivals when you really love a live performance by an artist you’ve never heard of – rush off and buy the CD only to get it home and find that its actually rubbish. Beautiful amazing music.
I went to Leh while I was travelling round northern India a few years ago with my girlfriend. The dry looking part in the top right of the pic is the old town and the green bit everywhere else is the nicer bit though. We stayed there for about two weeks and really chilled out. Rooms are about 50p a night – less if you want a long term stay. If you eat at the right places you can get a meal for about 30p. If I ever wanted to write a book, or do a concept album or something like that, I’d just spend six months in Leh over a summer just doing exactly what I wanted and nothing more.
Ages ago I was in New York with two good mates, and one of them (Chris Sharkey) knew where to go for some really in your face contemporary hard funk from some of New York’s finest jazz musicians. If you go to New York you HAVE to go and see the Wayne Krantz Trio. This little gig goes down as my favourite intimate gig of all time (and the other times I went there). The level of musicianship is beyond the level you could previously comprehend (especially the drumming) and the grooves are just so sick!
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Favourite Dangerous Ride – Metal Bob Sleigh, China
I was in some place in China with a band I was with at the time and we came across this crazy and rather dangerous ride. Apparently there’s one at one of the Great Wall sites in Beijing, so if you ever go to see the Great Wall of China, go to the section where that ride is – its well well good! I made a video whilst I went down it………
You know something’s worth checking out when people start angrily stating how pointless it is. Why do they do is that? Anyway, most people have now accepted that Twitter has its place – and its turned out to be a pretty important one. Here’s a list of other people in the Dance/Electronica world who are using it. If you think something’s missing, add a comment at the bottom.
