Ghost Culture Returns With ‘Coma’; New EP Soon

Two years on from the sublime self-titled debut LP and 2016’s similarly spectacular double-a-side ‘Safe/Multiply’, Ghost Culture (aka James Greenwood) has shared stunning new single ‘Coma’.

Lifted from Ghost Culture’s forthcoming new EP ‘Nucleus, it is an enthralling direct and driven return that unearths a perfect balance between muscular grooves and a deft melodic touch that’s marked his work thus far. Stitched together with clinical precision, an intricate blend of bleeps, burbling synthesizers, static acid squelches and a delicious crispness, builds and builds, transfixing and captivating as it goes. An absolute triumph from an utter treasure.

Ghost Culture’s Nucleus EP is out February 24 on Phantasy. Listen to ‘Coma’ below now.

BarryGruff May 2016 Playlist

Your regular monthly round up all the blog action, in a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured throughout the month.

May was good, as was the weather but even better tunes and whatnot (although I was pretty busy with matters away from the blog). We had loads of great new tracks, with a cursory listen below, I’m pretty sure you’ll agree! Oh, and there were new episodes of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s music podcast for 604now (if you missed them, check ’em here). You can also subscribe to ‘Millions Like Us’ on iTunes & Podcast Republic or find us on Facebook & Twitter.

Well then, that’s that for another month – listen to BarryGruff’s May 2016 playlist below. Enjoy!

Ghost Culture – ‘Multiply’

It’s been just over a year since the release of Ghost Culture‘s self-tilted debut album – one of the finest releases of 2015 by the way – the London-based artist has emerged fresh from the studio with double A-side single Safe/Multiply.

Having previously shared ‘Safe’, it’s now time for ‘Multiply’ to utterly consume you. It is a direct, driven track that builds and builds, headed straight toward the dancefloor with precision beats, immaculate production and clutches of spoken word. ‘Multiply’ is a genuinely emphatic track and one that feels alive, and embodies all that is great about electronic (and dance) music. This of course, will come as little surprise to those who have crossed paths with Ghost Culture’s 2015 self-titled debut album. If you have not yet had that pleasure, now is as perfect a time as ever to get acquainted with it.

You can listen to both ‘Multiply’ and ‘Safe’ below, while you can check out Ghost Culture’s debut here.

BarryGruff Albums of the Year (2015)

So it is that time of year again, lists, lists and more lists. Well, not be out done, here are my 41 (yes 41, and yes it’s a weird number) albums of 2015.

It has been such a good year for new albums, probably the best since I started the blog back in 2010. So much so that there is very little difference between the top 5, top 10, top 15 and so on. So without further ado, here are my favourite records from 2015:

There is also a Spotify playlist of the Top 20 albums, to save you time and hassle (it’s here).

41. Only Real – Jerk At The End of the Line’

40. Rozi Plain – ‘Friend’

39. Wildling – ‘Molecules To Moon’

38. The School – ‘Wasting Away And Wondering’

37. Sweet Baboo – ‘Boombox Ballads’

36. The Stammer – ‘Days In Between’

35. SexWitch – Sex Witch’

34. Faith Healer – ‘Cosmic Troubles’

33. Girl Band – ‘Holding Hands With Jamie’

32. Joanna Gruesome – ‘Peanut Butter’

31. Fort Romeau – ‘Insides

30. Soft Serve – ‘S/t’

29. Applescal – ‘For’

28. Zefur Wolves – ‘Zefur Wolves’

27. Hot Chip – ‘Why Make Sense?’

26. Drenge – ‘Undertow’

25. The Charlatans – ‘Modern Nature’

24. Gaz Coombes – ‘Matador’

23. Bill Ryder-Jones – ‘West Kirby County Primary’

22. Drinks – ‘Hermits on Holiday’

21. The Expert – Dynamic Drift

20. Boxed In – ‘Boxed In’

Continue reading →

BarryGruff Playlist September 2015

A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

September was pretty damn good, aside from saying goodbye to summer! We had tunes from Sexwitch, Gwenno, Hinds and The Altered Hours ahead of their respective, new and forthcoming albums. There were excellent new singles from Slow Riot, Tuff Love, BUCK, H. Hawkline, Freedom Fry, Gulp & Miaoux Miaoux. Oh, and their was the launch of ‘Millions Like Us’, Justin Beats & I’s new music podcast extravaganza for 604now (if you missed them? Why not listen to episodes #1 & #2)

Also featured on this month’s playlist are great tracks from Avid Walker, Mesa Luna, Ghost Culture, Boxed In, Anderson & Peaness. So yeah, pretty good alright.

Listen to BarryGruff’s September 2015 playlist below.

Boxed In – ‘False Alarm’ & Ghost Culture Remix

What’s not to get excited about a coming together from the creators of two of this year’s finest albums? Well, it has happened.

London-based quartet Boxed In – headed up by Oli Bayston – released latest single ‘False Alarm’ last month, and much to our delight, Ghost Culture has chipped in on remix duties. ‘False Alarm’ typifies Boxed In’s DFA-tinged and propulsive piano-pressed electro-pop, with an undeniably infectious groove. Although wonderful in its own right, Ghost Culture’s rework enhances these tenancies, while introducing a touch meatier percussion. Opening with a drawn-out and epic build leading toward the two-minute mark, where lively hi-hats, a touch of piano-house and mesmerizing, heavy synths conspiring to enthrall with a unique spin on dance, electronica and electro-pop. Straddling such an assortment of influences, from techno to Krautrock, describing this one is as arduous a task as it is an enjoyable and dramatic listen.

You can check out both Boxed In’s original and Ghost Culture’s rework of ‘False Alarm’ below. Both their respective, self-titled debut album’s, should be checked out too.

BarryGruff Playlist August 2015

A now regular monthly feature, whereby we round up all the blog action with a nice, neat and handy playlist of tracks featured during the month.

August was pretty damn good! We had new tunes from Anderson, The Foetals, The Annulments and DRINKS ahead of their respective, forthcoming new albums. There were excellent new singles from SALES, Cornershop, Imploded View, Foreign/National and Silverbacks, and EPs from Mr Huw & Dog Legs. Oh, and Johnny Feeney shared his albums of the year so far too.

Also featured on this month’s playlist are great tracks from Martha Ffion, Sh-Shakes, SQRD, BUCK, and Ghost Culture’s, Ghostpoet remix . So, August, pretty good alright.

Listen to BarryGruff’s August 2015 playlist below.

Ghostpoet – ‘Sorry My Love, It’s You Not Me’ (Ghost Culture Remix)

As much as Ghostpoet’s – London-based Obaro Ejimiwe – talent and skills are without question, his style tends to lend itself to a darker, more morose tone.

Stepping in on remix duties, London producer Ghost Culture, demonstrates his wizardry, serving us with an exquisite re-framing of Ghostpoet’s enormously bittersweet current single, ‘Sorry My Love, It’s You Not Me’, from his most recent LP, Shedding Skin. It is a refreshing, upbeat synth-lead rework, with Ghost Culture injecting plenty of bounce, rhythmic energy and some serious pep-to-its-step. A sprawling six-minute plus thing of wonder, that builds and builds, through world of cool grooves with all the clinical precision, delicious crispness and burbling synthesizers that make Ghost Cuture’s self-titled debut record the treasure that it is. A marvelously smooth rework, no doubt about it.

You can listen to Ghost Culture’s remix and Ghostpoet’s original below – and/or check out Ghostpoet’s recently released third studio album Shedding Skin here and Ghost Culture’s superb self-titled debut here.

BarryGruff’s Albums of 2015 So Far……

I’m not exactly the best at keeping you and the site up-to-date with album reviews, to be honest, it’s the old enemy time. Discovering the hours to scribble some thoughts about this album or that has become rather elusive, but thankfully finding time to listen to albums, and music in general, is less of an issue.

Here are a list of my most listened and loved records of 2015 so far with Spotify links and playlists for overall albums of 2015. There are plenty of playlists on Spotify and Soundcloud and on the blog too. Oh, and with regards to albums *cough, cough*, you can still download GruffWuff, a 19 track compilation celebrating 5 years of BarryGruff, for FREE from bandcamp, *cough, cough*.