Issue 95 / Dec18/Jan19

DANSETTE
Producer and electronicist LUNA
gives us a peek inside her record
bag to reveal some of the sounds
that inspired her new single, 5am.
Kllo
Potential
Good Manners
Raring For Haring
An exhibition celebrating the work of 1980s
icon KEITH HARING showing at Tate Liverpool
in June 2019 will be the first major show of the
artist’s work in the UK. Haring’s bold, vibrant
paintings engaged with vital political issues
such as racism, homophobia, AIDS awareness,
capitalism and the environment and the artist’s
style became synonymous with New York’s
hip hop scene of the era. Haring, who publicly
came out when homosexuality was still taboo,
became one of the century’s most prolific
artists and worked with the likes of Andy
Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. More than
85 works of Haring’s will be on display for the
eponymous exhibition.
2018 Digested
Keith Harling ‘Untitled’
Tyrannosaurus Wrexham
Wales’ premier metropolitan music festival FOCUS
WALES have announced a mouth-watering lineup
for their 2019 edition. Maverick troubadour BC
CAMPLIGHT tops the bill alongside cult Welsh acts
BOY AZOOGA and THE LOVELY EGGS, for a festival
which promises to capture the imagination of all those
who descend on Wrexham in May. Elsewhere on
the line-up there is euphoric experimentalism from
ISLET, introspective electronica from ART SCHOOL
GIRLFRIEND and watery shoegaze from Toronto’s
TALLIES. As well as over 200 live sets, Focus Wales
also includes a conference element with panel
discussions, keynote talk and industry advice. The
conference programme, along with more live acts, will
be announced in due course.
It’s turned out to be another bumper year for music, and we’ll all have our favourites from the past
12 months that will have stuck out. But, how do you put together a comprehensive list of 2018’s
best albums and essential tunes? We decided to turn to our Bido Lito! members to give us their
selections, compiling an extensive – and essential – soundtrack to the year. To find out if your
favourite made the cut, and to discover some hidden gems, head to bidolito.co.uk to find out what
our members picked. We’ll be releasing more of the selections throughout December, including
picks from artists we’ve featured this year. You’ll also be able to hear more of our members’ insights
next year with our monthly Members’ Mixtape series. If you want to share your picks with us, tweet
us on @BidoLito – or join our Community Membership revolution!
I’ve always been a huge Kllo
fan ever since I stumbled
across them at Sound City in
2015, so I was super excited when they released Potential
earlier this year. The piano hook got me immediately –
having grown up playing piano, it’s always how I start
off writing my songs. In 5am, the opening piano was the
first thing I wrote and then just kind of sung words over it.
Everything else came later on in production, but the bones
of most of my songs start on the piano.
Tei Shi
How Far
Interscope Records
When I wrote 5am I was
losing myself in a destructive
relationship, which is where
the song came from. At the time, I had this track on repeat.
Tei Shi sings of a similar situation, so I related to it heavily
and found solace in it. Unlike 5am, this song has shitloads
of sass with her killer vocal range and groovy bassline – it
helped to reassure me that I was going to get through this.
Four Tet
Rounds
Domino
SISU
SISU On The Ones And Twos
Are you an aspiring DJ? Are you a woman? Would you like to hone
your skills and learn from some expert practitioners? If so, SISU have
the perfect opportunity for you. The collective have been running DJ
courses for women for a while, proving hugely popular right across the
country. Their latest five-day course in Liverpool is due to take place at
24 Kitchen Street between Monday 10th December and Friday 14th
December, 12pm-3pm. The SISU course aims to teach the skills needed
to DJ from scratch, with an especially hands-on, practical approach.
Each session runs for three hours, covering theory-based knowledge
and hands-on practice of mixing, cueing, beat-matching, waveforms
and EQing. Check sisucrew.com for more details.
Out of all of Four Tet’s albums,
this one is my favourite. I just
love the dreamy soundscapes he creates and it blows
my mind that the whole album is entirely comprised of
samples. It inspired me to mess around with samples
myself, which is tentatively demonstrated in 5am where I
chopped up some of my lead vocal and sampled it later on
in the instrumental break. I’ve used samples more heavily
in other tracks off my upcoming debut EP, such as the
Bollywood vocal in Fire.
John Maus
Hey Moon
Upset The Rhythm
The Bido Lito! Journal
Our 2018 Bido Lito! Journal has landed and it’s an absolute stunner.
Documenting a year in Liverpool’s new music and creative culture,
the deluxe, 128-page book is the ideal Christmas present for the
music-lover or culture vulture in your life. You can now pick one up in
some of our favourite spots round town – just in time for Christmas.
Pop into News From Nowhere, Dig Vinyl, Jacaranda Records Phase
One, British Music Experience, Open Eye Gallery or Tate Liverpool
to get yours before they go. Printed in a limited edition run, the
Journal curates a selection of exclusive commissions and reflections
from artists and stories we’ve covered throughout 2018. In there
you’ll find extensive features on Bill Ryder-Jones, Sonic Yootha and
The Zanzibar, among others, as well as a selection of this year’s best
live photography and artwork. If the internet’s more your thing, you
can always grab one online from bidolito.co.uk.
I think my world stopped
turning for a minute or
two when I first heard this song. There’s something so
comforting about it yet so painfully sad at the same time; I
can’t quite put my finger on it. I wanted to capture a similar
feeling with 5am – it embodies pain and loneliness, but I
also want it to comfort anyone else who may be listening to
it and going through the same kind of thing.
soundcloud.com/sheislunamusic
5am is out now, and Luna’s full debut EP is set for release
in spring 2019.
NEWS 11