Wednesday 24 December 2014

Nothing better than a cosy winter night in

As it is Christmas Eve (!!!) It's pretty safe to say, winter has been well and truly settled in for a while now, the need for big furry coats and woolly hats has been flirting with my annoyingly empty bank account. 

I am personally, definitely not a winter person, I am a summer bunny. I put it down to that Maltese skin my mother dearest, so kindly, passed on to me. However, as much as I love a scorching Mediterranean beach day, there is something lovely and comforting about a cozy winter night in with the family or friends in front of the fire, with a lovely big, healthy mug of hot cacao and my puppy.

This is my standard pre sleep routine in the winter (Thanks for the book Lucia!)

My Pops and I take great pride in our Christmas trees!


Obviously my boy needs his very own Christmas jumper


Christmas is about appreciating new friends, as well as the old.


Although I am a summer girl, strangely, my fondest memories of being a little-un are the cosy Christmassy, winter nights playing board games with my family. The smell and sound of the fireplace crackling away, with our gorgeous old dog curled up in front of it.
I have a perfect routine when I am back home, I come in from my long day (of being highly productive, of course), then I whack on a nice chilled album or playlist, light a few candles, run the bath with some winter spice bubble bath (most likely The Magic Wand, Reusable bubble bar from lush) and stay there all nice and warm until mum serves up one of her famous healthy comfort dinners. Then comes the board games or a movie and the fire. 

Welcome to the Santa's grotto that I call home

There are a few things that absolutely make winter for me, hopefully in my little list you will find a new thing to add to yours. Share yours with me as well, I'm always looking to spend money I shouldn't be spending!! 

1. Big cozy coats for outdoor adventures, onesies for snuggling inside.
2. An enormous collection of winter accessories I.e. Earmuffs, beanies and gloves
3. Big mugs full of hot cacao
4. Christmas shopping in Covent Garden (it's a lot to handle, but worth it if you're in the right mood)
5. Huge thick knits
6. Christmas films, Elf never stops being funny and the grinch always melts my heart 
7. The Christmas UK Music Chart
8. Snuggling up in the warmth with my boy, after spending the day in the freezing cold (Either my boyfriend, or my dog come under that category! Will, don't kill me for that one..)
9. Winter Edition Yankee Candles
10. Every single second of Christmas day, the food, the family, the good energy and the love you can feel running through everything. 
Even though I prefer summer, Christmas has always been my favourite day of the year, it is just so magical and filled with happiness, family and LOTS of food. What more could you want?!


I am obssesed with pandas.
Wouldn't you just love this little Burberry car to deliver all your shopping home for you! Go see it in Covent Garden!



Anyway, it's Christmas Eve!!! Spend lots of time with family and friends, and hopefully you're all better than me and have done all your Christmas shopping! I will be madly rushing around in a few of hours as the shops are trying to close...
I wish you a magical, happy and fun Christmas!


Much Love, 

Chloë 
XO

Monday 22 December 2014

We Scream Records. Definitely worth a listen!

It's always good to have something new enter the scene, especially if it has a lot of hype, excitement and therefore potential. Everything starts from the bottom and works it's way to the top (queue 'Drake -Started from the Bottom').
I don't know about you, but I absolutely love stumbling across a new artist, track or album and having something fresh to follow and fill that gap that is forever a little bit open.

What's better than an artist, track or album? A whole new label. All of it in one, and continuously releasing absolute bangers. By that incredibly descriptive choice of words, you will probably guess, it is an electronic label, predominantly House.

Let me introduce you to, We Scream Records.



Owned by Louis Robinson and Jono Green, right out of London, they bring you fresh Deep House and Tech House records from a variety of producers and artists from the UK and South Africa. 

They are currently in the middle of a Christmas and New Year campaign, so it would be a great time to check out what they have to offer on their Soundcloud, as the downloads are currently free. How lovely and generous, eh? (Click the word 'Soundcloud' for the link). 
I would definitely suggest to give 'Heart Strings' by Louis Robinson (Jono Green remix) and 'You got to Lose' a listen. Louis has just posted up a naughty little mix for you all as well, because he's nice like that! 

Got your attention? Check out their website and youtube page (again, click on the words for the links), Louis is also a resident DJ on London's Dance Power Station, 'Electric'! Where We Scream Records will be doing weekly takeovers every Sunday 6-7pm up until the New Year, so tune in here!
I can't stress enough how hard it is for musicians to get started in the industry, every share, follower, listen is like another Christmas present!




I actually met Louis at the London club, XOYO, about a month or so ago and started chatting. You meet the best, most interesting people when you least expect it. Especially in this industry, networking and socialising is key. Although, I can't exactly say I was in the best state, he is a genuinely really nice guy and very talented, so obviously, when he told me about his new label and showed me what he does, I had to share it with all of you too! You're welcome!





As I was writing this post, Louis has just told me, he has posted his brand new mix on youtube. Don't you feel special, getting this literally as it is happening?! This is my little Christmas Present to you all, enjoy!




Much Love,

Chloë
XO

Sunday 21 December 2014

Number 4. Black Messiah.

Last week something amazing happened.
Every muso was made very happy, and every one at my uni did a little happy dance. For one reason and one reason only.

The king returned. 

D'Angelo dropped his new album, 'Black Messiah' on 16 December and I have honesty never seen my facebook feed completely full of people from uni going absolutely nuts over an album. I've had to make the decision to drop another album from my top 5 to make room for this one. Which may come back to bite me, but...D'Angelo!!




The album speaks for itself, get onto spotify, YouTube or pop into HMV if you're old school, PURCHASE, not download and whack it on. It's full of the soulful, groove heavy, funk you would expect from D'Angelo. He hasn't tried to go down a new route to fit in, he has shown the world that great music is always great music, it doesn't need to be messed with.
I am personally, so happy he has done this his own way and not tried to bring in new elements of the current trends. A D'Angelo track is timeless, classy and not one thing gets overlooked.
14 years, it has taken him to release a new album since 'Voodoo', he hasn't been completely quiet though, working on features with other artists, a sneaky leaked track and an arrest (naughty). To be honest, it didn't look like it was all going too well for him. In 2012 however, he bounced back with a European tour, which far from surprisingly was pretty much sold out within a day of each ticket release. 
Which led nicely into 12 December 2014, the day 'Black Messiah' was released. This album is not an ordinary album, it is a protest album, giving a voice and attention to the activists fighting against the 'minority deaths at the hands of cops' (See this extremely informative blog post by Yohana Desta, for more information about how deep the album truly is)




I've got to say though, does this guy not age?! Come on now, there's already a Will Smith and a Keanu Reeves in the world. What are these people eating?! I want some as it clearly makes you immortal!! I mean, we all remember THE D'Angelo video, right? (If not then, here you go. You're welcome.) It has been 8 years since that was released, and he honestly doesn't look all that different. That video has a lot to be held accountable for, it is a huge reason as to why D'Angelo dropped off everyone's radar, he didn't want to be seen as a sex symbol, which says a lot about his character and his true love for what he does. Well D, you have turned yourself into a potential legend, job well done I'd say!

And on that note, have a wonderful Sunday night!



Much Love,


Chloë X

Friday 19 December 2014

Your mind set is more powerful than you know!

I don't even know where to start with this week...

Firstly, I have had such a good week, it has been quite eye opening. 
I am going to start by letting you into my little personal world a bit, by telling you what my best friend said to me a couple of weeks ago. With completely good intentions she said 'I love you, but you have so much bad energy around you recently, it's just not good for you or anyone else around you.' At first, as you can imagine, my reaction was something a long the lines of 'I am going to listen and pretend I care, then in five minutes I am going to not talk to you for a week because that was mean.' In all honesty, I am a horrible person, because that is exactly what I did, at first. 
It took about a week before what she had said to me resurfaced in my mind again, when I was sat in bed on my own. She was right. I was letting everything get on top of me and weigh me down, sap the life out of me, I kept relying on excuses to not do things. I was not happy.
I am a singer, as fun as that sounds (and it is), it is also a labour of love, you have to push so hard with networking, songwriting, vocal techniques, into such a teeny tiny space of about a 2% chance of success. Cat, my best friend, is a singer as well, so she understands the commitment you have to put into it, which I hadn't been for such a long time. I had just been dampened by the fear of putting in my all and getting nothing back, which in itself was scaring me because it was even less likely I'd get anywhere. Approaching my last year at uni, that is not good.

What Cat said to me really made me think, yes it sounds very 'hippy', but surrounding yourself with good energy is so important.
Just that one committed moment, that I decided to change my mind set, changed everything in just one week. I prepared for my exams in a much more productive and involved way (anyone who has tried to sing jazz harmonies will feel my pain), I got half of my Christmas shopping done, I completed my to-do list that had things lingering on it for a while and I spent a day in the studio recording my first cover, which will hopefully be up soon. Above everything, I have been so happy this week, my relationships with Parents, friends and my boyfriend have all picked up and for the first time in a very long time, everything has felt promising and bright.




So what I am trying to say is, listen to and trust your close friends (if they are worthy of it!), and always try and take some 'you-time', your mind is an incredibly strong thing, you need to own it. So, get a cup of camomile tea and some candles, to think about where you are at the present moment and finely tweak the energy surrounding you. You will be surprised what a difference it makes.

I am now going to leave you with one of my favourite quotes to have a little think about, by the one and only Dr. Seuss:








Much Love,

Chloë
XO

Sunday 14 December 2014

Number 3 of my Top 5 Albums of 2014!

Right, so number 3!

I have to admit, I am kind of cheating with this one. I am not going to apologise though, and here is why...
My number three, was technically brought out in 2013, but a Live version of the album was released this year. I personally think this album is a huge step forward for Electronic Dance Music (EDM). There has always been the clubbing/rave side of EDM and the chilled out side, but this album meets somewhere in the middle, with just the right amount of ambient and epic, and who doesn't love a little bit of epic, honestly. As the live album shows, it also lends itself quite nicely to live instruments, which Electronic artists seem to be doing a lot recently; potentially something to do with the popular 'you're not a musician if you don't play a guitar' argument at the moment. My opinion? We are in the 21st century, does that mean pilots aren't pilots because they use cruise control?

Okay I have rambled a bit, so the album is......... The North Borders by Bonobo!







For any who don't know, I am a HUGE EDM lover. At the moment, the main focus for my own music, is doing vocals for EDM producers, hopefully being part of a duo. However, I also love playing with live musicians.
So, it is pretty safe to say that if Spotify counted how many times an album had been played, this one would be a ridiculously high number!


Bonobo is a British DJ/Producer from Brighton. His first release, Terrapin, was in 2000, so he has been around for a while; he hasn't just landed. His music is quite bass heavy, being EDM, but slightly more appealing to people who wouldn't necessarily usually listen to this kind of music, as it doesn't have as much of a prominent hard hitting constant bass drum on every beat.
The North Borders - Live Album also comes with a DVD of his tour; you can watch a little preview here. My jammy little bugger of a boyfriend actually worked on the bars at one of Bonobo’s nights in London a couple of weeks back; he isn't really a fan of EDM, but even he searched the album the second he got home. If you knew my boyfriend, you'd know how much that says about this album, he really isn't into this music at all... he likes to call it 'bang bang thump dance music', yeah, I know...

So, go listen!
Watch the DVD as well, Bonobo actually plays bass guitar live, which I think is awesome! Especially considering critics like to say producer/DJs can't actually play music... (I am doing my dissertation on this, touchy subject!!)
I suggest very good speakers or headphones!




Much Love,

Chloë
XO

Sunday 7 December 2014

Bring Me The Horizon at Underworld & No. 2 of 5 Album's of the Year!

Saturday, yet again!

These weeks are flying by way too fast at the moment! It hit me hard the other day that I am now entering the last week of the first term of my final year at uni. Less than a year and I am out into the big scary world of actually having to be an adult.
Somebody take me back 3 years please!! I don't feel like I have fully made the most of this time at all, but there's a high chance my expectations were a tad too high as well, as always.

So, if you are a Bring Me The Horizon fan, you will know that on Monday 1st they released tickets for their gig in Underworld in Camden for Wednesday 3rd. They sold out within minutes, no surprise.
Firstly, The Underworld in Camden is an awesome venue, if you are into rock and that kind of thing, the sound is incredible, the bands that have played there range from Fall Out Boy to KT Tunstall to Soundgarden and above everything, it is such an intimate venue. The capacity is around 500 people, which means that no matter where you are, you are pretty close! Hence,the crazy fast sell out and the last minute release!

Anyway, so my amazing friend George was on the case the second his little eye lids opened, bright and early on Monday morning and managed to get three tickets one for himself, Will (my boyfriend) and I. He is now, the self proclaimed, Ticket God.
For anyone who really wanted to go, didn't manage to get tickets and is super gutted, I suggest you skip to the 'Album of the Year' part of this post, because there's no chance of mysaying it wasn't worth it!
In my opinion, the 'Sempiternal' album is one of their best, alongside 'Suicide Season'. If you prefer a slightly more commercial sound, I would recommend Sempiternal. When I say commercial, don't go away thinking 'Nicki Minaj style commercial', because if it were, I would not be recommending it! I mean a more melodic sound than their original material, something you can actually almost sing along to without sounding like a mix between a strangled cat and a weird alien mating call.
Being their newest album, most of the set-list was from that album, with a couple of their older songs thrown in, which always goes down well with the fans who like to tell everyone they have 'been there since the beginning'.


I have no clever or profound words for this. It speaks for itself.



My verdict is definitely that BMTH have once again, killed it. The production, courtesy of Jordan Fish, was ridiculous. George, who is a producer, was practically crying at how phenomenal the sound coming out of those speakers was. Will, well, he was in the pit before I had even realised what was happening, so that is how you know he is happy. Me? Well Oli Sykes' stage presence just blows me away every time, other than the obvious that he is kinda pretty, it is hard to own a stage to the extent that someone is waving a flag, flapping their hair in your face and your main focus is STILL watching the front man.
The band as a whole are so incredibly tight now, if you watch some of their older live videos on YouTube, they weren't always that way!
The only thing about seeing this band now, for me, is I don't think it will ever beat the time I saw them at The Circle, a 50 capacity tattoo shop in London, last summer. That truly was insane, probably in my top two gigs ever, alongside Enter Shikari.

So onto the next bit, my second choice for my personal Top 5 Albums of the year, I am going to have to give to Beyoncé's album, once again, with the all inventive title of.... Beyoncé! Very different to Lower Than Atlantis (My previous selection), and probably quite different to the rest. But hey, it's Beyoncé, she's called Queen B for a reason!
It's exactly what you'd expect, loud, full of attitude and catchy as hell, with complete raw emotion everywhere that is necessary. 7/11 and Partition are the obvious, yet still favourites, for me! 
The only thing I would say about this album, but I am not going to get into it here because this topic makes me so mad; I really think some people need to understand the true meaning on feminism before claiming to be one. Letting Kanye West say 'That cowgirl, you reverse that cowgirl. You reverse, you reverse, and I impregnated your mouth, girl' in your track, kind of erases any feminist credibility you once had. Not to mention the countless things she also says through out... But, as I said, I am not getting into that, this topic causes arguments and nobody wants that on a Saturday night!

Now, excuse me, whilst I go and get my pizza and an episode of Supernatural (ideal Saturday night for one)

Much Love,

Chloë
XO
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