The Brag

A. Skillz On Bond, Breaks and Beats By Annabel Maclean Adam Mills is legendary in the breaks scene. The UK DJ and producer, better known as A.Skillz, is admired for his unique mixing and scratching, fierce production skills and ability to fuse funk, hip hop and breaks into his roof- raising sets. We spoke ahead [...]

Posted: December 24th, 2012 under Brag 494, Music, Music - Interview.
Tags: A. Skillz, A.Skillz vs Krafty Kuts, Annabel Maclean, Electric Empire, Friendly Fires (DJ set), Kaki King, Luke Slater, Peats Ridge Festival, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, The Tongue

“I’m not some 20-something-year-old Taylor Swift or Beyonce, imitating a sound. I’m not doing a version of soul music, because I am soul.” Sharon Lafaye Jones has undeniable style and swagger, and is completely unafraid to call out today’s trending stars for their temporality. The frontwoman of Brooklyn’s Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings has seen a lot of styles come and go, and she’s understandably annoyed when critics focus on the ‘revival’ tag that people attach to the funk and soul group.

Posted: December 11th, 2012 under Brag 492, Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Benjamin Cooper, Clairy Browne, Electric Empire, John Butler Trio, Kaki King, Peats Ridge Festival, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Sharon Lafaye Jones, Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, The Bangin’ Rackettes, The Black Seeds, The Dap-Kings, Tijuana Cartel, Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Australians have this weird thing where we big up certain bands and completely ignore others, who take it as their cue to travel the world and win hearts abroad before returning for another crack at home. Electric Empire are massive overseas, and with good reason. They’re a cracking live band that sounds just as good on record, and they write originals that could easily belong in the Motown stable, boasting four all-singing-all-playing legends who clearly know exactly what they’re doing.

Posted: November 26th, 2012 under Album Reviews, Brag 490, Music.
Tags: Changin’ EP, Electric Empire, Jonno Seidler, Self-released

Mayer Hawthorne A Class Act By Alasdair Duncan ‘Flashy But Classy’ – that’s Mayer Hawthorne’s motto. The Ann Arbor, Michigan performer is known for his falsetto croon and his immaculate, throwback soul productions, but he walks the walk as well as talking the talk, clothing himself in outfits that hark back to an era when [...]

Posted: February 20th, 2012 under Brag 449 (February 13), Music, Music - Interview, New.
Tags: Alasdair Duncan, Electric Empire, Fantine, How Do You Do, Mayer Hawthorne, The Brag, The Metro Theatre

ELECTRIC EMPIRE I’ll be frank, Electric Empire were unknown to me as of last week – but today they stand atop my current list of favourite Australian bands. In fact, I’m surprised that the Melbourne soul trio evaded my attention for so long. If it weren’t for a Facebook popup – ‘you like The Bamboos [...]

Posted: April 4th, 2011 under Brag 405 (April 4), Live Reviews, Music.
Tags: Electric Empire, The Brag, Zac Seidler