UNKLE pictures from Artist Direct

Interview: James Lavelle of UNKLE

Founder of the beloved Mo' Wax label at the age of 19, as well as an influential DJ, remixer and leader of UNKLE for the last decade, James Lavelle has done it all. His UNKLE project alone has

Published: 2007-07-23 Provider: Artist Direct

"Odelay (Deluxe Edition)" by Beck

Hardcore Beck fans probably already have the "new" material presented on this deluxe Odelay reissue. But for those of us who aren't obsessive enough to get every b-side, this compilation sheds new light on what Mr. Hansen was up to while recording his seminal alt-rock album. Not surprisingly, the first disc contains the original album played straight through, with two new cuts, "Inferno" and "Gold Chains," tacked on the end. "Inferno" starts off like a Beastie Boys hip-hop tune—lots of record scratching and the rhyming style that Beck perfected on Odelay—but half-way through it abruptly shifts into several miniature instrumental suites, involving acoustic guitars, sitars and pedal effects, that sound almost like an outtake from the Sgt. Pepper sessions. The rapping is a bit cheesy (even for that era Beck), but the experimentation resembles nothing you'll hear on the regular album. Disc two starts off with two great remixes: UNKLE's

Published: 2008-02-11 Provider: Artist Direct

"War Stories" by UNKLE

Despite his role as the driving force behind electronica studio act UNKLE, James Lavelle's collaborators have often overshadowed him in the past. Both on the debut, Psyence Fiction, co-helmed by DJ Shadow, and the follow-up Never, Never, Land, the Mo'Wax label head/producer recruited an impressive guest list, including Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Mike D of the Beastie Boys and Jarvis Cocker, which gave the impression that the magic found within might have been the result of the notable roster. For his third record, War Stories, Lavelle enlists an equally formidable list of cohorts, such as Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age, Ian Astbury of The Cult and the British post-punk band The Duke Spirit. Nevertheless, Lavelle makes this cohesive album very much his own, never allowing collaborator in particular to dominate. What distinguishes War Stories, though, is its near-perfect amalgamation of electronica and rock. "Restless,"

Published: 2007-07-23 Provider: Artist Direct