These New Puritans

WhoSampled.com, a website that explores the DNA of music by discovering direct connections among thousands of songs across multiple genres, will host the first ever 'Samplethon' at The Great Escape Festival in Brighton on Saturday May 10, 2014. The event will give up-and-coming producers access to rare sample material, with the challenge to produce a brand new track against the clock.

Though winners of the Samplethon could see their tracks included on a forthcoming album release, all those entering will get the rare opportunity to call on a team of esteemed mentors for help and assistance from, as well creating new music without the legal shackles often associated with sampling.

Continue reading: WhoSampled's First Ever 'Samplethon' Set For Great Escape Festival 2014

Jordan Dowling presents his top ten album favourites from the past year.

Nils Frahm 'Spaces' - 'Spaces' is a presentation of Nils' spellbinding live show and it is as good a presentation of his genius as you could hope for; a breath-taking journey launched from the most tender of foundations. Tapped pianos lead to reverb-washed synth chords and occasional dance motifs in an utterly organic manner.

Continue reading: Jordan Dowling's Top 10 Albums Of 2013

A Week In Albums... Vampire Weekend have been getting some much deserved props for their comeback LP, Modern Vampires Of The City and our man Jim Pusey was more than happy to join in the chorus of praise. Marking the group's second US Billboard number one charting album to-date - not to mention their best selling first week effort - Modern Vampires... looks like it's only going to set the indie rockers onto greater things. Pusey commented: "While it's an album that may struggle to repeat the phenomenal commercial success of Vampire Weekend's debut, I'd argue in the long run there's more to love on Modern Vampires. It's not just because the band's affection for New York seeps through every pore of the record, but also because sonically it's a far more interesting album. If this is indeed the end to a trilogy of records, Vampire Weekend have set themselves an extremely high bar to reach for the next chapter of their career."

Collaborator-happy party bringers Major Lazer have returned with a new album in the form of Free The Universe. A record that does little to change the act's sound, it doesn't necessarily need to, says Andy Peterson, with the array of people brought on board, including - there he is again - Ezra from Vampire Weekend, Peaches and Wyclef Jean, meant to enhance the party not the sound evolution. Peterson writes, "At times it's fair criticism that the formula isn't saying anything new, but the main objective here is far less about innovation but instead about being what it is; a no-nonsense party record made to be turned up to eleven and put on after twelve. Righteous."

Continue reading: A Week In Music - Vampire Weekend Album Is Tops, Daft Punk Break Records, Kelly Rowland Breaks Down