You look like you’ve been for breakfast at the heartbreak hotel
Inside of a back booth by the pamphlets and the literature on how to lose.
Your waitress was miserable and so was your food.
If you’re gonna try and walk on water make sure you wear your comfortable shoes.
Alex Turner – Piledriver Waltz
It’s time to reignite our series of film soundtrack reviews with a tenuous link to We Love Space. Alex Turner’s short but sweet EP written to accompany the film Submarine was produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco. James is also producer of Alex’s main musical concern, Arctic Monkeys. The ‘Monkeys catalogue is mainly unabashed, accessible rock and this release can be considered less esoteric and cinematic than most other soundtracks we’ve looked at before. It does fit flawlessly though, converting the theme of a first romance viewed through adolescent eyes to straight-up, instantly likeable indie love songs.
My mother is worried I have mental problems. I found a book about teenage paranoid delusions during a routine search of my parents' bedroom.
The film’s plot is narrated with a voice obviously too mature in tone and vocabulary to be that of the film’s teenage protagonist. He looks uncannily like Alex Turner did when he broke into the music scene in 2006. It’s a diverting coincidence but it gives a kind of consistency to the unassuming lyrics toyed with throughout the EP. Turner is a bit of a master at using his voice to cultivate a frank, observational attitude with his songs. It’s not merely a literal re-telling the film’s narrative, it’s a unique musical interpretation of a coming of age tale involving a self-concious 15 year old boy Oliver Tate, his collapsing parental home (involving a New Age mystic called Graham) and his enigmatic but undoubtedly enchanting girlfriend Jordana.
Her mouth tasted of sour milk, Polo mints and Dunhill International.
The film is set in a particularly nostalgic 1980s viewed through tinted spectacles although given the autobiographical feel they’re probably not completely rosy. The soundtrack looks further back for inspiration to understated ballads of the 60s and 70s evoking the likes of Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and John Lennon at their best. It all culminates in a setting which is in effect timeless and suiting of the universal and age-old matter of growing up, finding one’s place in the world and finding someone to enjoy it with.
At such a point there'd be a crane shot but, unless something dramatically changes in my life, there would only be the budget for a zoom-out.
Such a story (and concept for an album) could lend itself to over-sentimentality, but Turner keeps it quaint and charming rather than overwrought and gooey. It’s simple but astute songwriting on display and James Ford’s production is largely perfectly transparent, allowing the arrangements space around Turner’s quick-witted lyrics. The film itself is directed by Richard Ayoade and is both instantly endearing and comical, but the lasting impression and emotional echoes of it’s soundtrack seem to stick in the mind to a higher degree. It’s both an examination and celebration of the self-imposed trauma of youth and escapes the trap of contrived quirkiness it’s film counterpart occasionally falls into.
It’s time to welcome the turning of the Mayan Long Count calendar. With that in mind we’ve lined up two showcases of the best of We Love on both sides of the border. First up is one of the biggest annual party’s in Scotland, Hogmanay in Edinburgh where the whole centre of town is taken over for a street party. Things will be warmer in the Liquid Room where Julio Bashmore, jozif, Deetron and a host of local residents are set to welcome in the bells with style. You’ll find tickets, here.
Check out this video made by the capable hands of Jocie Cox featuring jozif and the story behind his summer residency on the We Love Space terrace.
Next up we’re jumping on the east coast main line down to join a host of We Love stalwarts at our London home, Ministry of Sound. The lineup is huge by anyone’s standards with a host of our headline summer residents all together under one roof. There’s a rare UK appearance from Groove Armada and we’re welcoming back Simian Mobile Disco and Joris Voorn after stellar sets at our last New Year show (hard to believe that was almost a year ago!).
Check out our latest radio show with an exclusive live mix from Groove Armada on the Space Terraza recorded during the summer.
The resident theme continues into the smaller but perfectly formed 103 room. Disco-house doyens PBR Streetgang are joined by Jem Haynes and Ian Blevins for what will be the debut of their Second Line project.
We’re very happy to announce the lineup for our arena at SW4 on Sunday 28th August in London’s Clapham Common.
Headlining the arena, Sasha makes a welcome return to the We Love fold. One of the undisputed kings of dance music, Sasha returns to SW4 having smashed last year’s Main Stage to pieces. He will be joined by Terrace icon Steve Lawler. A We Love party wouldn’t be complete without our residents Simian Mobile Disco and Joris Voorn. Simian make their long awaited SW4 debut this year, whilst Joris returns to the Common having played a storming set in John Digweed’s Bedrock arena in 2010. Completing the line-up we welcome Berlin’s Bpitch Control label boss Ellen Allien for her SW4 debut, alongside We Love favourites Technasia and Mat Playford.
For more info and tickets visit the SW4 website here.
We Love… Easter Specials at Ministry of Sound, London on Saturday April 23rd and presented by Jaunt> and Wax:On at Digital, Newcastle on Sunday April 24th.
Ian Blevins is the segue between this and our gig in Newcastle the next day, he’s prepared a mix for the train journey you can download and listen to here.
Once again celebrating the UK’s penchant for bank holidays, We Love… head back to London and Newcastle for a double header of parties this Easter.
Saturday 23rd of April is celebrated at We Love’s home from home, Ministry of Sound in London. The main room sounds are supplied by Space favourites Simian Mobile Disco and Hot Chip‘s Felix Martin. Warming things up is Mowgli making both his MInistry Of Sound and We Love debut. Fresh from soundtracking the sunnier hours of We Love’s recent techno masterclass in Miami, Alex Niggemann will be showcasing his peak time sounds in the 103 room. Backing him up is the baby oiled Bicep and the man who spent more hours on the decks than any other at We Love Space last year, Ian Blevins.
Ian is then hitchhiking his way up the A1 to Digital, Newcastle where Jaunt and Wax:On are presenting a We Love Bank Holiday Special. Joining him at the controls is Tensnake, making a very welcome return to the We Love fold after his much eulogised debut set at Space last summer. Innervisions honcho Dixon brings a touch of Berlin to the North East of England while Nina Kravitz brings a touch of the underground. Adding the final We Love… flavours, PBR Streetgang are swapping the Space Terrace for Digital’s only slightly less balearic Terrace. Completing the lineup a whole host of Jaunt and Wax:On residents will be trying to show that locals know best.
WE LOVE… EASTER SATURDAY 23rd APRIL – MINISTRY OF SOUND – LONDON
SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO
FELIX (HOT CHIP) DJ SET
MOWGLI
ALEX NIGGEMANN
IAN BLEVINS
BICEP TICKETS HERE
WE LOVE… EASTER SUNDAY 24th APRIL – PRESENTED BY JAUNT AND WAX:ON AT DIGITAL – NEWCASTLE
TENSNAKE
DIXON
NINA KRAVITZ
IAN BLEVINS
PBR STREETGANG
PEOPLE GET REAL
BLACKHALL & BOOKLESS
RICHARD ROWELL
TOM RANKIN
LIAM VANCE TICKETS HERE.
Innovative web startup Be@tv was at our NYD show at Ministry in London. There’s three fixed camera angles you can switch between, a bit like directing your own youtube video. It’s good fun. Footage and sounds from James Zabiela, Joris Voorn and Simian Mobile Disco, here.
Traditionally New Year’s Eve serves as a time for reflecting on the year gone by, but also as a chance to look ahead at what’s yet to come. For We Love… this sentiment could not be more true. With a double header of parties over the Hogmanay weekend, in Leeds on New Year’s Eve and London on New Year’s Day, we have invited some of our favourite guests from the summer parties here in Ibiza to kick start our winter activities.
We Love... Leeds
For New Year’s Eve we have teamed up with local party starters Asylum and BacktoBasics for some acid house festivities at Stinky’s Peep House. Headlining the event the Radio One’ “in new djs we trust” and Get Physical heroine Heidi will be bringing her Terrace sounds to the slightly less Balearic vibes of the West Yorkshire Pennines. Having wowed us at Space this summer it’s a pleasure to bring Heidi to this overseas event. Let’s see how her sound translates from the hallowed Space Terraza to the infamous Basics basement. The rest of the main room’s activities will be overseen by We Love… resident Jem Haynes who can’t celebrate too hard as it’s off down to London the day after where he’s bringing his label Loop Recordings to the Ministry of Sound second room. Adding the Basics touch, Buckley will be making his return to the We Love… fold after a 3 year hiatus.
The middle floor of Stinky’s will be taken over by Local lads Burnski, Tristan Da Chuna, James Holroyd Jon Woodall and Frenchy who have proven themselves countless times and are sure to celebrate in style.
Orchestrating proceedings will be PBR Streetgang; having slipped so gracefully into their role as Terrace residents this summer, it is only thanks to their help that we can put this party together. Asylum has been a Leeds institution for over seven years and we cant think of a nicer set of folk to bring in the new year with. Joining PBR Streetgang in the top room will be disco boogie doyen Greg Wilson, something not to be missed. And we are now pleased to announce the special late addition of Kitchen Sink Disco king Jamie Fatneck.
Then its off to bed, or perhaps not, before jumping on the train, plane or automobile and heading down to London and the Ministry of Sound.
We Love... London
If we are to believe the Mayans, then come New Year’s day we only have one year left to live. What better way to start the year then, than with three of our standout summer residents stacking up in the Ministry Of Sound main room? James Zabiela,Simian Mobile Disco and Joris Voorn have all excelled on the Terrace and in the Discoteca this summer but this is the first time we’ve managed to get them all playing in the same room. Expect a masterclass in house, techno and technical wizardry.
The 103 bar plays host to We Love residents Mat Playford and Jem Haynes along with his Loop Recordings partners Ian C and Martin ‘Smut‘ Wood. Over the summer Mat and Jem went beyond the call of duty at our summer home Space and away on our international events, proving why they are the most in-demand touring residents on the We Love roster. Jem’s closing Terrace set on the night of Spain’s World Cup victory was one of our summer highlights and Mat’s impromptu warm up for Groove Armada at Ministry impressed so much he’s been called back for each and every tour since. This will also serve as a jumping off point for the infant Loop Recordings, the brain child of Jem, Ian and Martin. Having introduced their label to Ibiza on the Sunset Terrace this summer where all three performed side by side, it’s now time for London to see what they have to offer.
