Category Archives: Info

Update from Galaxians: May 2021

Happy May!

We’d like to say thanks for all the continued support we’ve received over the past year. We hope we never take our privileged position as music-makers for granted and hope we can repay some of the love when we’re back on stage, playing for you.

Speaking of which, we’re excited to report that last week we had our first full rehearsal in over 14 months, and it feels good to be looking forward with a renewed energy.

On that note, we are now booking live dates from mid-September onwards. Keep an eye on our website and socials over the coming months for more news on that. For booking enquiries, recommendations (promoters/venues/festivals etc) or general chat, feel free to drop us a line.

Friday 7th May will be another Bandcamp Friday. In recent months we’ve shared the names of some artists and bands we’ve been supporting, and we would love to hear your recommendations, too. We LOVE hearing new sounds, from all genres.

If you haven’t checked in with us for a while, we released our second album Chemical Reaction on double vinyl and download in June 2020, to some really lovely reviews. We were lucky enough to work with dancer and choreographer Darren Pritchard from Manchester’s renowned House of Ghetto on the video for the title track, which you can watch here:

Following that, we also announced a new range of tees featuring a design by multi-disciplinary artist Rosie Rackham, which we titled ‘Vogue Metropolis’.

Alongside those, we have very limited vinyl copies of our 2017 album Let The Rhythm In, which comes in a 180g double vinyl gatefold package for the reduced price of £15.00.

We’re excited to tell you that we will have at least one new release in 2022, so look out for further news on that.

Love.
GALAXIANS

Update from Galaxians: March 2021

Hello friends!

Spring is here and we wish you well.

Thanks to everyone who has supported us on Bandcamp so far in 2021. It means the world to us!

We hope your outlook is starting to feel a little brighter. Whilst we won’t be announcing rescheduled shows just yet, we can see a time in the not too distant future when we will share a space and a moment, and dance together.

Bandcamp Friday is approaching.

On Friday 5th March, every artist selling their music and merch on Bandcamp will receive 100% of all sales.

Like many artists, we rely on a busy annual schedule of live performances and merch sales taken at shows to generate income. The amazing support we have received on Bandcamp Fridays and over the past twelve months has helped replace some of that lost income.

A few albums we’d like to recommend you check out:

AUTOMATIC – Signal
SUDAN ARCHIVES – Athena
PLEASURE POOL – Night Scars
GRAMME – Disco Lovers
MADMADMAD – Proper Music
NEW FRIES – Is The Idea Of US
SWEEPING PROMISES – Hunger For A Way Out
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Green Door Store Studio Compilation
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Hot Concept Records’ Hot Compilation Vol 1
TWIN GALAXXIES – Imminent Reversal

In other news, we’re excited to announce that we will be hosting a new monthly radio show called Juicy Fruit on Manchester’s new community radio station, Ripe Radio.

Tune in at 5pm every last Saturday of the month for that, and check out the other great shows already happening!

LOVE,
GLXNS

Update from Galaxians: January 2021

Hello friends,

Well wishes to you wherever you are.

Far from being a break from the grim reality of 2020, 2021 seems to have started as an out-of-the-frying-pan-into-the-fire scenario for a lot of people. We really hope that you are coping okay and getting whatever support you need. Speaking for ourselves, music’s importance has never been greater to us than in the present.

As you might be aware, one of the results of Brexit is that UK bands, particularly those at our level, will no longer be able to afford to tour Europe. As it stands, UK artists touring Europe will now need to pay for work permits, ATA Carnets (£360), EORI numbers to sell merchandise and much more.

This is devastating news for bands like us. Touring is freedom and liberation. It offers us the chance to meet new people and forge new friendships. It gives bands like us the opportunity to try and reach new audiences and to break down borders and barriers in a way that only music can. Music unites us in a way that politicians and bureaucrats never can.

We have written to our local MP Rachel Reeves to ask her to put pressure on the UK government to enter into urgent negotiations with the EU regarding the introduction of a Musician’s Passport; a reciprocal, free, work permit-free, carnet-free, EU-wide touring arrangement that covers musicians and crew.

If you would like to show support and write to your local MP you can copy and paste this email template from the Musicians Union.


In other news, Bandcamp Fridays are back in 2021 and we’ll be doing our bit to support other bands and artists on the 5th of February. We released a new album Chemical Reaction on double vinyl and download in June 2020. We also have a range of new tees available, featuring a design by artist Rosie Rackham.

You can find all of these on our Bandcamp.

Love & peace.
GLXNS

NEW! Galaxians ‘Vogue Metropolis’ Tee by Rosie Rackham

Limited edition Gildan 100% preshrunk heavy cotton shirt, with screen-printed design by artist Rosie Rackham, available on Bandcamp NOW!!

Available in shirt colours BLACK (white ink) and WHITE (black ink), sizes:

  • S – 34/36″
  • M – 38/40″
  • L – 42/44″
  • XL – 46/48″

Rosie Rackham is an interdisciplinary designer and graduate of Leeds Arts University. In 2020 she was one of two graduating students shortlisted for the first online Global Design Graduate Show, organised by leading launch platform for emerging creatives, ARTSTHREAD and i-D in collaboration with Gucci.

We were inspired to contact Rosie after seeing her ‘Music Connects People’ design for MAP Charity. We love Rosie’s concept-led bold and graphic style which uses botanical, geometric and figurative forms to explore interpersonal and environmental relationships.

Check out Rosie’s work here on her Instagram.
Email: rosierackham@gmail.com 

Photographer: Tim Dunk
Models: Echo, Jakku, Abi, Evelina, Liam
Tees printed by Awesome Merchandise

NEW ALBUM ‘CHEMICAL REACTION’ AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW

GALAXIANS
Chemical Reaction
New album out 26.06.20 (in stores ASAP)

Double vinyl and download available to pre-order now on Bandcamp.

Track list:

AI Chemical Reaction
AII Fight For Love
BI Not The Money
BII Don’t Need U
CI Heartbreaker
CII Horizon
DI Work It Out
DII Heat Of The City

Personnel:

Emma Mason – voice & lyrics
Jed Skinner – Synthesizers & programming
Matt Woodward – acoustic drums, programming & lyrics

Additional Musicians:

Jon Nash – guitar
Sam Bell – percussion
Liam Kane – bass guitar

Recorded between 2018 and 2020 by Ross Halden at Hohm Studio. Mastering by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters, Los Angeles.

Technical:

Synthesizers:

Roland JX-3P
Yamaha DX7
Roland D-50
Korg M1
Nord Electro 2

Drum machines:

Roland TR-707 drum machine
Roland TR-808 (samples)
Linn LM1 (samples)

Effects:

Korg SE-300 Stage Echo (tape delay machine)
Deltalab Effectron II
Evans Echopet
Yamaha SPX90
Lexicon PCM70
Lexicon PCM60
Alesis Midiverb II
Boss Chorus CE-2

Tape:

Otari MX5050 1/2″

The album’s production was part-funded through Help Musicians UK’s Do it Differently fund. Ongoing support for the album has also been provided by Music: Leeds and Scott Lewis from Temple Management and Clue Records.

MUSIC: LEEDS LAUNCHPAD PANEL – EMMA ANNOUNCED AS ONE OF SEVERAL GUEST SPEAKERS

Music:Leeds Launchpad Panel was scheduled to be the opening discussion at their Launchpad Conference on 28th March – and they have now decided to move this talk online, stream it live, for free, at 7 pm on Wednesday 8th April through their Facebook & YouTube pages.

The panel is hosted by Emily Pilbeam (BBC Music Introducing, Pilbeam Presents) and features four artists who were selected from their Launchpad Open Call in 2019. The panellists have also benefited from a wide range of support from other organisations and funders including Jazz North, Black Music Festival, Help Musicians, PRS Foundation and Arts Council England.

Panellists:
Emma Mason (Galaxians)
Jemma Freese (freese trio, DOMI, J Frisco)
Armani Anderson-Hamilton (Marnz)
Lins Wilson (Magick Mountain, Music:Leeds)

The artists will discuss the paths they have taken to get to where they are now, how they approached applying for support and how they’ve developed over the last year.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/239203800556003/

20 Life-affirming Club Records For Your Isolation Party

So here we are. Welcome to the new decade!

The world has suddenly become an even weirder place. You’re at home and in isolation. You miss the club, you miss the community, you miss the social and physical contact of other human beings. You miss THE PARTY. What are you going to do?

In these surreal times there are two things we can all rely on to provide life-affirming energy. Music and dancing.

We would like to present to you a selection of club classics, dancefloor heaters, and straight-up bangers to help you through the long hours.

1. Loose Joints – Is It All Over My Face (Female Vocal) (Larry Levan Remix) (West End 1980)

Loose is right. One of the great things about Arthur Russell’s disco songs is that they feel more like jams. Everything sounds so organic, so loose and effortless that you feel like you’re eavesdropping on the best studio session ever. You’re right there, hearing the ideas form and feeling the feeling between the players. Arthur was a nightmare for record labels as he couldn’t work to deadlines or really finish a piece of music, but therein lies the beauty. It’s the sketches that show the thought processes and the initial forming of shapes and colours. Add Arthur’s cello and what you have is a genuinely unique sound.

2. Liquid Liquid – Optimo (Optimo Remix) (Domino 2008)

Pleasing in so many ways. Firstly, Optimo’s remix makes up for the original version’s scant running time. Secondly, what I really like about this version is that while it’s pretty faithful to the original it feels nicely positioned in clubbier territory. The treatment is subtle and considered. It also hits harder in some ways, not least because the drums sound like they’ve been tweaked to give a more pumping vibe. The additional reverb-drenched trumpet melody gives it an early PigBag / Maximum Joy vibe, which seems entirely appropriate.

3. Diana Ross – Love Hangover (Tamla Motown 1976)

“I don’t want a cure for this”. Me neither, Diana. If only actual hangovers sounded like this though. I’d like first to give massive props to my fellow bandmate Emma for introducing me to this song, for which I will be eternally grateful. It’s an undeniably beautiful composition and arrangement. The break (just listen to those hi-hats), tempo change and flawless groove really tug the soul in the way only classic-era disco songs can.

4. Terr – Energy Sync (Club Mix) (Phantasy Sound 2019)

A peak-hour banger from Brazilian-born, Berlin-based DJ Daniela Caldellas on Erol Alkan’s London imprint Phantasy Sound. A blend of electro and disco with a classic sound, it’s an ecstatic dancefloor monster full of sensual energy and built around a heartfelt and vulnerable refrain. The perfect tune for a dark, sweaty club somewhere in the heart of Kreuzberg.

5. North End – Kind Of Life (Kind Of Love) (West End 1979)

Proof that, contrary to what mainstream documentaries about disco would have us believe, disco was definitely NOT dead by 1979. It simply went back underground. I first heard snippets of this mega-soulful Arthur Baker tune in the documentary The Godfather of Disco: Mel Cheren, and pretty much had to go out and buy it straight away (well, a reissue of it). It’s the kind of tune that never fails when and wherever I play it in a set.  It’s the epitomy of the life-affirming disco anthem.

6. Luke Vibert – Yeah (Afro Acid 2018)

I picked up a vinyl copy of this RSD 2018 release at Musicland in Budapest on a cold January afternoon in 2019. This one is definitely a standout, my other favourite being Gary Gamble’s Acid Icon. It’s just a vibin’, nasty, wobbly acid banger.

7. James White And The Blacks – Contort Yourself (August Darnell Remix) (ZE Records 2003)

A match made in heaven. James White’s (now James Chance) New York no wave scratchy funk classic given the four-to-the-floor disco treatment by August Darnell (more famously known for fronting Kid Creole And The Coconuts), with Bob Blank on production credits. I remember myself and a pal both losing our minds the first time we heard this in a club. An old band of mine was lucky enough to support James Chance And Les Contortions above a sushi bar in Manchester around 15 years ago. Be sure to check out the original version too.

8. Kerri Chandler – Bar A Thym (Nite Grooves 2005)

A recent revelation for me, thanks to my DJ partner The Boogie Monster, and I must give great thanks because it’s now one of my favourites. It’s one of those absolutely unrelenting deep, dark, hypnotic Chandler bangers you can’t stop yourself dancing to. It’s just such a tight groove and doesn’t give in until you are losing yourself on the dancefloor. It’s a bit like the Terminator only more fun. The cowbell pattern and that little syncopated rhythmic turnaround every four bars – GOD DAMN.

9. Radiance Featuring Andrea Stone – You’re My Number 1 (Are ‘n Be Records 1983)

This M&M (Morales & Munzibai) mix of Radiance’s New York boogie classic is, for me, a benchmark of the genre, and is one of my favourite post-disco club records of all time. For the uninitiated, boogie is a sub-genre characterized by its more r&b-tinged, slower grooves and it’s use of both acoustic and traditional rock instruments (live drums, bass guitar), and drum machines and synthesizers. As much as I love Andrea Stone’s vocal it’s all about the bass line and drum loop, which are so satisfying I’d be happy just listening to those two parts on repeat.

10. Lazywax – Santa Catarina (Lazywax 2020)

One of the comments on You Tube says “this song makes me want to quit my job and buy a yacht”. Well, quite. Lazywax is the project of DJs Hans Müller & Wolfgang Schneider and this is my favourite release so far on their self-titled imprint. Just waiting for a vinyl release which, under current circumstances, could be a long way off. Anyway, it’s a breezy, chunky, disco bomb with a playful Latin feel and some really solid production. The ascending synth part that begins in the breakdown sounds very reminiscent of Daft Punk’s Crescendolls.

11. Marquis Hawkes – Sunset (Houndstooth 2018)

Equally as potent played at sunset or sunrise, this release on Fabric Records’ Houndstooth imprint was definitely one of my favourite dance albums of 2018, with this being one of two standout tracks (the other being We Should Be Free). In my humble opinion deep house can sometimes be a sub-genre full of generic and forgetable music, but this has just the right vibe and balance for me. It’s soulful, swinging, and summery.

12. The Units – High Pressure Days (Rory Phillips Remix) (Relish 2009)

San Francisco trio The Units were part of the city’s synthpunk movement that emerged during the early 1980s and which borrowed heavily from genres such as Krautrock, no wave and punk, replacing guitars with synthesizers. Other notable acts from this movement include The Screamers and Suicide. I actually like this Rory Phillips rework more than the original and it’s one of those records people always ask about when you play it in a set.

13. Omni Featuring Connee Draper – Out Of My Hands (Long Version) (Fountain 1981)

The original version of a song later re-released in 1987 as a Frankie Knuckles-produced rework by Unfinished Business. Not sure which version I prefer but the original has a less-produced disco/boogie feel and sound, with the rework having a more kick-heavy polished kind of vibe going on. Either way, it’s a pure Chicago banger with a great bass line and a pounding drum track.

14. Mosca – Bax (Numbers 2011)

Ah, UK garage. A much-maligned genre these days. I admit that this is one of only three UK garage records I own, but I’m completely unashamed in my love for it. I wouldn’t say it’s a typical Mosca record as he seems to hop across different styles quite a lot, but it’s still my favourite song of his. The swung hi-hat pattern, the classic wub-wub bass line, the occasional syncopation which breaks from the 2 and 4 backbeat are, for me, the defining parts of this tune. And all talk aside, it just totally slays in the club.

15. The Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles (Prophecy 1973)

Quite simply unfuckablewith (or unfuckwithable if you prefer) soulful funky magic from 1973. A record I can listen to any time of the day or night. Originally hailing from Compton LA, the Jackson Sisters recorded just one self-titled album for Tiger Lily in 1976. This was their most successful song and it’s easy to see why. It’s just one of those records one never tires of, from the funky in-the-pocket groove to the beautiful vocals. If this song doesn’t move your heart and soul, well, you’re probably dead.

16. Jodeci – Freek’N You (MK Dub) (ZAC 1995)

A peak-hour house monster that just bangs hard. I have very happy memories of playing this one at the last Anthology Brewery rave back in February this year, when the world felt almost normal (whatever that means!). It always brings whistles, whoops and smiles from everyone in the room. Fair to say it’s the sassiest tune on this list?

17. Prince – 17 Days (Zach Witness Version) (Purple Witness 2019)

Anyone who knows me knows how much I adore Prince. I remember how excited I was at age 14 somehow getting into the Regent cinema in Redcar to see Purple Rain. That film and album made such a huge impression on me and his death affected me greatly. Anyway, here’s a stomping rework of a pre-Purple Rain song, which I wouldn’t have necessarily thought I would love as much as I do, but then what’s not to love? It’s a beautiful gospel-influenced vocal put to a disco beat and a reverb-drenched conga pattern. Bingo.

18. Alisha – All Night Passion (Jordan Nocturne Edit) (Nocturne 2019)

Tune alert! Alisha was a Brooklyn-born singer who had three albums on Vanguard, RCA and MCA between 1985 and 1990. I don’t often say this but this recent JN edit improves on the original through some considered tweaks to both the production and arrangement. The beefed-up drums and synth bass really drive the tune and give the composition a tighter, tougher feel than the original.  Either way, it’s just a great tune with that unmistakable early 1980s New York electro/boogie sound I love so much. It could easily be an early Madonna song.

19. Happy Mondays – WFL (Wrote For Luck) (Vince Clarke Remix) (Elektra 1988)

Whilst I’m not really a massive HM fan by any means, I do love this tune and remix. It will forever have a place in my heart because it triggers happy memories of sixth form college and summers spent messing around and getting drunk with good pals in the North Yorkshire countryside.

20. M’Bamina – Kilowi Kilowi (JD Twitch Edit) (A7 Edits 2019)

M’Bamina’s 1982 cut ‘Kilowi-Kilowi’ gets the JD Twitch treatment on London / Paris label Africa Seven. What you get from this considered rework by one half of the much-loved Glasgow label and DJ duo Optimo is an understated, laid-back disco groove . M’Bamina (meaning Lightning) was a band from Italy made up of musicians from Congo, Benin and Cameroon.