The official video for Nero's Me and You has today been broadcast on YouTube. I like the route Nero are taking with their videos, it suits the electronic music they make. Innocence took inspiration from anime, and now Me and You is all about retro gaming.
This video reminds me a lot of my first console - The Sega Mega Drive. I will never forget the hours of fun I had on that console, it was revolutionary for me. Gaming has come a long way since then, but being able to look back on fond memories is always good and that's what I love about this video.
The song itself is strong, using the electronic guitars and the dubstep beat - it's a winning combination for me. Nero have always samples female vocals well, and that is the same case here. It's the sort of track that will stay in your head for a long time. Nero are clearly leaving 2010 with a bang, and as today they were announced in the BBC's list "Sound of 2011", we can only expect bigger things in the new year.
Today, the BBC have released their annual list of musical talent to look out for in the new year, so I thought I would share my pick of the 15 named on that list.
If you're able to work with Gorillaz, you know you're doing something right. This guy's got a great voice, and I really like the song. His image is pretty out there (like any good artist!) and 2011 will be a very important year for him. It will be interesting to see who else he collaborates with, and what he can produce on his own.
This is one of the hottest tracks of the moment. I'd first heard of James Blake when a friend played me CMYK - A garage like track using female vocal samples, well worth a listen! The video above is more harmonic, using the piano to give a more classical element to the song. James Blake is a genius, and fully deserves to be in the Sound of 2011 list. I'm really looking forward to see what he has to offer us in the new year.
I've used a Burial remix to demonstrate this guy's talent, as it is one of my favourite songs. Just listen to the man's voice, it's suits Burial's dark vibe. His singing is so sincere that you truly believe every word he is saying, and it makes the song feel really emotional. The video above was added nearly three years ago, so Jamie Woon has been around for a while. I'm really glad that he's started to break through by appearing in the Sound of 2011 list.
In high contrast to all of the above, dubstep producers Nero. In a way, I was surprised to see Nero in this list. In my mind they are massive and have been around for years. I wasn't sure which Nero track to share as they have made many classics, they are one of my favourite artists! I decided to go for an older track of theirs, This Way. It's an original track, one of my favourites, and shows what they are about. I feel that 2010 has been a huge year for them, so if the BBC think that 2011 is their year, we can expect a hell of a lot.
The full list of artists from the BBC's Sound of 2011 can be found here.
Nero have come out with a remix of NERD's collaboration with Daft Punk, Hypnotize You.
I'm a huge fan of Pharrell's voice, and the sample is used well on this track. Nero are one of the pioneers of what I would call "liquid dubstep" and this one's a bit of a floor filler.
