Entertainment – Anton Dee

18th June 2016 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration // Summer Tunes

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Decided to take a distinct summery route for my latest playlists. With Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, British Summertime Festival and Boomtown coming up it's time to come out of hibernation. It's time to replace the decidedly cold winter playlists with something brighter. So put on some headphones or just kick your feet up and enjoy!

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SOUND DIVISION 009 SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST

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FEATURED ARTIST

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Oliver Schories has a knack for producing some great feel good tracks so I thought it'd be a shame not to include him in this months playlist. On my recent trip to Amsterdam I pretty much had this album on repeat as each listen gave me a new favourite tune.

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STANDOUT ALBUM

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The German trio that includes Apparat and Modeselektor have sadly called it a day with their final album III. One of their mix albums 'Things To Be Frickled' still holds a dear place in my heart so anything these guys put out is bound to be gold.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

LAST.FM // SOUNDCLOUD // GOOGLE MUSIC

Published by antondee in DVSN Updates, Entertainment, Lifestyle

23rd May 2016 — No Comments

The Ultimate Aural Orgasm

Music really does make the world go round and it would be a pretty grey place without it. I never shy away from trying new things and everyone should give new music genres a go, don't always stick to the tried and tested. My first ever gig was Rammstein in Nottingham when I was 15 and although I'm no longer a huge fan of rock music that initial experience holds a dear place in my heart. Since I moved to London all night raves seem to have overtaken evenings during which you simply see a band and enjoy the live performance but even this trend is starting to shift:

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ShyFX at ArcelorMittal Orbit

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london olympic park

My friend Jeremy (Funster) works at Mixmag which is a fantastic publication that covers clubs and the world of dance music. When he invited me to see Shy FX, Skream and others spin at the top of ArcelorMittal Orbit I simply couldn't say no. Although it stands out like a sore thumb in the middle of Stratford’s Olypic Park the entire area has become somewhat of a tourist hotspot since it's redevelopment for the 2012 Olympic Games.

I had no idea that The Orbit had a couple of large rooms offering panoramic views across the Docklands as well as overhanging walkways should you get bored of looking through a glass window. It was great to let loose and rediscover my love for jungle and drum & bass music. Jeremy was of course ever present with his air horn and managed to get everyone to throw out all sensibilities and really enjoy the night.

london olympic park

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The ArcelorMittal Orbit is the UK’s tallest sculpture. Standing 114.5 metres tall, this towering structure was created by Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond.

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The magnificent looping structure of the ArcelorMittal Orbit is an iconic symbol of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and its design has grown on my with subsequent visits.

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Jamie XX

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The Brixton Academy has become an iconic venue in my eyes as over the years I've seen bands such as The Prodigy, War on Drugs, Massive Attack (below) and Kings of Leon perform here and each one brought something special to the table. This time it was the turn of Jamie XX whose current rise to stardom is eclipsing that of his original project The XX.

After releasing a number of songs I would consider classic (Far Nearer / Beat For) Jamie was approached by XL label head Richard Russell to remix Scott-Heron's 2010 studio album I'm New Here. He worked on the album while touring with his band The xx in 2010 and occasionally communicated with Scott-Heron through letters for his approval to rework certain material. The album was a monumental success and reached maximum exposure when 'I'll Take Care of U' was remixed further by Drake and Rihanna for their iconic pop hit 'Take Care'.

On the night the light show based on his new 'In Colour' album played a huge part while Jamie's song selection was nearing on immaculate. He played a mix of his own singles such as 'Gosh' and 'Sleep Sound', underground house classics as well as a personal favourite 'Weak Become Heroes' by The Streets. I honestly cannot wait to see where he goes next.

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Massive Attack

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Massive Attack is one of those bands you've heard of since forever but can never quite put your finger on it. Over the years movies and adverts ruined their iconic 'Teardrop' for me although hearing it live for the first time brought back all those initial emotions I associated with it.

Their involvement with industry heavyweights such as DJ Shadow and UNKLE is hard to ignore while their contribution to trip-hop in general is unparalleled. The gig was bubbling with energy as the ensemble performed hits from their extensive discography while a huge board showing messages about the world economy, Syrian refugees and even Facebook tried to divert our attention.

Again the Brixton Academy proved to be a perfect venue as the downward sloping floors provided a fantastic view wherever you were stood and the acoustics amplified songs such as 'Angel' to a level I didn't think was possible. To see who's playing at the Brixton Academy in the near future please click HERE.

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If you enjoyed this post make sure to share it with your friends using the links below and check out my latest photography post where I explore the iconic Canary Wharf. As always stay classy and if you wish to be featured in one of my next roundups please contact anton@thestyledivision.com or tag your post with #styledivision

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Published by antondee in DVSN Updates, Entertainment, Events, Lifestyle

28th March 2016 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection // March 2016

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I was listening to futurist and filmmaker Jason Silva recently and he talked about how with the invention of mp3 players and the current trend of cloud streaming services such as Google Music we're literally creating a soundtrack to our own lives. Think about it next time you're on a stroll somewhere and try playing different genres and see what kinds of thoughts pop into your head.

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MARCH 2015 SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST

The Soundcloud playlist this month is filled with more electronic goodness from Bearcubs, a new ambient favourite Grandyzer and a few other gems of chill thrown in. See if you can find them!

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FEATURED ARTIST

I've always shied away from techno music as for some absurd reason I thought it was the same as hardstyle. Boy was I wrong. Scuba has impressed me in the past with a sublime ambient track Before (After) which is somewhat reminiscent of Aphex Twin and he's only picked up the tempo in his latest albums.

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STANDOUT ALBUM

I first heard the song 'Haunting' during one of Sasha's mixes last year and fell in love with the sublime nature of the track. Before long the Nulla EP from Nuage became a regular and although it only contains 6 tracks, each one is crafted so meticulously I find a new favourite with each listen.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

LAST.FM // SOUNDCLOUD // GOOGLE MUSIC

Published by antondee in DVSN Updates, Entertainment, Lifestyle

6th October 2015 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection 08 (October 2015 Playlist)

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I have been listening to a lot of future garage recently which is a genre born out of dubstep and softer elements from 2-step garage. In my eyes the pioneer for this type of electronic music has been Burial whose first two albums 'Burial' and 'Untrue' still hold a special place in my heart and are a rare breed of electronic albums that need to be experienced in full. Preferably in a dark room.

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OCTOBER 2015 SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST

The Soundcloud playlist is further filled with future garage and downtempo gems from Subsets, Sorrow, and my personal favourite - a mashup of Vybz Kartel and suicideyear that uses two songs that I never thought would go well together.

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FEATURED ARTIST

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STANDOUT ALBUM

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Out of nowhere the two talented bros from Disclosure have released a follow up to their amazing debut album 'Settle', which again is filled with some ridiculous collaborations from Lorde, Sam Smith and even my favourite find of the last few years - The Weeknd.

I decided to change the album at the last minute as over the past few days I've literally had nothing else playing over my headphones. 'Little Figurines' from Irrelevant was released in 2013 under the Kokeshi label and perfectly epitomises that underground sound that future garage should be about.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

LAST.FM // SOUNDCLOUD

Published by antondee in Entertainment

11th September 2015 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection 07 (September 2015 Playlist)

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It's been a total surprise but these playlists are becoming incredibly popular considering the nature of the blog. I'm still undecided as to which platform is better for music discovery as now Bandcamp has entered the mix with a number of exclusive labels such as Dream Catalogue. This months playlist is again on the mellow side featuring artists such as Slow Magic and Yppah

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SEPTEMBER 2015 SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST

The ever reliable Souncloud always produces a few surprises and recent releases by labels such as Anjunabeats and Sasha's Last Night on Earth show that electronic music is far from over. This months Soundcloud playlist features tracks by the late Manu Shrine, downtempo demi-god Phaeleh and a Style Division favourite - Great Skies.

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FEATURED ARTIST

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STANDOUT ALBUM

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For anyone that knows me I listen to a lot of music. If you think that's an exaggeration have a look at my LAST.FM profile, which is why this section is the hardest to decide by far. Ultimately I decided on a compilation album by Maribou State as it serves as a great introduction to the band and The Weeknd's new 'Beauty Behind the Madness' album is to break sales records.

I first heard about The Weeknd a couple of years ago through his single 'Initiation' (produced by DROPXLIFE) and have been a fan ever since. If you like MJ with a dirty twist then this album is for you.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

LAST.FM // SOUNDCLOUD

Published by antondee in Entertainment

25th August 2015 — No Comments

Sea Dance Festival, Montenegro

It was my birthday last month and as 25 is considered a pretty important number I wanted to go somewhere I've never been before. Up steps Montenegro which isn't the first place you think of when booking a holiday but my word did it deliver.

We decided to fly out for the Sea Dance Festival which is held in Budva along the famous Jaz beach. Building on last years success and held straight after it's sister festival Exit in Serbia, Sea Dance impressed me by it's location and the frankly ridiculous lineup which would keep us occupied over the course of the week.

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SEA DANCE - PRODIGY ON THE BEACH

I'm a huge fan of The Prodigy and I have to attest that you're not a true fan until you've seen this band play live. The atmosphere and energy is unparalleled to any other live show (except perhaps Remmstein) and football flares were set off all over the place within minutes of the first song.

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The above video should give you a taste of what we experienced so if you ever get the chance to see this iconic band live make sure you snap at the chance. Apart from The Prodigy there were other bands there to enhance the experience. Flight Facilities, Bondax, Odesza, Star Slinger and James Zabiela all bossed the Dance Paradise stage which was located directly on Jaz Beach.

You no longer have to decide between watching your favourite acts and sunbathing. By combining the fun and taking advantage of the prices one can have a truly unforgettable time at a fraction of the cost.

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https://open.spotify.com/user/styledivision/playlist/71MjyxsIfy53RLepaEro9q

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To get a taste of the music I have put together a Sea Dance 2015 playlist which is full of liquid funk, electronic and house music so make sure to give it a listen.

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BUDVA RIVIERA

Unfortunately my phone got water damage and I lost all the photos and videos I was saving up to share with you guys. My 'on to the next one' mentality prevailed and I no longer feel aggrieved by something that in all honesty was a total accident.

Our group managed to snap a few fantastic photos of the Budva Riviera (Budvanska Rivijera) which we found during an after rave trek through the surrounding hills. There's something sobering about the entire location and when you go from blasting beats to literally no noise at all it's very easy to switch off.

Budvanska Rivijera

And that's exactly what you need from a holiday, a place to switch off and take stock of your current situation. Everyones experiences will differ but I found Budva in Montenegro to be a very fun and easy going place with possibly the nicest people I have ever met (I do not say that lightly).

The town of Budva was also surprisingly picturesque and historic so of course there's another photo journal post coming up in the future 🙂

If you're interested in learning more about Sea Dance festival make sure you visit their website and start planning your trip for July 2016. See you there!

sea dance budva riviera

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SEA DANCE FESTIVAL STYLEGRAM

Make sure to check out my latest post Exploring Camden - PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNAL 06 and follow Style Division to keep up to date.

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Published by antondee in Entertainment, Lifestyle

9th August 2015 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection 06 (August 2015 Playlist)

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So a few months ago I decided to grab myself a Google Chromecast and one of the offers bundled in with it was a 3 month trial of Google's new service Google Music. Not to be outdone by Spotify, Google Music offers reliable cloud storage for all your files as well as a responsive interface that suits any Android device. Making the switch to the cloud was not an easy one as you're never 100% sure who owns the music and you're tied in to a monthly subscription.

After troublesome migration attempts all my music is now uploaded into the cloud and it's given me the freedom to enjoy my huge (30,000+) collection on the go. Here are just some of the tracks I've enjoyed recently, amongst them a new Jamie XX tune and several house tracks from the infamous DJ-Kicks series.

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August 2015 Soundcloud Playlist

Even Google / Spotify cannot compete with Soundcloud for it's underground and lesser known dance tracks. If you're a fan of future garage, house music or chillout this next playlist is for you. Featuring some new songs from Dusky, Ill Blu and old favourites Submerse.

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CAUGHT MY EAR

I discovered a whole new subset of music called Vaporwave which is a mix between new age dance music and chillwave. It's a little bit hard to describe but this growing genre is being pioneered by labels such as Dream Catalogue.

The artists themselves use symbols and unique characters in their song names which makes them impossible to find using normal means such as YouTube or search engines. If you like the Cocainejesus video above make sure to check out 「fluence」and 『Drip Drop』as they have a unique sound that has left me with quite an impression.

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Back with a bang this summer are the two talented brothers from Disclosure. Having seen them at last years Parklife in Manchester and Secret Garden Party the year before, I can attest that these guys are the real deal. Their production quality is above and beyond what is expected in dance music and the hits keep on piling up.

Holding On was released in May just in time for festival season and already received major airplay. After hearing it at Wireless last month it cemented it as one of my favourite tunes this summer.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

Last.fm // Soundcloud

Published by antondee in Entertainment

29th June 2015 — No Comments

Kanye West at Glastonbury 2015

The world famous Glastonbury festival finished yesterday and as the performance reviews and inevitable campsite horror stories roll in throughout the blogosphere I thought Kanye's headlining debut deserved a bit more attention.

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Let me emphasise how insane it must feel to go in front of the biggest crowd of your life, completely alone, and own the stage. One thing you can expect from a Kanye concert is that he'll put on a show and in this aspect he didn't disappoint.

It's not just about the music, it's about the lights, the atmosphere, a certain level of crowd involvement and for the first 1/3 of the performance they were all on point. Some of the recent, more brutal tracks such as Black Skinhead and Clique seemed perfectly crafted for the stage allowing Kanye's on stage presence to shine through.

The reason for this post was more of an appreciation for the stage and lights team as they really put on a hell of a visual show. I remember seeing Kanye West back at Global Gathering in 2008 during his 'Glow In The Dark Tour' and you could tell that whoever worked with Kanye was hand picked specifically for the live shows.

This two hour headline performance portray Kanye as someone who has a very specific vision of what they and their art is about and he will convey his way without any exceptions or compromises. He's far too down the road to play it safe.

If you wish to view the full set and experience classics such as 'Can't Tell Me Nothin' and 'All of The Lights' performed in a new light (excuse the pun) then visit this GOOGLE DRIVE link or play it directly on BBC IPLAYER

kanye west glastonbury 2015 lights photography bbc wallpaper-2

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Make sure to check out Exploring Camden - PHOTOGRAPHY JOURNAL 06 for my latest post and follow Style Division to keep up to date.

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Published by antondee in Creative Blog, Entertainment

24th June 2015 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection 05 (June 2015 Playlist)

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I hope you're all having a wonderful summer and in case you're still having trouble getting up in the morning I've put together another one of my meticulously researched playlists. The Top 10 Summer Tunes article will be posted next week, just in time for festival season.

In the meantime this months playlist contains is all about electronica, starting out quite slowly but getting heavier as the playlist goes on. I'm becoming a huge fan of future garage which I can only describe as 'mellow dubstep'. Make sure you check out Volor Flex and Incomer to hear what I'm talking about.

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June 2015 Soundcloud Playlist

Again Spotify is letting me down with their music selection. I've actually started migrating my OCD library from iTunes to Google Music so over the coming months I will be testing to see how well Google playlists work on Style Division. If you only have time to listen to one song make sure to check out Spies on Bikes - Long Walks and Recorded Talks as it's a pure happy song with an awesome sample of Woody Allens' 'Midnight in Paris'.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

Last.fm // Soundcloud

Published by antondee in Entertainment

24th May 2015 — No Comments

Audio Inspiration Collection 04 (May 2015 Playlist)

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[column] Summer is nearly upon us and I have a great article coming up with my all time Top 10 summer tunes but in the meantime here are some tracks I discovered recently that I know you're going to love.

This months playlist contains a fair amount of dream pop and future garage but I start things off easy with 'Sober' from Childish Gambino. His latest EP STN MTN can be downloaded for free and I urge you all to do so. If you're into hip-hop the opening track 'Dream / Southern Hospitality / Partna Dem' is sure to blow you away. [/column]

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May 2015 Soundcloud Playlist

As much as I love Spotify their collection of lesser known tracks and remixes leaves a lot to be desired. Thankfully we still have Soundcloud, the perfect avenue for an indie artist. If I had to pick just one track from this months playlist it would be 'Lost Here' from my new favourite artist - Synkro. Give it a whirl.

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Let me know if you've discovered a new favourite by leaving a comment below or tweeting @StyleDivision. And here are some links if you wish to keep up to date:

Last.fm // Soundcloud

Published by antondee in Entertainment

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