The internet is a wonderful place to discover music, but nothing can replace the moment you first see an artist live – either they’ve got something or they haven’t. I consider both of the performers we’re presenting this month to be two of the most gifted emerging live artists in the UK if not further afield. Tawiah we’ve been supporting for a long time, since her debut EP “In Jodi’s Bedroom” made a real impact on the independent scene. Since then she’s written an album we can expect to hear later this year, but before that there is some incredible new music arriving imminently – which you will get to hear live for the very first time at this edition of PMOI Live. Mahalia is a young singer songwriter from Leicester I’ve had the pleasure of working with and watching grow (at an alarming rate) over the past year. Every time I speak to her she’s written a clutch of great new songs about her experiences – always honest, original and catchy. A naturally gifted performer who comes from a musical background, watching her sing her music live is inspiring and exciting. Our resident DJs Eric Lau and Marshmello will be on duty with an eclectic selection that will make you miss the last tube…

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Whilst we finish editing the videos I can’t wait for you to see, here’s a selection of photos from our last event. It was really exciting to catch two completely different artists right before they both undoubtedly make significant waves on the festival circuit later this year.

L.A. Salami is a poet at heart who can’t switch it off (just try asking how he is if you’re up for an existential journey), and his performance was both thought provoking and inspiring. Valentina is one of those artists who commits every part of themselves to the moment, her soundcheck left me in tears and you could hear a pin drop during her stunning performance of “Gabriel”. As always, Marshmello played an extremely juicy and eclectic and DJ set, and special guest Budgie kept us on the floor when the lights came up with rare groove, rare soul, and a whole bunch of other rare stuff.

A huge thank you to our photographer Wayne Thomas, see the full selection on our Facebook page.

View the full selection on our Facebook page.

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After our test run in December at our new home The Old Queens Head, we’re excited to announce a regular live monthly night, bringing PUT ME ON IT to life and presenting the most exciting emerging artists we can find. The first session is on Wednesday February 13th, with Valentina, a singer songwriter I’ve been writing about since early 2011. Her debut EP “Weights” is stunning, and you’ve probably heard “Gabriel” the Joe Goddard song she featured on. L.A. Salami I came across when he supported Lianne LaHavas a year ago, and have been a fan of ever since. On DJ duties we have Budgie (Livin Proof / Honest Johns) and Marshmello (NTS / 7s Unda The Stairs / Two Timers).

L.A. Salami – “Day To Day” from Another Lazy Sunday on Vimeo.

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They say you shouldn’t make a Youtube video more than four minutes long. They also say you shouldn’t book experimental jazz (or whatever you call this) on a Saturday night. As you can see I don’t care what they say.

Hello Skinny is an album and group created by producer Tom Skinner, who has played drums for [insert name of artist you love here], in this instance joined by producer in his own right Crewdson, and revered sax player / flautist Finn Peters. It was such an honour to have them perform at what was a really exciting test run for PUT ME ON IT LIVE at The Old Queens Head on 22nd December 2012 (I can now announce it will be a regular monthly event), alongside London’s finest DJs Eric Lau, Marshmello, Kidkanevil, Kutmah and Josey Rebelle.  If you didn’t make it – most of London had gone home for Christmas – please enjoy the video by Just Compositions, and photography by Wayne Thomas.

Extra special thanks to co-producer Elles Belles , Jack Prideaux, Mitra, the PRS Foundation and everyone else who lent a hand or came down.

The next event is Feb 13th 2013 with LA Salami, Valentina, Budgie and Marshmello.

See the full set of photos on the PMOI Facebook page

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Photo by Angie Smith

Mew – Introducing Palace Players
This song blew me away the first time I heard it.
It was just so fresh and different. The rhythm has almost an off-kilter wonkee feel,
but it’s live, and super tight. both musically and artistically they are a group I look up to a lot. And they are Danish!

Superheroes – Someone Else
We are staying in Denmark with multi-instrumentalist, singer and composer
Thomas Troelsen’s band Superheroes, which is still one of my all time fave bands.
This song reminds me of being 20 years old thinking that if I could create something as honest as that I would be a happy man.

Zombies – Tell Her No
I’m in love with lead singer Colin Bluntstone’s voice. A beautiful heartfelt song. Listened a lot to their arrangements and instrumentation.

John Martyn – Solid Air
Such a beautiful sentiment and feel to this song. Its like he is gliding and flowing
on top of the song with his voice. The theme, lyrics and music fit perfectly together.
He is one of the few artists whose albums I can have on repeat for hours and hours.

Grizzlybear – Cheerleader
I have tremendous respect for this band. I really like their sound and aesthetic. Great arrangements and compositions. I listen a lot to their records for inspiration.

Thomas Dybdahl – From Grace
This song has a special place in my heart. makes me very emotional when I hear it. Its so pure and honest, and it reminds of my early twenties.

Thom Yorke – Eraser
I like Radiohead, but when I heard his solo record, I was blown away. I thought it was such a fresh approach to modern electronic music. Almost as if he solved how to place real singer/songwriters in experimental contemporary music. It was a huge inspiration for me musically.

Sebastien Tellier – Roche
He is an artist I’m really into. I love his aesthetic and musicality. This song is a perfect example of a lot of different styles mashed together in perfect harmony.

Washed Out – Feel It All Around
This song was such a breath of fresh air, and I remember thinking, that it was so good to hear someone making a real strong song on top of 80s samples and beats. It had that lo fi sound that fitted his voice and aesthetic really well too.

El Perro Del Mar – Change of Heart
Another Scandinavian! Great song, production and arrangement. I love that EP this was on. I listened to it over and over.

Ohio Players – Ecstasy
This group is one of my all time favorites. The musicality is stellar, and there is so much pure emotion in their vocals. Junie Morrison that is singing Lead on this track is an artist and songwriter that I’ve researched a lot.

Marvin Gaye – Symphony
I could have picked a lot of songs from Marvin, but I went with this one, that was never released while he was alive. Smokey Robinson wrote it.
Its just one of those songs where everything connects with me, the topic, the music and the melody. Marvin is my all time singer. I never get tired of listening to him. If anybody knows
of a voice like Mr.Gaye’s, please contact me!

Ennio Morricone – Chi Mai
This composer is a someone that I always have in my thoughts when writing and arranging music. He has a special place in my heart. He scored so many amazing movies that I grew up with and i love everything about him. Everything is so heartfelt and emotional, which is what I always want my music to accomplish first and foremost.

George Duke – Faces in Reflection
This song is my ultimate chord progression song! I love that it’s always moving somewhere, and how he uses his voice as an instrument. That inspired me a lot in how you can use your voice in alternative ways.

Bobby Womack – I’m In Love
It feels like no matter what he sings it’s just pure emotion. I love his delivery and feel. so special.

Michael Jackson – Liberian Girl
Couldn’t do a list without including my favorite artist of all time. He has a special place in my heart. I grew up with him and im still a huge fan.

Prince – Beautiful Ones
A special song from a very special artist.
I got to meet him recently and party at his house, and I have tremendous respect for his musicianship and artistry. He is another artist I grew up with and I still follow.

Pharrell – Take It Off
Love his solo album, especially the songs he sings on, and a teenage dream was fulfilled when I got to work with him earlier this year. He has shaped my music, and had a huge impact in modern pop music.

R.Kelly ft Tyrese, Robin Thicke, The Dream – Pregnant
We are ending this mix with my no.1 guilty pleasure. He is an amazing singer and composer, and this song is just pure butter.

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Yes, Kimchi, as in the delicious Korean fermented cabbage dish. No one can accuse Tanya Auclair of a lack of songwriting originality. This beautiful piece is actually a new song she brought out specially for the glorious day that was In The Woods Festival 2012. I am reliably informed that Tanya is writing her debut album and working with a very exciting producer, so this little video nugget is the closest we’ll get to hearing it for a while. This video is probably also the closest we will ever get to a video of Tanya featuring booty shots – oh yes camera man I see you.

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It’s been almost a year since I first mentioned Kwabena Adjepong, and from what I hear (still relatively little) he is in the process of writing and recording some original material. I can only imagine having to be objective when confronted with such an obscenely beautiful voice – he could quite literally sing the phone book and move me to tears. The song above is the most recent of a couple now up on his Youtube channel, and it certainly sounds as though he’s aiming himself firmly at beautiful.

It’s hard not to anticipate the almost inevitable part-compliment, part- music journo withering insult “throwback soul” being thrown in Kwabs’ direction (unless Disclosure produce him, which would be depressing, have you heard Sam Smith singing “Latch” accompanied by strings and piano?? At least 20,000 of those views were me, legs crossed à la Urban Hang Suite. ).

The exciting thing is that this slightly snide description seems to have done very little harm to Lianne La Havas and Michael Kiwanuka, and there is an ever growing interest in (let’s face it), black singer songwriters with that rich, stirring and yes, soulful tone to their voices that was so deeply uncool for so many years in this country. I have high hopes that frustrating argument *it’s ok for Adele and Amy but not [insert person with significantly more melanin here]* may be peacefully laid to rest by the end of 2013 – for how long, who knows.

Another burgeoning singer songwriter with a beautiful, soulful tone I’ve been listening to of late is Jacob Banks. It’s perhaps a little unfair to combine his music in the same post as Kwabs because it may lead to comparison, when really the point is how spoiled we are to have voices like these emerging in the UK and being heard. Banks has just released “The Monologue” EP on Soundcloud, and I get the impression that much like Laura Mvula, his music will be more resonant live than recorded. This cover is genuinely lovely, especially considering the sea of slightly desperate, almost mandatory “quirky cover” Youtube fodder my inbox is drowning in presently.

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L.A. Salami has written an upbeat anthem that perfectly describes the incredibly depressing financial situation though culturally very rich times much of my generation live in. If you’re not a lyrics person this song could sound rather throwaway, but I maintain that L.A. Salami is a talented poet with Bob Dylan tendencies (yep, he plays harmonica and writes about depressing shit, in a good way). I would love to know how he got such fabulous dance performances out of his fellow dancers in this video. They look like 9 year olds high on Haribo – truly the finest kind of dancing there is.

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Rowdy Superstar is a force of nature. Most artists when asked to perform a live session grab their band, rather than assembling Eska and a small choir to perform an acappella version of their single. In a week. I love this version of “Breathe”, one of the real stand out tracks from Rowdy’s debut album “Battery”. The layers of voices punctuate the underlying emotion the original production doesn’t make so immediately obvious, Rowdy sounds heartfelt and passionate yet plaintive, and the body percussion really drives the intensity of the situation home. Beautiful.

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PUT ME ON IT AT OLD QUEENS HEAD, SATURDAY 22nd DECEMBER 2012 (8pm-2am)

Hello Skinny (Live) // Kidkanevil // Josey Rebelle // Eric Lau // Marshmello

OLD QUEENS HEAD , 44 Essex Road, Angel, N1 8LN

£5 limited advance tickets/  (£7 on the door); Advance tickets: https://putmeonit.ticketbud.com/xmasparty

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