Introducing Ells, the musical project of Swedish singer/songwriter Isabell Westerlund.
Powerful lyrics of urgency are surrounded by circles of slow driven synths, as Ells begs someone to close those half opened doors that should have been closed long ago.
Sounds like: Broods, Alpines, Kate Bush, Banks, Highasakite, Låpsley
Highasakite
These guys must be as high as kites at the moment, following some fantastic reviews of recent releases, ‘Golden Ticket’ and ‘Someone Who’ll Get It’.
Giving us a snippet of their pre-show rituals, Highasakite have shared with us their pre-show playlist.
Enjoy!
The Knife – ‘Silent Shout’
A masterpiece of a song, love the vintage drum-machine and synths, and the vocal effect is dope!
Purity Ring – ‘Obedear’
Like getting sucked down into a dark hole where you get a glimpse of light here and there. Love this band!
FKA Twigs – ‘Water Me’
Beautiful vocal sampling, and the video is amazing too!
Grimes – ‘Dream Fortress’
Violin from another world! So moody and beautiful.
Like The Movie – ‘Cruel Thing’
My little electronic side project. Started working with this when I produced all of the electronic drums for the new
Highasakite album.
Purity Ring – ‘Amenamy (Jon Hopkins Remix)’
Love Jon Hopkins, and Purity Ring… so, this is just perfect!
Highasakite- ‘Golden Ticket’
Our new single, felt like it could fit on this playlist!
Justin Bieber – ‘Where Are Ü Now’
Can´t help it, this is just so cool! Fantastic production by Skrillex and Diplo!
Gordi – ‘Can We Work It Out’
Gordi joined us on our UK tour in May, and you should check it out!!
Emilie Nicolas – ‘Pstereo’
One of the best voices from Norway, and this song must be one of the best pop songs from Norway.
Björk – ‘Hyperballad’
What to say, this is so beautiful! The mix between electronic and acoustic instruments pushing the song forward with Björk’s vocals swimming on top.
Die Antwoord – ‘Ugly Boy’
Some people hate this, we love it!
Sounds like: The Knife, Lykke Li, Kate Boy, MØ, Raindear, Sóley
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Highasakite
Highasakite return with ‘Golden Ticket’.
The track opens with “God, if you’re still watching” – a premise lifted from Gunvor Hofmo’s post-World War II poem, ‘Det er ingen hverdag mer’ [translation: there’s no more every day], or as vocalist Ingrid Helene Håvik describes it: “Norway’s funeral blues”.
“It’s a very famous verse, and was used a lot around the time of the Norwegian terrorist attacks [Oslo and Utøya, 2011],” she explains. “The song is very much about escapism, both escaping yourself and the world; just wanting to get high and get out, basically” – a surprising foundation, given the track’s uplifting and undeniable pop sensibilities.
Tour Dates
18 MAY 2016 | THE GREAT ESCAPE (UK)
22 MAY 2016 | WHELAN’S, DUBLIN (IE)
23 MAY 2016 | DEAF INSTITUTE, MANCHESTER (UK)
24 MAY 2016 | VILLAGE UNDERGROUND, LONDON (UK)
26 MAY 2016 | PARADISO UPSTAIRS, AMSTERDAM (NL)
18 JUNE 2016 | BERGENFEST, BERGEN (NO)
24 JUNE 2016 | HURRICANE FESTIVAL, SCHEESSEL (DE)
25 JUNE 2016 | SOUTHSIDE FESTIVAL, NEUHAUSEN OB ECK (DE)
28 JUNE | GLEIS 22, MÚNSTER (DE)
29 JUNE 2016 | BI NUU, BERLIN (DE)
30 JUNE 2016 | BRÅVALLA FESTIVAL, NORRKOPING (SE)
1 JULY 2016 | ROSKILDE FESTIVAL (DK)
17 JULY 2016 | LATITUDE FESTIVAL (UK)
30 JULY 2016 | TROLLROCK, BEITOSTØLEN (NO)
12 AUGUST 2016 | ØYAFESTIVALEN, OSLO (NO)
19 AUGUST 2016 | PSTEREO, TRONDHEIM (NO)
20 AUGUST 2016 | PARKENFESTIVALEN, BODØ (NO)
Their album, ‘Camp Echo’, is set for release on 20 May via Propeller Recordings and can be pre-ordered on iTunes now.
Sounds like: Lykke Li, Kate Boy, MØ, Raindear, Sóley
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Highasakite
A beautifully dark electro track from Highasakite deserves an equally as brooding video.
The new video for ‘Someone Who’ll Get It’ features vocalist Ingrid Helene Håvik at her vulnerable and ferocious best.
Speaking of the video, Håvik says: “I worked with a production team called Helmet Films & Visual Effects. I explained what kind of mood I wanted things to be in – I wanted it to be gritty, but still elegant. Then they told me you’re gonna dance, you’re gonna sing, and there’s going to be oil coming out of your nose and body, and then, you’ll eventually drown in it.
“I had always wanted to have pole dancing in the video, but I think at first, I thought it would be done in a trashier way. It wasn’t until I started taking pole-dancing classes [in August] that I realised how beautiful it was as a form of movement and expression, and also the skill required – it’s really hard! I’m glad the video doesn’t have that typical ‘pole-dancing, stripper’ vibe to it, as I didn’t want to empower that stigma in any way.”
‘Camp Echo’ is set for release on 20 May via Propeller Recordings and can be pre-ordered on iTunes now.
Sounds like: Lykke Li, Kate Boy, MØ
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