Ben Cardew4-Hero are jungle legendsNot many musicians can claim to have been at the heart of a new style of music, still fewer to be integral to two; and basically only…Aug 9Aug 9
Ben CardewPet Shop Boys’ Relentless excursions into 90s dance(Just a word to say that I wrote this at the start of September 2023, when Relentless hadn’t yet been re-released. It’s not quite so lost…Jul 19Jul 19
Ben CardewPeggy Gou’s I Hear You: not under, not over…. just… ground?As one of the first electronic music genres to emerge, house music has wandered far from its Chicago roots. There are, of course, still…Jun 6Jun 6
Ben CardewMystical solace: Broadcast’s Spell Blanket reviewedBroadcast were one of the last great musical mysteries, a band that came to light before social media hit, from unfashionable Birmingham…May 3May 3
Ben CardewHappy 20th birthday poptimism UK, love Girls AloudWhile American journalists tie themselves up in knots about the whys and wherefores of poptimism, in the UK the tipping point for the…May 1May 1
Ben CardewTodd Terry is the most underrated man in house musicIn the long list of underrated house music pioneers, New York’s Todd Terry might be the most underrated of all.Apr 5Apr 5
Ben CardewBroadcast’s demos, Broadcast’s demons: a fragile treasure trove(NB: I wrote this piece in October 2023 before the news of the two Broadcast demo albums, Spell Blanket and Distant Call, was announced…Mar 21Mar 21
Ben CardewDimitri from Paris’ Sacrebleu — or French Touch versus French HouseWhat is French Touch? Is it French house music built around filters and samples? Or is it music made by a certain generation of French…Mar 21Mar 21
Ben CardewRecord collection rave: Burial’s Dreamfear reviewedAmong the scraps of information to have emerged from the few Burial interviews to date is that Will Bevan is an electronic music fanboy. On…Feb 8Feb 8
Ben CardewGo DJ! — DJ Zinc, Bingo Beats and ceaseless innovationDJ Zinc has long been the joker in the jungle pack. Not the most technical producer, bearer of the heaviest beats, best song writer or…Feb 2Feb 2
