ClubRees is (Le) Cool

So we've made it into edgy London bible, Le Cool! Read the most recent issue here, or alternatively, read on:

Club Rees
Ex-colleague Seb is a City style guru. Hailing from Ilkley but having studied at the Sorbonne he had an instant je ne sais quoi baht ‘at (that’s Yorkshire French). Anyway, I have followed with interest the progress of the night he likes to call, Club Rees: club of every electro-indie disciple’s dreams at The Fly. What music can we expect, I ask him. ‘Anything I’ve picked up in Pure Groove Records or off my bedroom floor two hours before the set,’ he tells me. Does Club Rees have a signature tune? ‘Vuitton Blues by The Laurel Collective, to which all members dance on beer crates at the end of every night.’ Check the venue’s listings and you won’t see Club Rees mentioned. Is Seb bullshitting us? Well, all I’ll say is try whispering the name on the door, see what happens. / Delaina Haslam

Songs of Brilliance #9

Friendly Fires - Paris

It's been awhile since the last update, but we've been busy travelling, moving house and variously causing mayhem. Paris is certainly a ClubRees hotspot, and I feel it's hight time we got a gig there - this song sums up my love for that city, and also serves as a delicious hors-d'oeuvre for the absolutely essential Friendly Fires album. Écoutez et Répétez - Les Friendly Fires va sauver le monde!

Songs of Brilliance #8

Grace Jones - La Vie en Rose

This song is one of my absolute favourites, and seeing her perform it at Bestival was one of the highlights of the festival, if not the entire year! She is a crazy Amazonian Goddess and this cover of Edith Piaf's celebrated classic deserves both a relisten and more spins at a club near you - hear it early at Club Rees next time we're on...

Songs of Brilliance #7

Pulp - Disco 2000

An oldie but a goodie, with an intro that is guaranteed to bring back memories from the good old 90s. Jarvis cocker has always been on of my heroes, and this song represents some of his finest and most partylicious work. We may have a concept involving an element of 90s theme coming up, so watch this space...

Songs of Brilliance #6

Lykke Li - Little Bit

Another pop gem from Sweden, in the vein of the brilliant and frankly criminally overlooked songstress, Annie. Li is a recent darling of one of my daily fixes, DrownedinSound, and her brand of minimal, electronic pop is absolutely brilliant - perfect for wandering around in the greyness of August. We've yet to drop this on the ClubRees crowd, but I reckon it could be firm favourite over the next few weeks - it's definitely got potential...

Songs of Brilliance #5

While Erol Alkan may like to finish many a night with There Is a Light That Never Goes Out, us here at ClubRees HQ like to do things slightly different. Slightly more modern, if you will.

That is why 'Vuitton Blues' by the Laurel Collective frequently concludes our night. It is a song that allows people to stand on beer crates and wave their arms about. Surely, surely, there is no better way for a club night to finish.

It is a song. It is brilliant. It is a song of brilliance.

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amkPRZX_kxg

Songs of Brilliance #4

Jamie Lidell - Another Day
Sometimes you just need a song that brings instant happiness. This is it. Opening with birdsong and a beautiful set of melodic chords, whiteboy Soul supremo Lidell is guaranteed to brighten up your day, even if you spent the entire last day in a field in East London wearing a cagoule and listening to minimal techno and nu-folk.

Songs of Brilliance #3

Shadows - Midnight Juggernauts

This song has been cropping up for quite a while now (I first heard it on the Cut Copy Fabriclive 29 CD), but these guys are about to break through on a wave of Antipodean love. Sure to be a song of the summer, this slice of disco-tinged electro has a beat to kill for and a breakdown to be killed for. They also put on a brilliant show at Latitude, which made me love them all the more. Listen at your peril, for it will be lodged in your head for days...

Songs of Brilliance #2

MGMT - Time to Pretend

This song made me cry at Brussels train station after the absolute limb-throwing carnage that was Rock Werchter. An electronic bassline that catchy, and lyrics so ridiculously festival/goodtime can only be a VERY good thing...

Songs of Brilliance #1

Estelle - American Boy
Yes: Music Television still exists!
Yes: The Top 40 Singles Chart still exists!
Yes: Physical CD singles still exist!
And when the brilliance achieved is as glossy, catchily-sampled, beat-led, KanYe-featuring and downright brilliantly feelgood as this, we praise them.
All hail that charts!