Search dance music

Review: Legend has it that David Bowie was so lost in a vortex of cocaine and ego during the making of this record to such a degree that he now can't remember anything about its creation at all. Typically of the Dame though, in the midst of all this madness he created a masterpiece, and arguably his greatest album of all. With a hint of the funk of influence of 'Young Americans', yet filtered through a glacial European sensibility, it's a genre-transcending tour-de-force of boundless scope and imperious swagger. Forty-one years on, this record still sounds like the future.

Review: A Divine Symmetry is the new compilation of demos and rarities from David Bowie's Hunky Dory days, providing an alternative take on the pop chameleon's 1970s long-haired, flared heyday. This is hippie Bowie in full lo-fi glory, as you've never seen or heard him before. A mixture of alternative versions and demos, this is selective compared to the X4 CD set but still a new look at one of the most fiercely examined artists about.

Review: What can really be said about David Bowie that hasn't already been said about David Bowie? Throwing caution to the wind, let's try this: The Man Who Fell To Earth wasn't just a musical titan and visionary. He belonged to a small club of artists who could never be satisfied simply releasing good music. Nor was the fact they influenced generation after generation reason to rest on laurels.

Instead, along with the likes of Bjork and Massive Attack, Bowie created entire worlds for his work to exist in. Places we step into through portals and lose ourselves exploring. Records, movies, artwork, fashion, videos, books, these different mediums combine to offer a universe waiting to be found. Transition: On Air 1967-1971, a series of radio appearances, offers an extended opportunity to spend time in the formative days of that galaxy-building.

Review: 1995 saw the unlikely pairing of David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails playing together in a live setting, as part of the latter's 'Self Destruct Touring Cycle' - this arm being the Dissonance tour. Bowie was celebrating his then-latest album 'Outside', while NIN were still reeling from the roaring fallout success of 'The Downward Spiral'. This new 180-gram LP version consists of a picture disc with fitting spiky red lettering, straddling the typographic connotations of both Ziggy Stardust and Trent Rezor. The recordings themselves are remastered and greatly-enhanced versions of the original KLLT-FM and Syndicated radio broadcasts, documenting two live appearances at the Riverport (MO) and Shoreline (CA) Amphitheatres. Be sure not to skimp on timeless restylings of 'Hallo Spaceboy' and 'Hurt', each artist lending strange charisma to each other's masterworks.

Review: Never mind 100-strong limited white copies of 'Blackstar'. Here's live gem for all the Bowie collectors hell-bent on documenting the extent of this stardust-trailing rock visionary's career. 'Live In Rio 1990' documents Bowie's live show at Praca da Apoteose, Rio de Janeiro, on 20th September 1990. Part of the seven month 'Sound + Vision' tour, this grainy moment in time captures Bowie towards the end of an extensive back-and-forth journey across the Atlantic. Colossal hits like 'Space Oddity', 'Sound And Vision' and 'Fame' neatly frame the lulling period before his next major album, 1993's 'Black Tie White Noise'.

Review: Parlophone are embarking on a mammoth Bowie reissue campaign. 'Black Tie White Noise' marked the beginning of his '90s era, and saw him reunite with Let's Dance co-producer and writer Nile Roders (Chic) as well as the guitarist for Ziggy Stardust, Mick Ronson. Dreamy and art-rocky, this album might be described as Bowie's loungiest. It's best suited for steamy cocaine nights in stopover penthousesl croony drawler funk for the Bowie-Boeing business class.

Review: Parlophone are embarking on a mammoth Bowie reissue campaign. 'Outside' was another artifact of the artist's "industrial" '90s era. Unlike 'Earthling', it segwayed neatly between techno and dreamy art rock. For example: the self-titled track is a meditation on time via reverb-drenched band instrumentation, but is suddenly augmented by sampled breakbeats at the halfway mark. 'We Prick You' is similarly industrial, mumbly and weird, yet also just as catchy; this is Bowie's ode to outsider music, made in a weird spate of recording sessions wherein the artist vowed to commit a series of "art crimes".

Review: Parlophone are embarking on a mammoth Bowie reissue campaign. 'Hours', from 1997, followed up the industrial epic 'Earthling', and its front cover quite literally depicts Bowie laying a prior incarnation of himself to rest, like a regenerated Doctor Who. Unlike the dour and grim soundscapes portrayed in his earlier albums from the era, this one brings with it a soft ambient pop sound, nighly sounding like something between J-pop, Lamb and Smith And Mighty. It's certainly Bowie's most atmospheric and trip-hoppy album, and rightly features acoustic backings, Mellotron, and angelic vocals from Holly Palmer.

Review: David Bowie's seminal 1972 album, chronicling the rise and fall of his lightning-quiffed alter-ago Ziggy Stardust, celebrates its 50th Anniversary on the day of its release. Not one but two new versions of the album hit the horizon, pitted side by side. One comes in the form of a half-speed remaster, and the other in the form of a picture disc.

Review: This special 50th Anniversary Edition of the late great David Bowie's soundtrack to his iconic Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars show comes on double gold vinyl for the first time since it was originally recorded. Despite Ziggy being Bowie's most loved alter ego, he retired it much to the chagrin of fans (and band members, who had no idea it was coming) live on stage at London's Hammersmith Odeon. The farewell speech he gave is included here along with a medley of 'The Jean Genie'/'Love Me Do' and 'Round And Round' featuring Jeff Beck and plenty of other Bowie classics from that era. A real moment of rock 'n' roll history, then.

Review: It almost (almost) feels pointless to pitch why you should buy Moonage Daydream. After all, David Bowie was one of the 20th Century's best selling and most influential artists. And that legacy continued through the early-21st, when he represented an increasingly rare breed of visionary artist capable of building entire worlds. He straddled mainstream popularity and experimentalism with ease. So, you're probably going to pick up a copy of this on sight and spec alone.
Nevertheless, some context may help. 'Moonage Daydream' is, of course, the title of one of Bowie's most enigmatic and defining tracks, which would go on to form the basis for the concept album The Rise & Fall Of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars. Now it's also the name of a new documentary about the life and times, and incredible work, of the man in question. In terms of soundtrack, that translates as two discs of rare and iconic material, from 'The Jean Genie/Love Me Do/The Jean Genie' medley (recorded at the final date of the Ziggy tour in 1973), to alternative mixes of tracks like 'Modern Love'.

Review: From the peak of David Bowie's glam era, here's one of the all-time greatest albums which is, quite simply, beyond iconic. From the cover photography to every single tune, this is bedded in the popular consciousness like few other records, and so of course it deserves a monumental tribute 50 years after its initial release. All the classics are here from 'Panic In Detroit' to 'The Jean Genie', pressed up on a brand new picture disc which will be an essential purchase for all Bowie collectors and devotees to score, even if they know the album inside and out already.

Review: From the peak of David Bowie's glam era, here's one of the all-time greatest albums which is, quite simply, beyond iconic. From the cover photography to every single tune, this is bedded in the popular consciousness like few other records, and so of course it deserves a monumental tribute 50 years after its initial release. All the classics are here from 'Panic In Detroit' to 'The Jean Genie', pressed up as a half-speed remastered edition which will be an essential purchase for all Bowie collectors and devotees, even if they know the album inside and out already.

Review: David Bowie's Diamond Dogs is a seminal album in his career, released in 1974 amid the glam rock era. The album plunges into a dystopian world, with Bowie adopting the persona of Halloween Jack, a feral survivor in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Songs like 'Rebel Rebel' and 'Diamond Dogs' capture the album's raw energy and cynicism, while '1984' reflects Bowie's fascination with George Orwell's novel. Diamond Dogs remains a very important record to Bowie's artistic vision and musical prowess. While many remember the album as the transition period between Ziggy Stardust and The Thin White Duke, the music is equally as memorable. Its themes of alienation, rebellion, and survival continue to resonate with listeners today, making this anniversary edition a valuable addition to any Bowie fan's collection.

Review: Sony records is celebrating 50 years in music in 2024 and coincidentally, Diamond Dogs by David Bowie is also sharing that same timeline. Considered by many, to be the last album released of his glam rock period after disbanding his backup band The Spiders From Mars. With his career direction in some question and longtime guitarist Mick Ronson gone, you have arguably one of the interesting studio albums of his career. Led by the hit 'Rebel Rebel', the album marked a turn for Bowie's songwriting having been inspired by a recent interview he did for Rolling Stone with WIlliam S Burroughs. An admirer of Burroughs' working methods and his 1964 novel Nova Express, Bowie revealed he had begun using Burroughs's "cut-up" technique as a way for inspiration. Ultimately, Diamond Dogs is most important for being the transition point from Ziggy Stardust to the Thin White Duke which catapulted Bowie's success in the United States. While only having one modest hit from the album, Diamond Dogs was still a big success. In hindsight, it would also help establish David Bowie as an artist where fans wanted to hear his entire work and not just a single's worth and to Bowie, that showed that his personality was winning over his audience and that his new direction was a good choice.

Review: David Bowie's Rock 'n' Roll Star! chronicles the boy from Bromley's transformative journey that culminated in his Ziggy Stardust masterpiece. Spanning from February 1971 to the recording of 1972's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, this compilation presents 14 rare and previously unreleased tracks that trace Bowie's artistic metamorphosis. From early Ziggy Session takes to alternative versions and outtakes, this vinyl release offers an intimate glimpse into Bowie's creative process. Each track reveals a different facet of the artist, from the proto-glam of 'Hang On To Yourself' to the soaring balladry of 'Holy Holy.' The album culminates with two iconic performances: an energetic Top Of The Pops rendition of 'Starman' and an alternative version of 'John, I'm Only Dancing' that showcases Bowie's diverse musical talents. Mastered at half-speed, this black vinyl LP provides an immersive and nuanced listening experience.

Review: "I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring," David Bowie famously quipped at his 50th Birthday concert in Madison Square Garden. That was 1997, and sadly we can now look back at the years between then and now as the last the icon would enjoy, although given the pantheons of unreleased material, music and other, we still have more than his legacy alone to learn from. He certainly kept his word, then, not least by opting to work with Trent Reznor and Nine Inch Nails, a band that found inspiration in myriad styles and sounds, from Human League to Pink Floyd, carving out a 'industrial electronic rock' niche for themselves. In addition to tours and one-off shows, recordings of their collaborations are remarkable, generating fresh wholes from the enormous sums of these parts.

Review: This is one of the very many classic David Bowie broadcasts out there. It was recorded on his Hours tour to support his 21st studio album of the same name, and was the last he did for the EMI sub-label. It was the first full album to be made available by a major artist for full internet download, a full two weeks before the physical release. The album makes use of many instruments and took Bowie away from electronica. Guitarist Page Hamilton played in the tour as did Mark Plati on lead and rhythm guitars, Gail Ann Dorsey on bass guitar, Sterling Campbell on drums, and Mike Garson on keyboards. This set was recorded in December 1999 at the London Astoria for FM broadcast.