New trailer for our live show from the chaps at Butch Auntie, and a tribute to the ace crowds we get to play with!

Festival season seems to start earlier and earlier each year, and this year is no exception, so we’re proud to announce that Eric will be kicking off the season with a DJ set at Paaspop near Schijndel in the Netherlands on Saturday 7th April.

Eric’s playing as part of the “Mashup Bastards” team on Saturday night, just past Midnight at the Thunderbolt stage, with DJ Morgoth, DJ Schmolli and our host MadMixMustang also doing sets over the weekend.

Can’t think of a better start to the (extended) summer, really!

Not sure this is what Peaches & Herb had in mind – A couple of quick musical amusements for you that I just couldn’t resist, reuniting cover versions with their original vocals. Possibly the start of an off-and-on series, if I can find any more that sound good…

First up, a bunch of 80s new wavers get pulled into the Afrobeat revival:

And secondly, imagining how a certain soul legend might have sounded if he’d decamped to Jamaica instead of Belgium (From YouTube, as Soundcloud took it down!):

Hope you enjoy! – If you know of any other covers you think may be worthy of the treatment, feel free to let me know…

Well, maybe! I’m going to be DJing here and there in London over the next while, questing for a good place to establish a London residency (or two). The plan being, once a good place and crowd is found, to start inviting a few friends and inspirations down to do guest spots. Should be fun, no?

First place for a hat drop will be The Luxe in Spitalfields THIS FRIDAY (9th March). (You may know The Luxe better by it’s previous name, Spitz, I do, having played there a couple of times in the past). Can’t really want for a better location, being right in the thick of the Spitalfields / Shoreditch / Brick Lane axis.

It’s FREE and runs 7pm-1am ish, so you can come early and rinse out the grind of the working week, or come late and use it as a launchpad for further adventures. Looking forward to having the space to stretch out musically and try out a variety of new and old things, so there’s also an opportunity for you to come down and represent your preference, and help shape the direction I take…

Be great to see you! :)

Haven’t had a Videotone for a while, and here’s a new doozy! Marcus Round sends “Black Medicine” spiraling out into the stratosphere! Full screen a must with this one… it’s lovely.

Direct Download: MP3 or FLAC

Back with HC13! The unlucky one? Well, I hope not. Just as well I’m not superstitious, isn’t it?

That said, there’s definitely a thread here that I can’t explain in a sentence or two. Which is why it’s a mix, and not an essay. Feel free to try and explain it, it would help me out…!

Everything’s had a bit of a snip, naturally, however the ones titled as edits differ more significantly from the originals in terms of arrangement… I may make them available individually for your own mixing usage – if you want any one in particular let me know :)

01 Flux – The Value Of Nothing (Kleptones ‘I See What You Did There’ Edit)
02 African Head Charge – Unplanned
03 Wally Badarou – Mambo
04 Brian Eno – Ali Click (Rural ‘Doo Gap’ Mix – Kleptones ‘Brianless’ Edit)
05 Thompson Twins – Nurse Shark
06 The The – Soul Mining (Kleptones ‘Lost Johnson’ Edit)
07 Blancmange – Feel Me (Kleptones ‘Feel The Count’ Edit)
08 XTC – It’s Nearly Africa (Kleptones remake/remodel of Apiento Edit)
09 Mental Remedy – Heartbeat Inside Of The African Womb (Outro Rhythm)
10 Keith LeBlanc / Tackhead – Mechanical Movements Dub
11 Daniele Baldelli – Cosmic Parsley
12 Thomas Leer – Saving Grace
13 The Three Johns – Downhearted Blues (Kleptones ‘The Fourth John’ Edit)
14 Fad Gadget – State Of The Nation
15 Pink Skull – u.g.uo.aaaahhhh
16 Bohannon – Summertime Groove (Kleptones ‘Nearly No-Bo’ Edit)
17 Shriekback – My Spine (Is The Bassline)
18 Cabaret Voltaire – Sensoria (Kleptones ‘No Plink Plonk’ Edit)
19 New Fast Automatic Daffodils – Big
20 Buzzcocks – Money

Additional riffs and beats from Nitzer Ebb, John Martyn, Grace Jones, Queen, Eurythmics, Peter Gabriel, Vera, Said Mrad and Throbbing Gristle.

Thanks to Grant Martin for the CD source of “Soul Mining” (My vinyl’s past it, sadly…) and Apiento for the idea on “Nearly Africa”. Coincidentally, his version has just been reposted here.

Hope the listening is as much fun as the making was.

…but when you’re in the midst of demoing new things and a pairing like this comes along on 14th Feb (about three hours ago to be precise)… well, you’ve got to do it, haven’t you?

Yes, it’s very silly.

No, the next album won’t sound anything like this.

I hope.

Happy chocolates and flowers day!

Happy new year to you lot. Yes, we have been quiet. Yes, the album is coming soon. More about all that in a bit, though…

On to more important things, it goes without saying that kleptones.com will be on SOPA / PIPA strike tomorrow. It’s unlikely any of you would have heard *note one* from us if such laws had existed six or seven years ago. Regardless of where you are in the world, your freedom of speech and right to a fair trial are worth fighting for and protecting, both online *and* offline :) x

Hey all, hope the season is finding you well! The English summer is now in full effect, which means sunglasses and wellies are de riguer for the next couple of months, as per usual…

We’re hoping for a little more of that sun and less of the welly on Saturday 3rd September, as we’re delighted to announce one last UK festival show for us at Woolfstock, a smart 2,000 capacity one-dayer just outside Newbury. To tempt you further, you’ll be getting a bigger dose of the K-Sound than any other festival this summer bar Glastonbury, as not only will we be playing a 90 minute AV set to close the Main Stage (following the most excellent British Sea Power and 6 Day Riot), Eric will then be legging it over to the Dance tent for a 90 minute DJ set. So that’s a solid three hours of K-Power in one day!

It’s really going to be an ace end to our European summer, partying in a seriously gorgeous location with some great friends, quality food and drink, and it’s not much more than an hour’s drive from London (and yes, you can camp!), so you really should come along, and spread the word to everyone you reckon will be up for it – it will be worthwhile!

Or it seems like it – Another festival date to announce, again in the Netherlands, to form a counterpoint to our previously announced show at Zomerparkfeest, we’ll be playing The Booch Festival in Heerlen the night before, Saturday 13th August! Shaping up to be an excellent weekend, especially if the reaction we got at Mama’s Pride in Geleen the other week is anything to go by…!

See ya soon!