Nitin
SawhneyLawyer, comedian,
composer, musician and globe-trotter--Nitin Sawhney has tried his hand at many
things with great success. He speaks to Amazon.co.uk as he releases
Prophesy, his fifth album of diverse musical
experimentation.
By trying to imitate this strange music he had
never heard, Barrett inadvertently created the first uniquely Floydian classic,
a sprawling spacey instrumental with a mesmeric descending chord
structure
Leo
SayerLeo Sayer is a household name, yet he
has not released a studio album in nearly two decades. 2002 sees the
return of Leo Sayer, beginning with remastered reissues of his extensive back catalogue. Amazon.co.uk
caught up with the 1970s
icon for a chat about his life and music.
I've got some wacky ideas involving harmonica and a
load of good songs
Andreas
SchollHe may only be in his
early 30s, but counter-tenor Andreas Scholl already has a substantial
discography and a stack of rave reviews to go with it. He
talks to Amazon.co.uk
about his
latest CD and his
plans to record pop songs
No! Whom do you think you are
speaking to? Pavarotti?
Anoushka
ShankarMost teenage girls find
their fathers a complete embarrassment. But, as Amazon.co.uk's Ken Hunt
discovers, Anoushka
Shankar cannot thank her father enough for the career opportunities he has
given her.
With my dad's pieces I relate to them so well
because I know his style of playing so well and I think I can give the type of
interpretation he would give if he were playing it. It's so close to me. I love
playing them
Howard
ShoreWith
Dogma,
director Kevin Smith hits the big time after the cult success of
Clerks,
Mallrats
and Chasing Amy
. Composer Howard Shore,
whose previous credits include projects as diverse as
Se7en
and
Ed Wood,
talked to Amazon.co.uk about his contribution to this Catholic comedy.
The orchestra was kept very small. Only about 30
pieces. The idea was specific, and wasn't done for budget but for the sound of
a small group trying to play big
Sigur
Ros>
Sigur Ros's
breakthrough album
Ágætis
Byrjun ("Good Beginnings") was a statement of unbearable beauty,
its unearthly dimensions and intense quietude leaving listeners weak at the
knees. Three years on, the band are finally ready with a follow up.
Amazon.co.uk contributor, Pall Michaelsson,
catches up with vocalist
and guitarist Jón (Jónsi) Þor Birgisson and bassist Georg
Holm.
When the label heard the first demos they were
pulling their hair out. They thought they had put all their money into
something that wasn't very good
Nina
SimoneWhether entrancing with
her smoky voice, virtuosic piano and indomitable presence or dancing naked in
a Liberian disco, Nina Simone has always been a consummate artist and
entertainer. Amazon.co.uk contributor Lucy O'Brien--compiler of the
The Essential Nina
Simone--takes a look at an extraordinary career.
"My Baby Just Cares for Me" was recorded almost as
an afterthought, but it became the biggest hit of Simone's
career
SlipknotSlipknot create an aural
assault that draws from death metal, thrash and nu-metal influences. They're
not just heavier than their nu-metal peers, they're downright scarier. On the
eve of the release of their second album,
Iowa,
Amazon.co.uk
speaks to their frontman,
Corey Taylor. (Note: this interview contains explicit language.)
Yeah, people are beginning to acclimatise to
things. But I think people are becoming more cynical. We've never really tried
to shock, you know. We've always just done our dance, because that's what we
do
RamonesThe Ramones were the most
perfectly formed group in rock history: four scruffy New Yorkers in ripped
jeans and leather jackets. Pop, distilled through three chords, the teen angst
of the Ronettes, the street-fighting attitude of 1960s punk bands and something
else: minimalism. Amazon.co.uk traces their
history in an exclusive
feature.
"Of course it all sounds the same," Dave Marsh
wrote in the New York Post
. "It's supposed to."
Elliott
SmithRead and listen to our exclusive interview with and performance
by Elliott Smith.
Check out our Elliott Smith
feature.
It's good to scuff up the soles of your shoes if
they're new so that you don't slip and fall down while you're trying to cross
the stage. That's my advice, because that's what I was worried
about
So Solid
CrewThey have risen from the
underground to become one of the most exciting British dance acts of 2001 and
comprise around 30 singers, producers, DJs and MCs. Amazon.co.uk
speaks to Megaman, Swiss
and Romeo of the
So Solid
Crew.
In Ayia Napa it was sick. Because So Solid is
portrayed as a large crew not all of our faces are known and guys were walking
into clubs and saying they were part of So Solid and causing violence and
trouble
