URN

On Monday's show we will be looking back at the first quarter of 2011 and picking out the tracks and records that we think matter the most, and that deserve your time - some of which already look like contenders for end-of-year lists.

We'll be playing big-hitters in the alternative field - think Radiohead, PJ Harvey, TV On The Radio and The Strokes; up-and-coming acts such as The Smith Westerns, James Blake, Toro Y Moi and Yuck; plus some varied, innovative sounds from the likes of Teeel, Nicolas Jaar, tUnE-yArDs and The Weeknd. Irrespective of genre or popularity, we'll be aiming to bring you the cream of 2011's crop.

Name a Tomcraft song, go on, I dare you? Tick tock, still struggling? What if I said Loneliness. I bet you’ve just tried to finish off the first line of the song in your head, “something something happiness”, at least now you’re on the right track if you pardon the pun.

That’s actually the sentiment that sums up German producer and DJ Tomcraft in a nutshell, continuously on the right track but always lacking that final breakthrough. It’s been 8 years since his electro cult club smasher topped the UK chart, and very little else has found itself to our fare shores since, revelling in the German techno/trance market where he’s seen as a guru among his peers.

His first smasher of 2011 it unlikely to grace the UK charts either, but in DJing terms it’s a strong tune. A driving rhythmic baseline more characteristic of a techno song than the supposed trance release Beatport has classed it as, a funky progressive melody that pounds home in the same way as his previous monster hit, and with the German born producer Eniac’s remix comes the unique and eerie vocals from the worst film I’ve ever seen, Sideways. Don’t buy the film, buy the song. And for that matter. don’t fear, the vocalist is not behind you even if the subtle use of echo suggests this when played over a loud sound system.

As far as I'm aware, the After Dark blog isn't usually used for album reviews. I thought I would change this with a cheeky review of Michael Cassette's debut album 'Temporarity'. There's no point trying to write an amazingly wordy review trying to describe it - after all, you have to LISTEN to music to appreciate it - no number of words can possibly replace that.

Michael Cassette - Temporarity

Michael Cassette isn't one man- it's Finnish duo Erkka Henrikki Lempiäinen & Matti Tapio Heininen. Influenced heavily from the warm analogue sounds of the 80s, they fuse everything that was good about those classic synth days with the very latest progressive house...and it works brilliantly.

Being a massive fan of theirs already, I pre-ordered the album as soon as I was able to. And on this fine, snowy, morning the CD popped through my door and it was on the hi-fi within a matter of seconds. All I can say is WOW. Everything about the tracks is perfect- the sound choices, the faintest hint of the 80s, the plucky melodies, the errie atmospheres...

The 2009/2010 session saw the birth of DJ Em on URN, if you missed it all, here's a re-cap

--------------------------------------------------------------------- The 2010/2011 has also kicked off with a bang with the show hosting US Superstar Omarion Live in Nottingham. See link for pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=238315&id=109768475885 For more info on Omarion, see twitter.com/1omarion --------------------------------------------------------------------- The show this year has had its fair share of competitions and prize give-away as well

URN After Dark DJs came into the After Dark Week One Finale and not only did they tell us about their shows, they also were subjected to a game called 'URN After Dark, Im the Dark'

Here the DJs of every genre had post it notes stuck to their heads with the names of music artists written on them. Here they had to guess what was written on their heads.

They threw aside their shame and it was a very funny evening!