In recent music news, popular channel Majestic Casual has been terminated by YouTube on grounds of copyright infringement. The German brand was founded in 2011 and claims that it “represents the best of electronic music”…only now it seems that this wasn’t done through entirely legal means. Boasting over 2 million subscribers and hundreds of videos, Majestic Casual has provided the perfect soundtrack to uni pre drinks across the country since its conception, with chilled out party tunes from the likes of Kaytranada, Disclosure and Classixx. Those lazy students who prefer their playlists readymade will be mourning over this loss and honing their DJ skills in making mixes of their own. To be honest, it isn’t that much of a disaster because most of the tracks can still be found elsewhere on Youtube and Spotify, and the only difference is that they are no longer accompanied by images of the word “majestic” superimposed over a breath-taking landscape or seductive girl. Not that this ever had anything to do with the song anyway. The biggest issue is that if students had to pay for the music they use at pres, they wouldn’t be able to afford nights out to pre for. Elsewhere in the musical world this week, former Red Hot Chili Pepper John Frusciante has just released a ton of music for free, claiming that, ‘When someone releases music on a label, they are selling it, not giving it. Art is a matter of giving’. This may well have been Majestic Casual’s philosophy, but sadly the artists they select may not be as selfless as John Frusciante. Majestic Casual have also released several compilation albums for a price, so as long as those involved are satisfied with sufficient commission from these, lets hope the channel is restored to its former “giving” glory.
You Need To Hear: Darius
Things have come full circle, as of the last tracks uploaded to Majestic Casual was ‘Pyor’ by Darius, and I was introduced to the channel through Darius’ ambient anthem ‘Hot Hands’. No, I’m not talking about the platinum-selling star of Pop Idol fame, but a new up-and-coming Parisian Producer who goes by the same name. I’m only clearing this up as Spotify has made the mistake of noting Gareth Gates and Will Young as the latter’s Related Artists. On a crisp December’s day in Newcastle, you’re probably not looking for the freshest French funk of tracks like ‘Maliblue’, but its summery sound and the uplifting groove of ‘Espoir’ might just help you see those end of term assessments through to the end. The last thing uploaded to Darius’ Soundcloud is an ethereal reworking of ‘Time’ by Jungle, and the positive feedback from fans proves that they won’t stop dancing to Darius anytime soon, with or without Majestic Casual.
Listen To: Darius – Hot Hands
Preview: Future Funk: The Arctic Dance ft. Jungle
That brings me nicely to this week’s big event, another amalgamation of summer vibes and winter chills. Jungle are a band renowned for their live reputation and tropical soul, but in the parallel world of Digital they will be ditching their instruments and playing a mash up DJ set for a crowd adorned in Christmas-y Winter Wonderland wear. Future Funk has expanded rapidly over the past year, which was always expected from ‘a disco lead cross genre night’, which can do no wrong in my opinion. Having welcomed the likes of Oneman and Benton in the past, Future Funk certainly has the music sorted, but it supersedes many other nights in putting on a visual spectacle too. The effort poured into dressing up the venue for the Deep Sea Disco and Return to Neverland was matched magnificently by the crowd’s costumes, so dust off your frostiest frock to make this one as cool as ice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSNyjMI5no
