Despite often being referred to as the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop has told Classic Rock magazine that he doesn’t like the title or the music genre in question.

On being called “the godfather of punk” the ‘Lust For Life’ singer stated: “They have to have a place to put me to reference in the whole thing… And they think they have to explain that to an audience of people who are similarly lacking in intelligence or education. So you get that. It's okay. But it's tedious.”

The 66-year-old rocker also spoke of how he told a radio station that he doesn’t like punk music. Talking about a radio interview he had been asked to do in order to promote a live show he explained:

“We hadn't sold out one of the shows, so the promoter wanted me to go on the radio. So I said: ‘Alright, I'll do an interview.’ Well, then that wasn't enough. They wanted me to talk about five punk songs. And I told them: ‘I don't like punk.’”

Iggy and The Stooges released their fifth album ‘Ready To Die’ in April 2013 and the singer also teamed up with pop star Ke$ha on her 2012 track ‘Dirty Love’. 

Listen to Iggy Pop and Ke$ha's track 'Dirty Love' below:

Speaking to Reuters, the ‘I Know You Want Me’ star opened up about his heritage, his projects and his collaborations. In particular, he talked about working with Jennifer Lopez, with whom he has three duets: ‘On The Floor’, ‘Dance Again’ and the latest tune ‘Live It Up’.

“Jennifer is a hard worker, very professional, gorgeous and she’s a walking empire,” he said. “Anytime I’m around her, I’m watching, learning, studying. It’s a natural combination, like a student and teacher. I’m a student all day. I think it would be an honor for Jennifer to watch me grow and say, ‘That kid did learn.’”

In the interview, Pitbull also talked about the origin behind his moniker. His namesake dog, he claims, is “misunderstood”.

“Pitbulls are misunderstood and that’s the same thing with me when I first came into the music business. Being Cuban-American made me politically incorrect,” he added. “My whole life was trying to make people understand that we all come from the same place. It’s the same with the dog. The pitbull is a very loyal, very loving dog that doesn’t understand the concept of losing. I believe in fighting hard for what you believe in and never giving up.”

Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez  recently performed together at the Billboard Awards, check below for the video:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/parallelpr/view/76760/ Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:16 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/parallelpr/view/76760/ Zetan Spore Say Words!

One of the most loved and respected acts on the UK festival scene is the live Psytrance duo Zetan Spore. The Cornish twins Ian (Synths /Programming) and Mark (Guitars/Didgeridoo) Hasdell, have been plying their trade around Europe and the world since 1997, headlining at gigs such as Antiworld and Synergy Project, with top slots at festivals including Waveform, Sunrise, and Bearded Theory, the highlight being a cracking performance in front of 25000 at Euphoria in Singapore.

With nine albums under their belts, these talented Geminis are as prodigious in the ‘studio’ as they are on the circuit. Their pumping, energetic Psytrance is instantly recognisable, often because of Mark’s unique use of the didgeridoo, which adds a haunting, tribal element to their sound.
The guys took some time out of their busy schedule to have a quick chat with Parallel PR about….stuff.

Parallel: Did you both realise that music was going to be a major part of your lives at the same time, and how young were you?

Zetan S: Yeah, kind of – Mark started playing bass and then didgeridoo when he moved away from the South-east to Plymouth in the late 80’s, while I stayed up there doing vocals in a band and then later experimenting with keyboards and electronics. After moving to Cornwall there was a space of a few years before I started back on electronic music and Zetan Spore was born in 1995. Mark joined about a year later playing didgeridoo and also learnt guitar. After our first gig in 1997 we realised it was what we really wanted to do and the rest is history as they say.

Parallel: Who were your EARLIEST influences?

Zetan S: Our dad got us into Tangerine Dream and Jean Michel Jarre in the mid 80’s. In the late 80’s we got into space rock - Hawkwind , The Magic Mushroom Band, Porcupine Tree, Poisoned Electrick Head and the like and then early dance acts such as Astralasia and then Eat Static in the early 90’s. When psychedelic trance came around for the first time in the mid 90’s we were off!

Parallel: Has the didgeridoo been part of Zetan Spore since the very beginning?

Zetan S: It’s cheating, we know, but see the first answer….hah!

Parallel: Yes, then. OK. Next please. Although live psytrance is your very enjoyable ‘business’, what OTHER genres of music do you enjoy as listeners?

Zetan S: All sorts - I’m still well into Space Rock and other forms of psychedelic music and I still love my Punk and Ska – I listen to nearly all genres – everything has a time and place depending on ya mood. Mark is more into his progressive Psy and Psy Dub/Chill.

Parallel: Who else do you enjoy on the Psy scene at the moment?

Zetan S: Still loving people such as Talpa, Commercial Hippies, Mad Maxx, Eat Static, etc., but haven’t heard anything THAT mindblowing come out on the trance scene for a while – tend to keep going back to acts such as Wizzy Noise, Electric Universe, Talamasca, Cosmosis, Juno Reactor and the like. Loving the Psy Breaks scene though – can’t beat a bit of Hedflux, Bad Tango or Neurodriver to get the dancefloor going.

Parallel: You’ve played hundreds of gigs since ’97. Do you prefer a crowd of 25,000 like Euphoria, a smaller festival like Waveform, or the intimacy of a club/room?

Zetan S: We love them all – Euphoria was a bit daunting but awesome, we really enjoy the UK festivals, especially Waveform, Alchemy, Bearded Theory, etc., and still love doing smaller, more intimate gigs where you’re right down with the action rather than up on a big stage.

Parallel: You appear regularly at several festivals, what is it about Waveform that brings you back year after year?

Zetan S: The atmosphere at Waveform is the best of any festival we’ve been to, it’s so uplifting – we always come away with aching faces and fucked knees! I suppose it helps that we seem to know half the people there too!

Parallel: That’s how we feel about Waveform too. Do you spend as much time in the studio as you’d like, or don’t you like the studio much?

Zetan S: (IAN) My flat is my studio so I’ve got no choice! I like to be comfortable when writing, so I’ve set everything up so I can work from my sofa. It tends to take about one and a half to two months for us to write a track in between gigging, rehearsing and the admin side of things – I’d like to spend more time writing and experimenting but there’s just not enough hours in the day. When everything’s coming together in the studio it’s a great feeling – we love creating something and imagining what it’s gonna be like on the dancefloor – I often find myself drawing the curtains and busting it up to check that the section I’m sequencing all works properly!

Parallel: Do you have any projects on the go as we speak?

Zetan S: I’ve just finished our latest track “Tribalistics” and have one more left to write (probably starting next week) before we release our next (9th) album. By the time you read this it may already be done – we’re hoping for a Spring release so we can hit the festivals with it over the Summer. Mark’s busy putting the finishing touches to his second Lunarsonic album also due for release this Spring – you’ll be able to catch both at this year’s Waveform!

Parallel: And finally, what are your long term plans for Zetan Spore?

Zetan S: More gigs and festivals all over the World – we want to take Zetan Spore to as many different countries as possible and party with as many different psy tribes as we can, and still be doing it in another 20 or 30 years’ time!

Parallel: Brilliant, guys. Thanks a million for taking the time to answer our questions. We wish you every success, and if we don’t catch you somewhere beforehand, we’ll definitely see you at Waveform in September.

Zetan Spore will be appearing at Cat’s Cradle Stage at Waveform 2013. Mark’s Lunarsonic will be playing the Gaia Chill Stage at the same festival.

Words by Dex Flett (Parallel PR)

dex@parallelpr.co.uk
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parallel-PR/34168036863
www.waveformfestival.com
www.zetanspore.co.uk

The Canadian singer signed to Reid's Epic record label to release her upcoming fifth studio album.

She recently performed single 'Here's To Never Growing Up' on the Today Show and praised Reid before she played.

Speaking to Billboard, the former X Factor USA judge returned the favour by complimenting Lavigne's star quality. He said:

"My relationship with her has been this way since the day I met her, and my guess is that it will always be this way."

Reid added: "She's a superstar. I think she's motivated now, and I expect that she'll do really well."

The music mogul initially signed Lavigne to Arista back in 2000 and she released two albums on the label.

Earlier this week the ‘Hot Right Now’ singer performed an intimate live show at London venue Café De Paris as part of a Mastercard sponsored gig in front of a crowd of 300.

Ahead of airing a new track, Ora introduced the song by announcing: “This song is called ‘Out of Love’, not in love, even though I am in love.”

Rita Ora is currently dating Scottish DJ and producer Calvin Harris.

Despite travel problems, both Rita Ora and Calvin Harris played headline sets at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Londonderry on May 24.

The ‘Radioactive’ star had trouble travelling to Northern Ireland for the event due to delays at Heathrow. Ora was left stranded at the airport and was in danger of missing her headline slot so joined Harris on his private jet which departed from Luton instead. Ora posted a picture of the two together onboard on Instagram (see image below). 

Rita Ora previously revealed that her ideal boyfriend would be “Someone who can make me grow as a person and help me reach my full potential.” 

Watch the video for Rita Ora's 'Radioactive' below:

Despite often being referred to as the godfather of punk, Iggy Pop has told Classic Rock magazine that he doesn’t like the title or the music genre in question.

On being called “the godfather of punk” the ‘Lust For Life’ singer stated: “They have to have a place to put me to reference in the whole thing… And they think they have to explain that to an audience of people who are similarly lacking in intelligence or education. So you get that. It's okay. But it's tedious.”

The 66-year-old rocker also spoke of how he told a radio station that he doesn’t like punk music. Talking about a radio interview he had been asked to do in order to promote a live show he explained:

“We hadn't sold out one of the shows, so the promoter wanted me to go on the radio. So I said: ‘Alright, I'll do an interview.’ Well, then that wasn't enough. They wanted me to talk about five punk songs. And I told them: ‘I don't like punk.’”

Iggy and The Stooges released their fifth album ‘Ready To Die’ in April 2013 and the singer also teamed up with pop star Ke$ha on her 2012 track ‘Dirty Love’. 

Listen to Iggy Pop and Ke$ha's track 'Dirty Love' below:

Professor Green, whose real name is Stephen Manderson, was involved in a car accident whilst on his way to play at Hartpury College’s summer ball in Gloucestershire.

The incident occurred nearly four years to the day when he was attacked at Shoreditch nightclub, Cargo, and stabbed with a broken bottle in the neck where he has a tattoo that reads “Lucky”.

On the coincidental dates of the two events Professor Green tweeted: “Nearly four years to the day I got stabbed and again it was a full moon, something about this time of year that brings me badness.”

The Hackney rapper continued: “I’m telling you it’s not a great time for me - next time I'm wrapping myself in cotton wool and staying at home.”

Due to the car accident Professor Green had to cancel an appearance at the University of Roehampton on Saturday night (May 25). 

Watch Professor Green perform 'Remedy' live below:

Speaking to Reuters, the ‘I Know You Want Me’ star opened up about his heritage, his projects and his collaborations. In particular, he talked about working with Jennifer Lopez, with whom he has three duets: ‘On The Floor’, ‘Dance Again’ and the latest tune ‘Live It Up’.

“Jennifer is a hard worker, very professional, gorgeous and she’s a walking empire,” he said. “Anytime I’m around her, I’m watching, learning, studying. It’s a natural combination, like a student and teacher. I’m a student all day. I think it would be an honor for Jennifer to watch me grow and say, ‘That kid did learn.’”

In the interview, Pitbull also talked about the origin behind his moniker. His namesake dog, he claims, is “misunderstood”.

“Pitbulls are misunderstood and that’s the same thing with me when I first came into the music business. Being Cuban-American made me politically incorrect,” he added. “My whole life was trying to make people understand that we all come from the same place. It’s the same with the dog. The pitbull is a very loyal, very loving dog that doesn’t understand the concept of losing. I believe in fighting hard for what you believe in and never giving up.”

Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez  recently performed together at the Billboard Awards, check below for the video:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/mariahcarey/view/76810/ Sun, 26 May 2013 00:06:59 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/mariahcarey/view/76810/ Earlier this month, Mariah Carey released her latest single ‘#Beautiful’ featuring up-and-coming star Miguel, who has revealed the mystery behind the hashtag in the title.

Talking to MTV News, Miguel explained “The hashtag in the title of this song is particularly fitting because the word that comes before ‘beautiful’ when I sing the chorus is an expletive that I can’t say on air. But the hashtag is particularly fitting for that expletive, if you just kind of pay a little bit of attention.”

The single is the first track to be released from Carey’s new album, which Miguel insists has been an honor to work on. “She’s incredible. She’s not only a beautiful spirit, inside and out, she’s just really talented,’ he said. “I couldn’t even fathom how creative she really is and how fast her mind works. … The fact that she had so much vision — enough to want to do the record as it was — and include me is a huge blessing and I appreciate it. She really is beautiful, absolutely, the title was fitting.”

Check out the video for ‘#Beautiful’ here:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/StoneTemplePilots/view/76803/ Sat, 25 May 2013 19:57:39 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/StoneTemplePilots/view/76803/ After sacking singer Scott Weiland and replacing him with Chester Bennington of Linkin Park, the Stone Temple Pilots have taken their split from their former frontman one step further, into the courts.   

The band have claimed that Weiland’s constant lateness on their 2012 tour and his personal lawyer’s interference with business have cost the band money. The group also cited Weiland’s struggles with addiction and poor live performances as a hit on their earning potential.

The lawsuit aims to have Weiland stripped of the ability to use the group’s name or songs to further his solo career.

"The band endured much strife and lost significant opportunities because of Weiland," the suit states.

In a message posted to his website Friday, Weiland said his former band mates shouldn't call themselves Stone Temple Pilots either.

"First of all they don't have the legal right to call themselves STP because I'm still a member of the band," he said. "And more importantly, they don't have the ethical right to call themselves Stone Temple Pilots because it's misleading and dishonest to the millions of fans that have followed us for so many years."

Watch a performance by the Stone Temple Pilots on the tour in question last year below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/dizzeerascal/view/76796/ Sat, 25 May 2013 18:31:14 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/dizzeerascal/view/76796/ Dizzee Rascal brought an extra treat for his fans last night during his set at the Radio One Big Weekend.

Between a set of old favourites and cuts from his latest album, Rascal announced to the crowd: "I didn't want to come empty handed today - so I brought along a friend of mine, Robbie Williams."

The crowd went wild as the ‘Angels’ singer took to the stage to join the rapper on their new collaborative track ‘Goin’ Crazy’ – the first single from Rascal’s new album ‘The Fifth’. The performance marks the very first time the duo have played the tune live.

Other performances of the night included Rita Ora, Calvin Harris and Rudimental, who all scraped in under the wire after being left stranded at Heathrow airport following a fire on a BA flight. The same delays prevented Aluna George and Angel Haze from making it to the gig on time, causing them to miss their sets.

Check out Robbie Williams and Dizzee Rascal performing ‘Going Crazy’ below:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/kanyewest/view/76792/ Sat, 25 May 2013 17:58:04 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/kanyewest/view/76792/ A screening of Kanye West’s new video ‘New Slaves’ in Houston Texas was thwarted by police after fans were told they were trespassing on private property.

Last weekend was the beginning of the screenings, and saw the video projected onto buildings in cities around the world. A new selection of locations was chosen for this weekend as well, including the Rothko Chapel in Houston. However, soon after they arrived last night, police came to tell fans that they would be arrested if they did not leave the premises as it was private property.

According to The Houston Chronicle, two other screenings in the city also failed to take place. One at the Central Library was dropped due to technical difficulties, and a second at Bush Memorial Hall was a “no show” according to fans, one of whom said:  “All we saw were the sprinklers come on and obnoxious people screaming Kanye threats.”

More locations on the website have been updated, including screenings in Milan and Amsterdam.

Check out the premiere of the video ‘New Slaves’ here:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/chrisbrown/view/76786/ Sat, 25 May 2013 16:29:30 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/chrisbrown/view/76786/ Singer Chris Brown has revealed the single artwork for ‘They Don’t Know’, the second single off his forthcoming album ‘X’.

The song has been attracting a hefty amount of buzz since Brown announced that the track would feature previously unheard vocals from the late Aaliyah, who died in a plane crash in 2001.

"I just actually shot a video and the song is dedicated to all my fans. It’s called, “They Don’t Know” and the song features Aaliyah!," said Chris. "Never heard before vocals, all new stuff that has never been heard before, it’s something special for all my fans."

‘X’ is currently scheduled for release on July 16th and along with the Aaliyah track, will also feature guest spots from Nicki Minaj, Pharrell Williams and Timbaland – who was a producer on Aaliyah’s second album before her death. 

Check out Aaliyah’s video for ‘We Need A Resolution’ featuring Timbaland here:

]]> London Newsdesk http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/muse/view/76783/ Sat, 25 May 2013 15:57:53 +0100 http://www.pressparty.com/pg/newsdesk/muse/view/76783/ As UK rockers Muse approach their 20th year as a band,  frontman Matt Bellamy has admitted that their days of rock’n’roll excess are long since over, thanks to the band members’ grounding in family.

The singer has a 22-month-old son Bingham with actress Kate Hudson and credits fatherhood with setting him straight.

“You have to put others before you — especially when you have kids,” Bellamy told The Sun. “You focus on the needs of a child being in front of your own, and that’s an amazing experience.

“When you’re flitting about all over the world you can get caught up a bit in your own needs and wants. But as soon as there is someone else there, it puts it in perspective. It’s a really healthy thing. Family life is all about love.”

Bellamy also praised Hudson, saying that her compromises go a long way to making their unique family dynamic work.

“I think I am very lucky because my partner, my girlfriend. She loves travelling,” explains Bellamy. “She was raised in a family where there was a lot of travelling and upheaval going on all the time.

“She is really open to us being on the road and because of that we haven’t really been apart for anything more than a week since our baby was born.

“A lot of the time, if she is working, I will go to where she is — and it works both ways. She comes to see us all the time.

“You balance a little bit, especially with two working people.”

Watch Muse’s video for ‘Panic Station’ here:

]]> London Newsdesk