Fridae

Hot New Talent Alert: Formatic

A synth wiz brother plus a photogenic singing sister equals a hot new talent alert. Emerging electro duo Formatic are London siblings Kate and Nick Hodges. The group's web site states that they grew up "in a musical family" and "learned to play and compose at an early age but only started writing and recording together relatively recently."

The strength of Formatic's music lies in its no fuss productions. The duo's songs primarily rely on synth drums, keyboard and Kate's frolicy vocals. Take for example "Jump The Gun Again," a Blondie-esque pop tune with love-obsessed lyrics drenched in a hooky synth melody. Also, check out the haunting "In One Ear" and the high-energy "Bad Gateway" with its crazy fun chorus.

Formatic first emerged in 2005 when their vinyl-only release "Over To You" hit clubs late 2005. The song was part of a 5 track EP that was partly produced with the help of Dave Bascombe who previously assisted Depeche Mode and Peter Gabriel. Currently, the duo is working on new material that is slated to be released later this year. (Click here to download Formatic music at 24Music.)

Stream Formatic songs [MySpace]

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Stream New Andy Bell Single Remixes
After his hot DJ stint at New York City's BANK last Saturday, Andy Bell is releasing some brand-new remixes of his new solo single "I'll Never Fall In Love Again." The track will be released overseas on June 29. There is an extensive portfolio of edits available, including a radio mix from Goetz who previously worked with artists like Sugababes and Faithless. The single was also reworked by Jaded Alliance who turned the song into a proper electro house workout. Some of you might remember Jaded Alliance from their remix of Erasure's "A Little Respect," which is available on the "Future Retro" album. Dr. Mo gave his unique spin on Bell's new single as well with a punchy disco arrangement. (Much thanks to the boys of Manhattan Clique for keeping me posted.)

Sample Andy Bell "I'll Never Fall In Love" Remixes

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The Infadels Releases New Single, Mixes
Arjan Writes faves The Infadels are releasing their new single "Love Like Semtex" in the U.K. on June 5. The CD single includes hot remixes by Headman and Metromony, and a live version of the song. You can stream all these track at lovelikesemtex.com. The group's explosive live performance at Coachella this year impressed music fans and label executives. Bnann (vocals) and Matt (guitar) told me backstage that they are interested in releasing their album "We Are Not The Infadels" in the U.S. but are not in a rush. They are expecting to get their debut out stateside at the end of the year. More from my meeting with The Infadels soon. If you haven't seen the video for "Love Like Semtex," you can watch it here. It's crazy fun disco rock.

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Bananarama Meets & Greets U.S. Fans
British pop duo Bananarama is on a whirlwind tour of the U.S. to promote their comeback album "Drama" that was released last Tuesday. Sara and Keren are visiting Borders book stores in Miami, New York City, Hollywood, Long Beach and West Hollywood this week to meet fans and sign their album(full schedule). Yesterday. the two popsters were at the Borders at Columbus Circle in New York. Click here to see photos of the meet and greet with fans that attracted a considerable crowd of people. Make sure to check out "Look On The Floor," the last single taken from their record.

Watch Bananarama "Look On The Floor"