Brit Awards 2010

In 2010 Division teamed up with the Brit Awards to promote a three CD compilation for the ceremony’s 30 year anniversary. The compilation hosted some of the biggest names in pop music, which we were delighted to add to our roster for print press.

The first 2 discs contain some belting hits from female superstars including Lady GaGa’s phenomenal “Let’s Dance”, Cheryl Cole’s “Fight for this love”, and Lily Allen’s “The Fear”. Not forgetting massive tracks from heartthrobs Robbie Williams with his smash hit “Bodies”, Michael Buble “Haven’t Met You Yet”, Daniel Merriweather “Red” and 2009’s biggest boyband JLS with “Beat It”.

If that isn’t enough to entice you, bonus disc 3 has 20 tracks from some of the biggest and best BRIT nominees and award winners of all time including exclusive collaborations taken live from the BRIT awards from Queen & 5ive “We Will Rock You”, Seal & Adamski with “Killer” and the Bee Gees with a medley. The smashing bonus disc also contains gems from the likes of Take That, Amy Winehouse, Girls Aloud, The Spice Girls, Coldplay, The Killers and Oasis.

Harvey Milk

After making their auspicious but notoriously underexposed debut with 1994’s ‘My Love Is Higher Than Your Assessment Of What My Love Could Be’, Athens (GA) dirge lords Harvey Milk recorded two more full-lengths (1995’s Courtesy And Good Will Towards Men and 1997’s The Pleaser) before going tits up in 1998 in a fit of nuptials and child-rearing.

Reintroduced to the underground at large through reissues and live DVDs Harvey Milk celebrated their own renaissance with the release of Live…The Best Game In Town’ on Hydra Head Records. Spearheaded by the alternately burly and angelic vocal stylings of Milk mastermind Creston Spiers, ‘The Best Game In Town’ is both tumultuous and gruelling, resonating with the glorious slow-motion radiance of Total Dirge Power. In layman’s terms: Yet another classic.

In 2010 the band returned with “A Small Turn of Human Kindness”, an album laden with brooding doom riffs. With great reviews across the board, all the signs are suggesting Harvey Milk have struck gold once again.

The Stone Roses

Another huge act to join Divsion for online press, The Stone Roses became part of the family for the re-issue of their seminal debut album, which was released 20 years ago, in 1989. Following in the footsteps of previous major artists on our roster, we saw huge coverage on sites from ISPs, mainstream sites, indie sites, blogs and everything in between.The album catapulted the Manchester band to major heights and that particular record has been named by many as the greatest debut of all time and one of the most influential records in British music history. With a pedigree like that, it was an opportunity not to be missed and we were only too glad to become part of the team.

Working with world-renowned producer John Leckie was just one of the highlights of the campaign which brought a lot of joy to a lot of journalists, and ourselves, especially with the amazing packaging of the re-issues. Long may it continue!

Freeway

Philadelphia-born Freeway is a man described as “your favourite rapper’s favourite rapper” and for good reason. Signing for Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella label in 2003, he achieved Gold status by selling over half a million copies of his debut Philadelphia Freeway. He went on to gain even more fans with his follow-up Free At Last which featured the fan favourite It’s Over, produced by Jake One.

Fast forward to 2010 and Freeway has signed for independent powerhouse Rhymesayers Entertainment and his latest album The Stimulus Package, produced entirely by Jake One, is released. With guest appearances from Raekwon, Birdman and Bun B, it’s an album full of bangers that we’re very proud to have on the online roster here at Division.

Imaad Wasif

In another life, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Imaad Wasif might have been a poet or a priest. He draws inspiration from beyond the veil, seeking connections and cosmic patters in the hopes of expressing the simplest but most profound message to his listeners: We are not alone. The urgency of that communication, and his need to convey it, give both his delicate guitar ballads and his fervent rock songs ferocity and focus that resonates with every note.

The Canadian born Indian singer –songwriter and axeman is no stranger to the indie music scene; former ensembles include revered indie rock acts lowercase, alaska! and The New Folk Implosion. Also being enlisted as tour guitarist and opening act for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has lead him to record with the band on ‘Little Shadow’ featured on their latest album, ‘It’s Blitz!’ and collaborate with Karen O on the soundtrack to ‘Where The Wild Things Are’, as composer.

With music that evokes  the ‘freaky sexiness’ of Devandra Banhart, and vocal delivery comparative to Jeff Buckley, Wasif weaves  a distinctive tapestry, reminiscent of Jimi Hendrix’s monstrous  guitar riffs with Led Zeppelin’s heavy psychedelic rock. Latest album, ‘The Voidist’, clearly marks him as an artist boldly stepping into the spotlight, with a rich music heritage and prolific sound.

Violent Soho

Violent Soho met playing in the Pentecostal church band in their home town of Mansfield, Brisbane, bang in the middle of Australia’s Bible Belt. Heavy with angst and boredom the boys started thrashing it out in drummer Michael’s parent’s garage while they were at church. They discovered their love for gigantic four chord chain-saw songs written through a bucket bong haze to blast off the suburban blues. The Church’s loss was rock’s gain. They worked service industry jobs, self released an album and drove themselves round Australia for 5 years after school. On the other side of the world in New York an Alternative Rock Godhead was stirring, ready to change their lives.

A copy of the album they recorded in their garage found its way into Thurston Moore’s hands. He was down the front head banging at their first gig in New York at the legendary Lower East Side hang out Pianos. The buzz around their punishingly hard live show spread to Rick Rubin, who personally invited them to play his condo in Malibu. Rock Godhead no.2 declared his fandom. Thurston offered them a deal on his Ecstatic Peace! label and chose the most skilful producer in the genre. Gil Norton (Jimmy Eat World, The Distillers) made the record in Rockfields studio in the Welsh countryside, with mixing duties handled by Rich Costey (Mastodon, Muse, Mars Volta, Interpol). That’s the production team behind the crunchy, layered sound of some of the biggest guitar records of all time (The Pretender Foo Fighters)

Violent Soho are a heavy touring band, having passed through every one horse town in the US twice, honing their ferocious live show that explodes with super-tight hardcore power. Thick, sludgy grunge treacle pours out of the album from every sweaty pore, from mosh pit numbers like ‘Jesus Stole My Girlfriend’, ‘Son of Sam’ and ‘Bombs Over Broadway’ to more introspective balladeering like ‘Outsider’ and ‘Narrow Ways’. Low-slung and stoned, Violent Soho’s debut album is an accomplished half hour alienated monster.