Ben Browning (of Cut Copy) - Live, Moullinex (LIVE)

A pulsating solo effort from electronic pop crooning man-child and Cut Copy bassist Ben Browning is the shiniest, newest addition to the Cutters stable of artists.

Prior to starting on Cut Copy's most recent album Zonoscope, Ben Browning dug into his trusty mind-hole and began penning tracks for a solo release, culminating in the new 12-inch EP which is to be released by Cutters Records. I Can't Stay is the lead single, taken from Browning's forthcoming EP on Cutters records.

It opens with an almost calypso guitar lead, before opening up into bouncing bass driven club-pop, the likes of which wouldn't have been entirely out of place on the recent Cut Copy album. The vocal is trademark Ben Browning: delicately strained melodic and harmonic stylings, with a seeming fragility which belies its true versatility.

The talents of Architecture In Helsinki's Gus Franklin and Haima Marriott were enlisted to add production and shimmer, with Franklin even laying down live-drums on the final recording. Meanwhile, Cut Copy's own Dan Whitford reached into his collection of vintage synths to provide keyboard programming, producing some of the the classic keyboard tones herein.

What's that you say? You wanna dance? Never fear, the single is rounded out by two energetic remixes of the lead track I Can't Stay. Cutters' own Knightlife, who has made spacey disco bliss his stock in trade, has transformed this into and epic, infectious melodic house gem. And DFA's Juan Maclean opts for an energized version, more faithful to the original, much like classic expertly finessed dance mixes of old.


If there is an underlying trait in all good music, it must be its ability to crush boundaries between genres, dance floors and couches, twelve inches and YouTube clips. Enter Moullinex, Lisbon and Munich-based Luis Clara Gomes. Originally from a small countryside town in Portugal, he was surrounded by music and musicians during childhood and since an early age has been solely dedicated to the pursuit of his own sound, refusing to adhere to a specific genre or scene, but taking comfort in disco and house as a starting point. That being said, if there is a common trait between his productions, it must be the careful craft of melodies, a strong degree of human touch in machine- based music, unpretentious synthesizers, desperate guitars, striking bass-lines, and beats reminiscing from a not so distant dance floor past. Luis often collaborates with friends – in fact, most of the electric bass you’ll hear in his productions is responsibility of renaissance man Luis Calçada (yes, another Luis), and the guitars are crafted by Bruno Cardoso, the creative force more commonly known as Xinobi.

While Luis has seen his work has received the acclaim of his peers, press and fans worldwide, with remixes for Cut Copy, Sebastien Tellier, Two Door Cinema Club (the list goes on and on…) and collaborating with Peaches for a disco-tastic rework of the classic track Maniac, he managed to find time to co-found the Discotexas imprint, together with Xinobi, now responsible for a flawless release catalog, along with a residency in one of the most sought-after clubs in Europe – Lux, Lisbon. Started in 2012, The Discotexas Band is label’s very own in-house band, reminiscent of old Soul & R&B bands from the Motown era, where Moullinex, Xinobi & Da Chick perform the label’s tracks along with their own.

If you think this is too much, wait: there’s more: the music videos for Moullinex are responsibility of Luis Clara Gomes and Luis Calçada. They have been praised everywhere, for use of ground-breaking technology and creativity.