During the year 2011 a group of lads from leicester got together and decided to start making music, playing at various clubs and bars around the Leicestershire area unaware of the big things that where soon to come their way. After 10 long months of playing the same venues to small crowds they where contacted by Kitsune Records and started to make a real name for themselves, their usual small crowd of fans turned into the hundreds and where eventually brining a sell out crowd to their gigs. With the high demand of a debut album from their current fans Shuffle together and started work on their debut album which would contain the fans favourite songs that they have got to know and love along with many new tracks and sounds. after the release of this album more and more people started listening to them and the album went straight to the top of the iTunes album charts. Following the success of their debut album the lads have been tipped as 2012's best new indie band.
So to find out about all the hype surrounding the Shuffle lads we got together with them and interviewed them on their reaction to the success and we what can expect from them in the coming year.
Q: So then lads I imagine this has happened very quickly for you? one minute your were playing to a small crowd, now you lot have sell out crowds!
James: Well to be honest we where not expecting all this at all. We where starting to think that the small crowds where the best we where going to get but all of a sudden we got the record deal that we desperately needed and then it all kicked off!
Q: Hows it feel to have just reached the top of the iTunes album charts?
Dean: Unbelievable! Topping the album charts was something that we never thought to achieve ever in our careers but doing it with our debut album just seems too unreal especially when you look at some of the other albums that are in the charts at the minute such as all the regular album chart toppers.
Q: Who has been your biggest influences as you where progressing to where you are now?
Dean: Our biggest influences where Two Door Cinema Club, Delphic and Everything Everything which you can probably tell as they all have a fairly similar music style to us. when we got on Kitsune Records we were very excited to be on the same record company as one our biggest influences who we now regularly to support in their gigs and who knows maybe they will be supporting us one day haha.
Q: You must be very pleased to have been tipped as 2012's best new indie band!
James: Obviously we where absolutely ecstatic but this also brings a lot of big expectations for our next album however we hope to exceed everyones expectation and hopefully make the fans happy.
Q: It sounds as though your fans are very important to you lot, Is this true?
Jim: Our fans are our main priority when making new music. We want to make sure we keep and please our current fans rather than sell out and focus on the money and getting loads and loads of fans.
Q: So what can we expect from your next album?
James: Well we are looking to keep with the style of last album with classing indie sounds with an electronic twist however we are trying to implement new types of sound such as a more up-beat Indie Alternative style on some tracks which we plan to release in an EP early this year to see what are fans think to this style, if this style does't work out then we will obviously revert back to our old ways however we will always be looking to create brand new sounds to keep the fans listening.
Q: What do you think of the current state of indie music? are you scared that the current people that have started listening to indie music to follow the crowd will soon move onto other music genres and stop listening to your music?
Jim: Well to be honest if people are just listening to our music to fit in or follow the trend then they are not true fans at all, if they're going to move onto other bands along with the crowd then although we might lose a few album sales we would be left with our true fans that have loved us from the start and who we hope will continue to listen to us.
Q: How have your record company Kitsune responded to your huge success?
James: Well with bands like Two Door Cinema Club and Phoenix also on the record company they never thought they would get another indie-electro band to do just as well as them if not better and where obviously pleasantly surprised when we started to take off.
Q: Finally, with work on your future album beginning is their any release date in mind?
Dean: Not yet, but watch this space!
Monday, 20 February 2012
Friday, 10 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Audience Questionaire
Do you prefer a weekly or monthly magazine?
Person 1: I usually prefer a monthly magazine as the magazine is bigger and contains more information.
Person 2: I prefer a weekly magazine as the price is usually less than a monthly magazine per issue.
Person 3: I prefer a monthly magazines as the magazine is usually alot thicker and contains more features than a weekly magazine.
How much are you willing to pay for a monthly magazine?
Person 1: I usually pay around £3-£4 and wouldn't want to spend anymore than that.
Person 2: I would pay no more than £4 for a monthly magazine.
Person 3: I would pay par around £2.50 to £3 a month.
What are the magazines you currently buy priced at?
Person 1: I usually pay around £3-£4.
Person 2: I pay £2.50 to £3.
Person 3: I always pay £3.
Do you prefer a minimalistic or busy cover?
Person 1:I prefer a minimalistic style as long as it informative.
Person 2:I prefer a minimal style as I think a busy cover takes your attention away from the main image.
Person 3: I prefer a busy cover with alot of information as i can see everything that is going to be in the issue.
What features would you want from a magazine?
Person 1: My favourite feature in a magazines are reviews of albums and artists.
Person 2: I always look for magazine that have interviews with my favourite artists.
Person 3: I like reviews and interviews with new artists.
What style colour scheme do you prefer in a magazine?
Person 1: I prefer simple colours such as red, white and black.
Person 2: I prefer colours such as red and white as they are used in other magazines i read like NME.
Person 3: I prefer a range of different colours that aren't normally used such as purple.
Do you usually buy the same magazine or different ones?
Person 1: I usually buy the same magazine as i know what to expect from it.
Person 2: I always buy different magazines to see different opinions on artists and albums.
Person 3: I always buy the same magazine as i enjoy the magazines features.
Person 1: I usually prefer a monthly magazine as the magazine is bigger and contains more information.
Person 2: I prefer a weekly magazine as the price is usually less than a monthly magazine per issue.
Person 3: I prefer a monthly magazines as the magazine is usually alot thicker and contains more features than a weekly magazine.
How much are you willing to pay for a monthly magazine?
Person 1: I usually pay around £3-£4 and wouldn't want to spend anymore than that.
Person 2: I would pay no more than £4 for a monthly magazine.
Person 3: I would pay par around £2.50 to £3 a month.
What are the magazines you currently buy priced at?
Person 1: I usually pay around £3-£4.
Person 2: I pay £2.50 to £3.
Person 3: I always pay £3.
Do you prefer a minimalistic or busy cover?
Person 1:I prefer a minimalistic style as long as it informative.
Person 2:I prefer a minimal style as I think a busy cover takes your attention away from the main image.
Person 3: I prefer a busy cover with alot of information as i can see everything that is going to be in the issue.
What features would you want from a magazine?
Person 1: My favourite feature in a magazines are reviews of albums and artists.
Person 2: I always look for magazine that have interviews with my favourite artists.
Person 3: I like reviews and interviews with new artists.
What style colour scheme do you prefer in a magazine?
Person 1: I prefer simple colours such as red, white and black.
Person 2: I prefer colours such as red and white as they are used in other magazines i read like NME.
Person 3: I prefer a range of different colours that aren't normally used such as purple.
Do you usually buy the same magazine or different ones?
Person 1: I usually buy the same magazine as i know what to expect from it.
Person 2: I always buy different magazines to see different opinions on artists and albums.
Person 3: I always buy the same magazine as i enjoy the magazines features.
New Revised Magazine Logo/Font
This is my new revised magazine logo. this logo feeatures all the colours of my colour palette. In the design of this logo i took influence from 'Q' magazines logo style with the red box and text. I Prefer this to my old logo as the old logo didn't fit on the cover as well as i would have liked.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Band Profile
Band Name: Shuffle
Shuffle are a new three piece indie/electro band who are tipped to be 2012's best new indie band.
Shuffle where originally just a group of friends playing their music at local clubs and bars in and around the leicestershire area. after a few months the band was spotted by a representative from Kitsune Records and their rose to fame began. The band are currently working on their first album which will contain music with a typical indie rock style but mixed with an electro synth-pop vibe. Their debut album is set for release spring 2012. Their musical style can be compared to bands such as: Two Door Cinema Club, Delphic, One Night Only and Crystal Fighters.
Magazine Cover Photo Style
For the photo on the cover i will have a band rather than one single artist. i will have 3 band members standing behind eachother slightly to the left or right much like the picture above.
Double Page Spread Style and Inspiration
For my double page spread i want to maintain the red, white and black colours and keep the minimalistic style with the right amount of text. It will have one large picture of the band on the left side much like the double page spread above which i have taken inspiration from however i will use less text than that.
Pitch Evaluation
I feel that my magazine pitch went quite well as everyone could understand my ideas and the magazine style that i was going for. The feedback i got was also quite good as they said that i had good layout ideas, good magazine style and good name. overall i think it went very well and i have taken into account some the feedback for example i changed my colour scheme due to feedback saying that there were one too many colours.
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Example Magazines and Inspiration
All of these covers are very minimal and give you just the amount of information you want on the cover without making it look cluttered. This is the type of cover style i am aiming for however i don't want the cover to look too bare like the 'Vice' cover. I will need to experiment with different font sizes and text location to make it look minimal yet informative.
Colour Palette
Colour Palette:The colour palette i have chosen is the red, white and black. this colour scheme is quite common among magazines so i know it is one that works well. examples of magazines that use this are Q and NME.
My original colour palette was going to be red, white, purple and black however i soon changed this as the purple didn't fir in with the other colours swell as i had hoped.
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