Remix Strategy

David Bowie is not a man one would expect to revel in the accidental. It is as much of a cliché to divine cold strategy in his every move as it is to pretend that strategy didn't exist for, say, Janis Joplin. For those preferring to see Bowie as a contortionist auto-Svengali, the main revelation of the reissued live albums David Live and Stage will be how unafraid of imperfections he could be. These panoramic snapshots of 1970s Bowie (David Live came out in 1974, with Stage following mere four years later) mostly sound surprise like a good rock band at work, not a collection of virtuoso day laborers supplicating at the feet of the Artiste.

Robert Luis is the founder, co-owner and A&R for Tru Thoughtshttp://www.tru-thoughts.co.uk the record label based in Brighton, England. He has worked with and introduced a whole host of acts into the musical world, signing Quantic, Bonobo, Belleruche and Alice Russell and releasing their debut albums, as well as signing the likes of Nostalgia 77, Werkha, Hidden Orchestra, Zed Bias, Moonchild, Anchorsong, Rhi, Rodney P, Wrongtom, Harleighblu, Flowdan, Lakuta and Hot 8 Brass Band.

Ultimate Prince is a 2006 greatest hits compilation album featuring the work of Prince. The two-disc set contains a disc of some previously released hits (some in single edit form; only "My Name Is Prince" has not been on a previous hits collection), and another of extended remixes of hits and a B-side, most of which have only been previously released as vinyl 12-inch singles.

‘Shapes: Pyramids’ is the latest in Tru Thoughts’ series of essential label compilations put together by A&R, label founder and renowned DJ Robert Luis. After 22 years of independently releasing music, the ‘Shapes’ LPs continue to encompass the best of our wide-ranging and international roster; including established Tru Thoughts acts such as Anchorsong, The Seshen, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, J-Felix, Rhi and Flowdan and newer signings including Hemai, MELONYX, Anushka, Crafty 893 and Tiawa. Featuring the finest of Tru Thoughts’ recent releases and inspired remixes alongside exclusive unreleased offerings, ‘Shapes: Pyramids’ is released digitally on 3rd September.

Joe Strummer once claimed that the Clash had stardom in their hands, then they dropped it on the floor and broke it. Pearl Jam took the opposite tact: they purposely left stardom behind. Nirvana may have ushered in the age of grunge and alternative rock, but Pearl Jam were the biggest band in the land during the first half of the '90s, dominating radio airwaves, MTV, and college dorms alike. Most bands would have embraced such widespread acclaim, but the quintet bristled at this vein, and started to restlessly explore new musical territory, a move that eventually whittled their fan base down to just the hardcore by the beginning of the next decade.

One of the quintessential '80s teen pop stars, Tiffany transformed her massive early success into an enduring career as a working musician and pop culture fixture decades later. She helped shape the sound of late-'80s pop music with the hit singles "I Think We're Alone Now" and "Could've Been" and her quadruple-platinum self-titled 1987 full-length, which made her the youngest female artist to top the Billboard chart with a debut album. Tiffany's success was also influential: not only did she give mega-popular boy band New Kids on the Block a boost at the beginning of their career, but the shopping-mall performances that kick-started her rise became a promotional strategy later used by Britney Spears and Taylor Swift.

Joe Strummer once claimed that the Clash had stardom in their hands, then they dropped it on the floor and broke it. Pearl Jam took the opposite tact: they purposely left stardom behind. Nirvana may have ushered in the age of grunge and alternative rock, but Pearl Jam were the biggest band in the land during the first half of the '90s, dominating radio airwaves, MTV, and college dorms alike. Most bands would have embraced such widespread acclaim, but the quintet bristled at this vein, and started to restlessly explore new musical territory, a move that eventually whittled their fan base down to just the hardcore by the beginning of the next decade.