Unveiling material from their forthcoming second album on the final date of a three-night run, the xx performed in front of visuals resembling the inside of a plasma globe, the kind you touch in science lessons to demonstrate the flow of energy through the body. If any band is an expert in the intricacies of bodily contact, it's the xx, whose self-titled debut spent most of its running time shirking the outer world to hide beneath the duvet, staring deep into another's eyes.

Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie xx's gentle but potent alchemy was one of the calling cards of The xx, a record that seemed so unique and significant that they couldn't (and shouldn't) hope to make it a second time. It's an album that undoubtedly soundtracked a lot of couplings at the time that have perhaps since disintegrated, a theme present in all of the new songs performed tonight bar one. But if there's been breakdowns in relationships, the band's sound has become fuller and more intricate in the process, most notably taking on elements of the style that Jamie xx has been honing with his solo work over the past couple of years-- and a palpable confidence. No one hid behind gallons of dry ice this evening.

"We're playing quite a lot of new songs-- I hope...

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He is expected to work with Jamie xx on the follow up to 2011's 'Take Care'

We premiere the new video for the 23-year-old Welsh musician's single on Push & Run

23-year-old Welsh singer and musician Ifan Dafydd returns this 2012 with a new outing on label Push & Run entitled ‘Treehouse’ and ‘To Me’, two pieces of richly textured songs with soaring strings and melodic pianos. Having previously chopped ‘n’ screwed Emeli Sande’s ‘Daddy’ and reworked Gang Colours, Dafydd was championed early on by the likes of Gilles Peterson, Huw Stephens, Sinden and Jamie xx, bringing him fast into the limelight. Here we premiere his new video alongside his recommendations...

Can you recommend...

... three new acts?
U.T.R.B, Sekuoia, Troy Gunner
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Photo by Eirik Lande

Update: This track is not entirely new-- it's an instrumental version of a remix of Rui Da Silva's "Touch Me" that he made with DJ Yasmin and aired during a BBC 6 Essential Mix last year.

This week, the label Young Turks guest-hosts the midday show on Australia's 94.5 FBi Radio. On yesterday's show, they premiered a new track from Jamie xx, called "Touch Me". It comes in at about the 49 minute mark in the above stream.

In early 2011, poets began setting their words to the sound of dubstep and electronica. Almost twelve months on, the signs are that poetronica is here to stay

It's hardly surprising the year is ending with news that dubstep heavyweight Skream is set for a musical collaboration with poet Jodi Ann Bickley. After all, 2011 was the year when spoken word and electronica joined forces, and will surely be remembered for poets putting down their notebooks and turning to the MPC.

The trend began back in February, with the late, great Gil Scott Heron and Jamie xx's We're New Here. The two forms have since made sweet, electro-infused music together, with poets embracing the jerky and sometimes downright jarring beats of dubstep and electronica.

Drums Between the Bells, Rick Holland's collaboration with Brian Eno, released on Warp Records back in July, was dubbed "poetronica" by critics and bloggers.

One of the most successful collaborations of the year came courtesy of Josh Idehen and electronica outfit LV, whose album Routes received rave reviews, an album of the month in Mixmag, and bookings at both poetry events and club nights. Idehen's lyrics were cut and chopped by LV, a fresh and somewhat backwards approach to production. The result is a fun and fast-paced album that Idehen describes as a "true collaboration": "Spoken word works with electronica. It can be a lot more accessible; there are less of the conventions found in hip-hop."

Poet Raymond Antrobus, part...

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'We're just about to start recording,' says Jamie xx

As the Milan-based designer launches his new web store, Dazed Digital celebrates with an exclusive fashion film

To celebrate the launch of his new web store, Brit designer Neil Barrett and Dazed Digital has joined forces to exclusively unveil a new film featuring model Andrej Pejic, music by Jamie XX, and styling by Dazed's very own Katie Shillingford. Barrett, who shows his uniform and often monochrome collections in Milan, is launching the web platform just in time to show case his current A/W11 season - seen here on Dazed Digital. The theme for his image, advertising and this ... article continues »
     
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The Milan-based designer launches his new web store today and celebrates with this Dazed Digital-exclusive film

To celebrate the launch of his new web store, Brit designer Neil Barrett and Dazed Digital has joined forces to exclusively unveil a new film featuring model Andrej Pejic, music by Jamie XX, and styling by Dazed's very own Katie Shillingford. Barrett, who shows his uniform and often monochrome collections in Milan, is launching the web platform just in time to show case his current A/W11 season - seen here on Dazed Digital. The theme for his image, advertising and this film, as the name indicates, is the grey sartorial area where the two genders mee... article continues »
     
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Does Drizzy have an Ivy League inferiority complex? On "Crew Love", one of the collaborations he did with the Weeknd for his forthcoming album Take Care, Drake talks about Harvard (he name-checked Yale on "Make Me Proud"): "I guess we'll never know what Harvard gets us/ But seein' my family have it all/ Took the place of that desire for diplomas on the wall." Maybe they'll give you an honorary degree if you ask politely, Aubrey?

Playing alongside the likes of Soul Clap, Tale of Us, and Shaun Reeves, Midland gives us a hint as to what he might drop with a selection of his current favourites

One of the many acts set to play Bristol's In:Motion series on the run up to 2012, Midland will be joining Soul Clap, Tale of Us, and Shaun Reeves this Halloween weekend for their Just Jack Halloween Party. Having invited down the likes of the Hessle Audio lot, NMBRS, Jamie XX to Bugged Out, Hospitality and Cocoon before, In:Motion's line-ups have always impressed. In light of his gig this week, Midland gives us a his latest Top Ten picks of favourite tracks of the moment and why they work for him...

MIDLAND TOP TEN

1. Patten - Blush Mosaic - No Pain in Pop

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