Tuesday 10 July 2007

Adventures in the blog field

Having the last couple of days pretty much solidly in the world of the Blog (i'm at home and there's little else to do) and fiddling around running two computers from one moniter in order to get a few cds i've put together for a friend onto a computer which has the capability of burning cds. Fun stuff... Alos, small rooms with two computers get very hot...

In the mnidst of all this, though, i figured i might as well share a few of my favourites.

Firstly, a few quite funky, electro based mixes from the first cd,

Chromeo - My Girl Is Callin Me (Blaze's Extended Edit)

Feist - 1234 (Van She Technologic mix)

Meatboys - Fireworks (Punks Jump Up Mix)

The second disc travelled into more fidgit and tech based territories:

Simian Mobile Disco - 3 Pin Din

The Loose Cannons - Girls In Hats (Boy 8-bit's Linndrum Workout)

Final disc went a bit darker with a bit of minimal and dubstep and a bit of a mix of the two, i.e:

Audion - Fred's Bells

(unfortunately zshare keeps on telling me the Shackleton/Villalobos mix is too large even though it's well within their upload limits, gits. So the flipside of Audion's Noiser single it is)

Appleblim - Cheat 1

I'd also have to recommend to anyone who's a fan of dark, wobbly bass lines to check out the Plastician/Skream mix The Black Ghosts (Simon Lord (Ex-simian vocalist and also called in by James Ford and Jas Shaw to do vocals on new single I Beilieve) track, Some Way Through. Wasn't too sure at first, but the last listen i had made me decide that it is awesome, apparently Dubstep and Indie could be the new indie-electro. That'd be fucking rad.



So that's good...

As for up coming things to do, i highly recommend Checking out Dollop/Care In The Community presents:

Late Of The Pier
Bolt Action Five
Neon Plastix


Faley
Dollop
Care in the Community
+ more DJs

£4 on the door

Thursday 12th July @ The Old Blue Last (8-12pm)

I reckon it should be a good night, though i hear the Old Blue is disturbingly trendy.


Chuck.

X

Thursday 5 July 2007

Where's it gone?

Fun, that is. I always though the idea of this whole new-wave electro scene that 's emerged (i hate to use the term New-rave, i hope you sympathise) was supposed to to b a bit silly and fun., right? Yet it seems of late that everything is becoming a little serious, one might even go so far as to say competative...

So, in wanting to keep up with the fun side i've dug out some remixes of an upcoming band who, i feel, are firmly situated in the fun side of things by artists who are of a simialr mindset. The Teenagers, it can't be denied, are out to have a good time with such sleazyindie-electro love-ins some of us like to call songs, written seemingly, about, well, sex and good times.

Remixers i've found would be , the already blogged, Cleft Palettes and Sluttt as well as Bono Must Die (you have to love that nband, if for the name alone). All have done good mixes of The Teenagers single "Homecoming" which needs some fun remixes. Everyone (and i mean everyone) who seems to be down with this blogging lark messes around, playing the Passions remix which (no offence to Passions, who i love), let's face it, is a bit standard. Emergancy, phenomenal track, but the Homecoming remix feels to simialr to the original for my liking.

Bono Must Die take the opportunity to simply turn into into a more of a dancefloor friendly piece than the original, while Sluttt cuts it up a bit more, brings some attitude to it and cuts up the vocals and brands it with her grimey-elecrto style. Good stuff.

The Teenagers - Homecoming (Bono Must Die Doggystyle mix)


The Teenagers - Homecoming (Sluttt 98% done mix)


The Cleft Palettes mix has to be my favourite though for the simple fact that it's incredibly silly whilst being witty and quite clever at the same time. In their usual 8-bit style they take the track and make it sound awesomely NES-like, but it's with the vocals that they really win it. Completely re-recording and altering the vocals, they take a sly potshot at the scene that has sprung up over the last year or two. IIf you don't laugh, they're probably laughing at you, sorry.

The Teenagers - Homecoming (The Cleft Palettes mix)

And while we're on the topic of good 8-bit stuff, it's about time Crystal Castles got a mention. Having laid down one of the best Atlantis to Interzone mixes (along with Metronomy and Tapedeck) they've also put together a bunch of their own stuff (most notably "Air War" which was put out on the Digital Penration Vol. 1 album). New single "Knights" akes a slightly different direction, but is probably they're best track to date. Released on the Kitsune Maison 4 collection (pick it up, every track is ace, whereas i still feel that 3 had a number of duds on it) i'm not sure if it's getting asingle release or not. Keep you posted though.

Crystal Castles - Knights

And for a bit of fun, a liars remix. Anyone into that whole US art-punk scene should be a fan of liars. I don't think it's unreasonable to think of them as a sort of younger, bratty brother to Battles. Though they have now grown up somewhat and starting making incredibly wierd, beautiful music. Go get 'em. Anyhow, from Liars' third album:

Liars - It Fit When I Was A Kid (crystal Castles mix)



Take care,

Chuck

X

Monday 2 July 2007

Tales of the...

...well, perhaps not Jackalope (though maybe some... a bit later) but of a few comings and going in our world at the moment. University is officially over aside form the graduation ceremony later this month. So there is now some free time available though i fear it must be spent writing to people about work and looking for houses, though if any of it pays off i'm sure i won't be complaining!

Anyhow, making full use of some of this time i figured i'd go and see Late of the Pier playing with Mystery Jets at the Nottingham Social on Friday (29th June) followed up by dollop which Neon Plastix unfortunately had to pull out from. opening though were hotly tipped London fivesome Tinseltown who played a set of great set of tunes that came across as a healthy mix of indie and pop with a nice dose of synth thrown in for good measure. I think they only played about four or five tracks, but each one seemed to be better than the last. Definitely ones to keep an eye on over the coming months, go and see them if you get the chance as it's definitely worth it, and they're lovely people to top it all off. Late of the Pier played next, once Faley had found the rest of the band... and, well you know we love these guys, but once again they stormed the place playing a fantastic set even though most of the crowd could have done with a slap in the face for being criminally boring. New move of running Space and The Woods straight out of the previous tracks was a nice new move i didn't remember seeing on any previous occasions and favourites such as Random firl, Heartbeat, Flicker, Line and Bathroom Gurgle went down like like a glass of ice water after a week in the Sahara. I can't recomend these guys enough (sycophantic as it might be). Go see them "present" (i suppose this "we are putting this lot on") Bolt Action Five and Neon Plastix

Mystery Jets closed the night up after that and, i have to admit, i'd never really been much of a fan so wasn't overly exctited but stuck around anyway. An hour later, i was a fan. Showcasing new material from their yet to be released second album (and also playing with LOTP in their "home town" in return for playing with them in London the previous night). Shamefully, i couldn't name a single track (for previously stated reasons) but enjoyed the whol set immensely and can honestly sa i will be buying their album as soon as it's out, i figure you should too! In the mean time you'll have to "make do" with LOTP' second single, Bathroom Gurgle, which is, in no uncertain terms, shit hot. Released on August 20th, i think there are going to be a few more copies of this one than previous sinlge Space and the Woods so it shouldn't be quite as tricky to get hold of. Good news for everyone! You can find an old version of it...

Here --> LOTP - Bathroom Gurgle

but they have since been in the studio and reworked it and, frankly, it's now shit loads better, so start salivating at the prospect now. Or just go see 'em. Your choice.

Other new stuff i've found recently is the new mix from everyone's favourite remix artist, Dave Taylor/Switch/Solid Groove. I'm not entirely sure if this is out yet, but i think it is soon so go buy it as along with Bathroom Gurgle it's one of the better things to be released this year, Simian Mobile Disco's "I Believe" featuring vocals (i think...) Simon Lord (chances are i'm wrong), however, the old Simian vocalist now playing in the Black Ghosts. This time round Switch has taken his usual magic touch and turned it into "fidgit house" gold. Check it out.

Simian Mobile Disco - I believe (Switch mix)


Speaking of fidgit house, i'm not sure what to make of the term. It's always struck me as being a term Jesse Rose used once or twice in an offhand mannor that has got a little out of hand, perhaps in a similar way to "new-rave" and Klaxons throwing that term around a bit to it becoming an entire culture in it's own right, though it arguably still doesn't really mean anything.

Also new on the scene, well reasonably new anyway, is 19 year Brit Plimsouls who might just be, along with Kissy Sell Out, helping to head up an answer to the current domination of the market by Paris. His myspace site gives you the details about his (frankly, weird sound, life) so i won't bother. Do, however,check out his music as it's really quite something.

Plimsouls - The Hit

He's also done a remix of D.A.N.C.E. which he takes in a direction i've really heard anyone go in with the track so could be worth a look in just for that(though, of course, there's always the fact that it's quite good as well).

Anyhow, that's enough from me for now i reckon. Perhaps Dave will treat you to some wonderous insights in the next week, perhaps... I'm off to prepare for Fabric this Friday (The GLimmers, Guns n' Bombs/Alan Braxe and Kris Menace/Riton/Riotous Rockers/you say party we say die, how ace is that!) and LOTP presents... at the Old Blue Last. Should be good. Then come August we get (what did i tell you) Tales of the Jackalope, with Dizzee Rascal, 2manyDJs, Uffie/Feadz, LOTP, Neon Plastix, The Fall(!) amongst others, plus it's only 2o minutes from my house. I like this fact. Catch you later.

Chuck

X