Wednesday 31 December 2008

2009

Is upon us at last, here to get rid of this fairly shit year that has been 2008. Summed up, unfortunately by:




When a year summed up by:



would have been a lot nicer. Though it was close, for me anyway.


Despite the fact that it brought us great albums from the likes of Late Of The Pier, Hot Chip, Foals, Vampire Weekend, Rolo Tomassi, Fucked Up, These New Puirtans, Crystal Castles, Friendly Fires, Metronomy, some brilliant fabric comps from Luciano, Ame and more, The Death Set and a fairly average one from MGMT with sme stupendous moments. amongst the many more i've forgotten down to alcohol abuse and a terrible memory bordering on brain damaged.

As there have already been a slew of end of year "best of..." lists flying around i really can not be bothered to spend the time on one as per last year which took me fucking hours (around 5 of them, no lie). So just a few categories that i feel like with a winner for each.

Firstly:

Weirdest sight of the year:

Watching a drunk dwarf singing a cheesy commercial house single into the microphone to Pink Eyes on stage in the middle of a Fucked Up gig in The Barfly in Camden.


Band person i am most in love with:


Alice from Crystal Castles. If you've seen them live you'll know.


Best gig:

Rolo Tomassi album launch at The Old Blue Last In September. 250 people crammed into an 80 odd capacity room, all going mental to one of the best bands around at the moment. Then a long after party all night, all over London resulting in crawling home at 7:30 am on a Tueday morning. Oh, and Rage Against The Machine at reading was so good i cried. Again, that's not a lie.

Worst thing:

Well, it's not the worst, but it's what i'm putting. Not getting a full time job so being ridiculously poor for the last few months. And having a friend in and out of l'hopital too much recently. That sucked.

Best thing:

Getting KiD COLA played on Radio 1 by Kissy Sell Out. Not bad!


Nicest people:

Probably Youth Attack, closely followed by Urchins. Although Andy George and most of the Lincoln crew seem ridiculously sound as well.

Best musical thing:


Foamo's Mystery Jets remix doesn't get old. I seemingly can't get of enough of Juri Hulkkonen's mix of This Boy's In Love either. And seeing KiD COLA's Secret Machines Remix get the reception it did was pretty special to.


Best thing in 2009:

Is definitely going to be KiD COLA. Watch out.

And to see you in to the new year... how about some odd minimal stuff?

Minilogue - Jamaica

Massive Attack - Teardrop (Minilogue Remix)


I think i'm going to be at 333 with Trevor Loveys, Mowgli, Hijack, We Have Band, You Love Her Cuz She's Dead and many more tonight, so if you're around come and say hi. Though i'll also be paying fleeting visits to Brixton Academy for Operahouse and The Old Blue Last for Youves (Mirror!Mirror!) and Rolo Tomassi. And possibly Gash Vs. Skill Wizard... Deary me.


Happy 2009 to all.


Love,

James.

Xxx

P.S. Another big shout out Kissy Sell Out for the KiD COLA support.

Saturday 20 December 2008

Frankmusik



So, we've heard of Frankmusik, right? Frankly (no pun intended), it has been pretty hard to investigate new music or gig line-ups, or even walk around London without seeing his name pop up somewhere, be it on blogs, on posters, at gigs or even in the broadsheets. He as been consistently listed as one of the most exciting up and coming producers the country has to offer.

Now, I have been criminally ignoring him until a couple weeks ago when my friend KiD COLA rang me up to say that Frankmusik had sent him a message to let him know that he (KiD) was his new favourite artist of the moment. I figured that was pretty cool since he was quite a big name, but i wasn't familiar with the music. So i wandered home after dinner and pulled up his myspace page. It was here that i found myself quite shocked that it had taken me this long to get around to listening to the young chap, as his productions turn out to be simply delightful pieces of alternative pop which deserve nothing less than to be heard by everyone and need to HUGE!

Check out this little gem you can hear on his myspace page:

Frankmusik - Vacant Heart

I hope you enjoy it as much as i do. And if you're in Scotland, it might almost be worth paying the ticket cost for that Keane gig to catch him in support.



James.


X

Disco Wizards


Scotland seems to be having a nice surge in musical productions these days, what with the likes of Hostage hammering out massive tunes from up North. This is a good thing as it makes up for us having had to put up with the likes of The View for the last few years.

Fresh out of Perth, Disco Wizards are two young gentlemen still in full time education, but still managing to produce mind-bending electro around this bothersome time constriction.

Hopefully we shall be hearing much more from these two in the new year!


Disco Wizards - Discoteq

Disco Wizards - Fuck Up Do Well


Love,

J.

X

Tuesday 16 December 2008

Steed Beats




It would seem that Jack Beats remix of Steed Lord has finally been shot out on the promo lists. It's also good. Very good. Not massively surprising, but then.. you know what you're getting with Jack Beats; top quality house with massively squelchy bass. And we like it a lot!

I have to say, i haven't seen these guys play since we had them at Voodoo back in August, but they were incredible then and have most likely only got better since, so go hunt down over the festive period for some low end fun.

Steed Lord It's What U Do 2 Me (Jack Beats Remix)

Boom.

J.

X

Wednesday 10 December 2008

Trouble And Bass take on Fat!



Yep, Baobinga has been getting dirty with Drop the Lime's NYC crew and has had the interesting result below:

Drop The Lime - I Love New York (Baobinga's Fucked Up Like Woah Mix)

Frankly, it pretty nasty. I recommend it.

James.

X

Monday 8 December 2008

Acid Alphabet



As promised, KiD COLA has delivered us his first exclusive mix in the last few minutes so i'm now putting it up for all of you lovely people Any feedback is welcome.

It has a healthy mix of pop, electro and bass, all delivered with dexterity and funk. Get down!

KiD COLA's Acid Alphabet Mix

Hope you like.


James.

X

I Love Cambridge and Texas



My boy KiD COLA has come out with another slamming remix, time round of Crystal Fighters' "I Love London" and it's pretty grubby.

Using a cocktail of vocals and percussion and general quirks from the original combined with his gritty, crunching bass and trademark drum build ups, it is a progression on the slightly more traditional format of the previous output.

Check it:

Crystal Fighters - I Love London (KiD COLA Remix)



Bird Peterson has been doing his thing slightly off my radar recently, but is coming back with his first UK tour in February and with new material that sounds absolutely massive! Check this bass loaded monstrosity for hints at what to expect when he's over.

Bird Peterson - Shooked

Catch him a Chew The Fat! at Corsica Studios on 6th February with Fake Blood, Foamo, Zomby, A1 Bassline and more! Can't reeeeaaaally afford to miss that line up, can you?

You can pick up a brand new mix which, frankly, is getting my feet itchy for that Corsica Studios' dancefloor already, right here and exclusively:

Bird Peterson's exclusive UK tour mix



Out.

James.

X

Friday 5 December 2008

Shoes...



I always have a problem getting shoes. I'm telling you, size 12 feet are a nightmare, i always just end up getting eleven's and wincing until they stretch out. Anyhow, enough tenuous linking and onto to my main point.

Little Boots.

Stuck On Repeat was good right? As Was the Fake Blood mix. Oh yes. Well, she has (what i believe is) a new track entitled "Every little Earthquake" which, frankly, is a piece of pop genius. I honestly think it might be the best piece of straight up pop music i have heard all year. It shows a maturity and songwriting ability which i always felt was lacking in Dead Disco, but is on full show now she has gone all solo!

See what you think.

Little Boots - Every Little Earthquake



And that aside i have mix of deep house and bangers i want to put up but haven't got the energy to write in depth about, not that you'd read it anyway. Ha.

Foals - Red Socks Pugie (Henrick Schwarz Remix)

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Ewan Pearson Remix)

Vitalic - The 30, 000 ft Club

Japanese Popstars - Electronic Poet

Guns n' Bombs - Riddle Of Steel


Out.

James.

X

Taste Pimpin'



So, have we all had enough of this new wave of French Touch and electro? Well, i guess the answer is probably no, judging by how popular the whole thing still seemingly is, and by the fact that youngsters such as Surkin and Bobmo keep maturing into better and better producers. Oh, and old mentalists like Mr. Oizo continue to toss out glamourously futuristic tracks way ahead of their time that are, probably, genius (especially when he has the gall to name them Gay Dentists or Bruce Willis Is Dead
). However, it seems the bass heavy thing is catching on, as France's rather popular and rather good Mustard Pimps will testify. They do the whole fidget thing with aplomb, and are very nice chaps to boot. Big, grimey tracks with slamming beats and pounding bass. I like. Oh, and if that's not enough, one of their songs is called Zombie Revenge. Fucking sold! So, get in on the free for all!

1)Designer Drugs - Zombies!
2)Jackinori - Bad boi J'Taime
3)Jeff Doubleu - Back Again (Original Mix)
4)Sound Of Stereo - Evil Panda
5)A1 Bassline Vs Dean Tynan - Pussy
6)Stereoheroes - Washout (Ill St M remix)
7)Jason Sparks - Oublie Moi (Charlie Fanclub rmx)
8)Mustard Pimp Ft. A Girl & A Gun - Beetle Gum
9)Tits & Clits - Dan
10)A1 Bassline - Bad Man Horror Theme
11)Mustard Pimp - Oh la la Satan
12)The Quemists Ft. Wiley - Dem Na Like (A1 Bassline rmx)
13)Mustard Pimp vs Stereoheroes - Shark Spray
14)Rex The Dog - Bubblicious (Congorock remix)
15)Clazziquai Project - Prayers (Shinichi Osawa Remix)
16)Bondo Do Role - Geremia (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)
17)Mustard Pimp - RER D (Villeneuve Triage Edit)




-Mustard Pimp - Oh la la Satan


-Mustard Pimp - Zombie Revenge


-Mustard Pimp - Oh La La Satan (Stereoheroes Remix)


-Stereoheroes -Washout(Mustard Pimp remix)


James.

X

Monday 1 December 2008



SO, Sinden's remix of this 2008 classic is finally on the shelves for you to pick out at a time of your choosing. I recommend doing it now before every other blog picks up on the pairing of these two hype machine favourites.

That's right, here is Sinden's re-work of Township Funk.


Mujava - Township Funk (Sinden Remix)

I'll let you make up your own thoughts on it, does it work, woesn't it? You decide.


This, however, is definitely wobbly as fuck! But what wuld you expect from Trouble and Bass All Stars. AC Slater takes on remixing duites of Hear Me, from Drop The Lime's Recent "Hear Me EP", Just thik of the low end possibilities, AC Slater's trademrk distorted synth/bass sound couple with DTL's bass wobbles, like Rolf Harris if he used synths instead of a board and wasn't on a par with Noel Edmounds

Drop The Lime - Hear Me (AC Slater Remix)


Also, i've just noticed that, on Hype Machine, there are a lot of blogs out there who clearly have a loose grasp on English and have mistaken Ewan Pearson's remix of Hot Chips "Touch Too Much" for one of "Hold On" which does not exist. Switch remixed Hold ON, and it's... ok. Wonky as hell, but not amazing. Stick to the Hideaway edit for the time being.

Oh, and this is a bit good. Finally Udachi does something i genuinely like.

Jason Tyler - Run Around (Udachi Remix)

Out,

James.


X

Sunday 30 November 2008

MIND DIMENSION!



Hey people. Quick one to drop of a new remix. You know about Youth Attack by now i assume, as they're pretty much the hottest thing off the blocks in electro right now. With Erol himself even listing their remix of Digitalism's Taken Away as one of his top November tracks. Not too bad.

So, this time, they've taken on Tiga's rather awesome in the first place, Mind Dimension and... made it rather awesome. Word on the street is that a copy is inside Boy Noize' cd wallet and so you'll be likely to hear it in upcoming sets. However, why not check it here first?

Tiga - Mind Dimension (Youth Attack 'Kill The Rhythm' Remix)

Enjoy that.

James.

Xx

Sunday 16 November 2008

The End on Friday



Was a bit mental. Hosting room two was rather good fun and Mowgli and Kanji Kinetic both killed it and turned out to be fucking great guys as well. Good times. Mowgli's set was, as expected, a very house-y affair, the track selection wasn't, as he dived in and out of straight up house to massive jacking tunes via the odd cheesy classic somehow fitting in nicely and bringing a big grin to everyone's faces. Whereas Kanji's set brought the bass. No two ways about, he jacked out all kinds of bass heavy material from big house rollers to disturbingly wonky dubstep bangers through to his own brand of nastiness that seemingly incorporates elements of house and dubstep. Intense. Big shout out to the Fat! crew for being generally great guys.

All the while, of course, the main room was going off to the sounds of sets fro Hijack, Paul "Trouble" Arnold and SebastiAn (who even took time out his schedule to drop The Strokes) and a good time was had by all i think.

Fucking up the tube journey and not getting home for nearly three hours, and it was nearly 10 am by the time i got to sleep... Woohoo... That was less cool.

Anyway, having managed to get a copy of this to Thick As Thieves on the night I feel it's only fair to pass it onto you lovely people as, frankly, it's good.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix)

Bye bye,


James

X

Friday 14 November 2008

Chew The Fat! and voodoo hook up, and tear The End apart.



That's right, us humble little Voodoo folks are gaining larger aspirations, starting off by collaborating with Chew The Fat! for their final ever night at The End before moving on to bigger things and the line up is a bit a banger. Chew The Fat! have gone all out and have not only brought out one of the most inventive and recognisable French producers since Daft Punk and Mr. Oizo, SebastiAn, as well as jacking house stormers Hijack, but have even pulled out the man behind it all, Paul "Trouble" Arnold for a massive, roof-raising set. And don't forget Kid Blue, CTF!'s legendary resident will, without fail, play a set that will take elements from the night, and do something completely different with the, keeping kids dancing whether it's the start, end or middle of the night.



Across the hall way, in the lounge, we like to think we've cooked up quite a treat too, with Southern Fried's rising star o the house scene, Mowgli headlining and liable to destroy the place with some ridiculous house bangers. In the spirit of the night, we also roped in Merka AND Gella, Fat! records own superstars in the making and both with albums out in the next month or so, soooo, yes, that means we're hosting Mowgli and TWO album launches, and for the icing on the cake we've roped in South London's Kanji Kinetic who's records are becoming staple plays on Mary Anne Hobbs' groundbreaking Radio 1 show alongside having tunes put out by Drop The Lime's NYC imprint, Trouble & Bass. I predict his low end bass wobbles to pull walls down before the night is out. Oh, and Voodoo hosts and residents Thick As Thieves will be opening up proceedings from 22:00 - 00:00 as well. Not bad.

Isn't that exciting. Yes yes.

Um, so in the spirit of things, here's Thick As Thieves new mix for November. I like it, a lot. ranging from jacking electro through to some darker house with strong ech influnces via, you guessed it, disco, the track listing looks as follows:

1. Digitalism - Taken Away (Youth Attack! Remix)
2. Les Rythmes Digitales - From: Disco To: Disco
3. Mr. Oizo - Positif (Original Mix)
4. Beni - my love sees you
5. Secret Machines - Atomic Heels (KiD COLA Remix)
6. Action Man - Zombie Dance
7. ZZT - The Worm (Original Munich Version)
8. Zombie Nation - Forza (Housemeister remix)
9. Digitalism - Home Zone (Proxy Remix)
10. Shadow Dancer - Soap
11. DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano (Joakim Remix)
12. Golden Bug - Looklooklook (Inflagranti Remix)
13. Kenneth Bager - Fragment Seven (Les Fleurs) (Jesse Rose Remix)
14. Style Of Eye - Ona
15. Dusty Kid - The Kitten

And the mix is here:

Thick As Thieves November Mix



Oh, and don't forget to come along and see a very rare appearance in the capital by house and fidget maestro, Jesse Rose at the Last Days Of Decadence on Friday, 21st November.

Wednesday 12 November 2008

Oh Shit!




So Oh Snap! has dropped a new track with some remixes beginning to do their rounds on the blog accumulators.

This is one that'll will make much sense to my Uni friends, but it's also one that i didn't really feel i could pass up on writing about.

It's nothing groundbreaking. Just Oh Snap! doing his simple but weirdly catchy lo-fi electro thing with some, frankly, faintly weird lyrics over the top, this time featuring Jen Lasher as well.

So check it out.

Oh Snap! - My Name Is Chuck

Oh Snap! - My name Is Chuck (DJ Techics Remix)

Oh Snap! - My Name Is Chuck (Bass Weazel Remix)

Out,


James

X

Adventures of Plastic Cowboys in London and Amsterdam





Righto, so i've been a busy young man for the last month or so to the point where i haven't even managed to sleep at home for that whole period. Nice.



Part of the reason for this was my last minute trip out to ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) which has rapidly become one of the most important conferences for dance music in the world. Go Amsterdam. I left, after about an hours sleep straight off the back of October's Voodoo, for Heathrow at about five am and crawled into the hotel by lunchtime. A quick change and it was straight out to the conference where i met many wonderful and interesting characters and old friends of my sister's. Fun afternoon. The evening was spent in a pub around the corner from the hotel hammering in a lot of port and a few beers before heading to Melkveg (a club), where we caught a bit of Tommie Sunshine slamming out Fake Blood's "Mars" before heading up to the balcony for Crookers' set. It turns out, Crookers are amazing. AMAZING. I've never seen anything like the set they played. The floor was filled with about one thousand crazy dutch people going seven shades of ba shit to to set that was filled with banger after banger after banger after... well, you get the idea. By the time the Soulwax mix of MGMT drops, the balcony is bouncing and feels like it like it wants to come away from the wall, and everyone is leaning out so far, arms aloft, it looks as though we may end up in the crowd even if the balcony did stay attached to it fastenings.

The Proxy's "Raven" builds to a peak and not log after their remix of Kid Cudi's "Day N' Night" drops in and it was as though the mix was built for that specific moment in time, it never has, and never will, sound anything like it did at that moment ever again. As the set closes, we come to realise that Digitalism have no hope of competing with such a set so we leave to go and catch a touch of... something i've completely forgotten. no doubt they were famous and great though.

Oh yes, and we went to see Richie Hawtin and Justin Martin play a show in a small K-Swiss store. Bizarre. Free drinks was a bonues though, and half the people there thinking i was Richie Hawtin, despite the abundance of magazines with his face on littered around most of central Amsterdam at this point. Again, bizarre.

So, that was an exciting little trip which took a few days holed up in Cambridge to recover from. Thanks to those who know who they are.

Then i was ill for a good solid week. That sucked. A lot. But i got better in time to go and see Invasion, Rolo Tomassi and Fucked Up at the Barfly i Camden last Thursday. And,as usual, all three bands were awesome.



Invasion hammer out their set of groove infused, sludgy psychedelic Thrash. I think i can definitely hear an Iron Monkey influence in a part that is simply labeled "Riff" and i'm pretty happy. You don't get much better than Iron Monkey.



Rolo Tomassi do their thing with, perhaps a little less than, their usual panache as guitarist Joe trips and lands in a mess of cables and drums within thirty seconds of their opening track. Film Noir and Cirque De Funk are still my favourite songs of the set (due to a noticeably absent "Curby") though one can not deny the prowess of the new material. A special band to be watched as they continue to grow and amaze over the years.



What can I say about Fucked Up that hasn't been said. After their twelve hour set in NYC the other week (including performing Ramones' tracks with Moby an Descendants' tracks with Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend, i kid you not)they are back in the UK and give a typical showcase, though h=i finally see blood from Pink Eyes' head and hear the backing harmonies on "David Comes To Life", goody! And there's never anything quite like getting so up close and personal with an incredibly hairy, overweight bald man. Oh no.


And for a little bit of music for this post, i'm going to start with Youth Attack's mix of Digitalism's Taken Away. So good Erol's jammed it on his personal playlist already. Go Youth Attack. We love you.

Digitalism - Taken Away (Youth Attack Remix)

And then some Juri Hulkkonen who i'm rather digging at the moment. Quite deep house and techy, whilst kind of feeling rooted in electro at the same time. I'm confused, but i like it.

Kid Cudi - Day N' Night (Juri Hulkkonen Remix)

The Presets - This Boy's In Love (Juri Hulkkonen Remix)

And Finally, Lillica Libertine, Nottingham's favourite son, has a new project he is wokin on with a friend under the name of Hotline. It's still very much electro, but from a very different angle to his previous works. It's much more funky and much less like the aural equivalent of getting glass in you eyes.

Hercules And Love Affair - Blind (Hotline remix)

Have fun,



James

X

Monday 10 November 2008

Secret Machines



To give this November a good kick start we have fresh material from Cambridge's new star on the block, KiD COLA who has remixed Secret Machines' Atomic Heels in to a mixture of upbeat and atmospheric strings and low end wobbly synths that threaten to tear the dancefloor to pieces along with your bowls. Not too shabby really. So get involved and share the filth.

Secret Machines - Atomic Heels (KiD COLA Remix)



Other than that, come rock out the Voodoo, sebastiAn and Mowgli this Friday or with Voodoo, Jesse Rose and Matt Walsh on the 21st.

Yeah.

James.

X

Tuesday 4 November 2008

Jesse Rose

Yoyo, so let's see how you feel about the line up for our next little night, once again at brand spanking new Shoreditch venue, Last Days Of Decadence.



Headlining this event we have a pretty exlusive and incredibly special set from this months IDJ cover artist, Jesse Rose. The Godfather of the so called "Fidget House" scene, even presiding over Dave "Switch" Taylor and let's face it, that is no mean feat considering the level of Switch's productions over the last couple of years whilst Jesse has been surprisingly quiet.

However, with a new wave of production on the way out, including the rather excellent "Take It To The Club" with Action Man (AKA Herve) and Forget My name featuring the boys from Hot Chip he looks set to become the shining star of the House scene he was always destined to be, IDJ's cover piece reading, "The jet set story of a new house heavyweight."
This man, now based out in Berlin, a strong influence in his musical style, plays in the UK only rarely these days so take the opportunity to explore a fantastic new venue to the rare treat of Jesse Rose back in the capital.



Having shared bills with everyone from Tiga and Erol Alkan to Carl Craig and Ivan Smagghe via Klaxons and Dixon (Innervisions) Matt Walsh is Turbo Recordings superstar DJ in the making and our other special guest this fine November. Snapped up by Tiga after doing his thing in T-Bar a little while ago Matt Walsh has proven himself to be one of the best DJs the country has to offer. Alongside this Matt has also taken to producing under the name Clouded Vision alongside Steve Cook, see Bordinki's and Moby's recent 12" singles on Turbo for some of their more recent remix work. You will not regret it.



Alongside this we'll have the usual riotous, party starting set from Residents and Hosts Thick As Thieves.

All this on November 21st for only six of you English pounds, or five on the lovely cheaplist.

Do let us know if you might be interested.

Here's some interesting new material from la Mode they passed over the other day. See what you make of it.

La Mode - Bluebird

la Mode - Rays


Out,

James.


X

Monday 20 October 2008

VOOOOOOOODOOOOOOO!!!!!







Is back with it's first installment since host venure The Last Days Of Decadence opened it's doors in an official capacity. So, i celebration of this occasion we thought we'd pull together a spectacular line up, the likes of which the venue has never dreamed.



First up, the headliner. Duke Dumont. 'Nuff said, right? Well, i might as well remind you that he won the Diesel U-Music awards electronic category in 2006, pipping David E. Sugar to the post, kick starting his career. He has since gone on to become one of the most respected producers in the UK house scene having material put out by the likes of seminal lables such as Dubsided (Dave 'Switch" Taylor's label) and Turbo (Tiga's). Really, 'Nuff said.



Playing alongside this young gentlemen will be Portugal's Photonz. These guys are picking up support from the likes of Erol Alkan and Riton and are about to unleash a frenzied tour on an unsuspecting UK public who are going to, quite simply,lap up every messy second of their tech-infused assault. Bang.



You can look forward to seeing Bendict of Skull Juice fame. If you don;t know these two by now you must have been living in some kind of box in a stupid place as these are one of the biggest duos on the London scene right now and have been for over a year now. Get involved.



We also have upcoming producer Louis La Roche, perhaps currently best known for being mistaken for Thomas Bangalter with his debut internet track but has since proved his worth in his own right with more recent productions and his Night Facilities work as well. Expect big things.



Also spinning for your listening and dancing pleasure are Steve V Something who runs Bournemouth's rather fantastic "We Are Your Friends" night (check out their up coming Block party line up. It is BIG), residents and legends Thick As Thieves, the lovely Lost In Paris ladies.


Interested? You fucking should be! Haha, but seriously, it promises to be our best party yet, and when you consider our parties have consisted of Justice popping in to hang out, Erol Alkan dropping by and spinning a tune or too for no good reason other than he's a true legend and Late of the Pier drinking along side (not to mention Jack Beats hammering the place to a pulp with pulsating bass and Andy George and Foamo playing early London shows for us), i think this speaks volumes.

Hope to see you there, and contact me if you want to com and would like some guestlist action or want any more info.

Oh, and have some 'Roche while you're at it.

Louis La Roche - Get On Down

Louis La Roche - Love


Love,



James.

X

Monday 13 October 2008

I'm Half in Love with...



... Mystery Jets as they seem to be one of those bands that are prime for remixing. My main reason for this viewpoint is that there are so many great remixes of their material, from the old (Justice doing their thing) to the recent (The shoes tinkering with Young Love and Switch demolishing Hideaway).

And then there is the new. Half In Love with Elizabeth has had some interesting remixes from the likes of Delorean, but it's Foamo's version that will go down as the best. I can't rate this man's production highly enough. While i suppose it's easiest to just lump him in with the new wave of fidget producers I, personally, think he's bringing much more to the table. This being a prime example. It seems as though, at 21, Foamo is here to stay.

Mystery Jets - Half In Love With Elizabeth (Foamo Remix)


Out,

J.

X

Sunday 12 October 2008

Sunday Night Tunes




It's been a long weekend and i don't have the energy to write much, suffice to say Chew The Fat's 11th birthday went off with a bang, and Duke Dumont, Kid Blue and rogue Element all smashed it. As did Stopmakingme and Riton at 333, for Last One In's a Rotten Egg last night (seriously, you want to be checking this night, hosted by Jac the Disco, out huge line ups every month and consistently packing out the place (previous guests include Brodinski, Yuksek, Jean Nipon, Andy George, Skull Juice, Midfield General and more of that caliber)). Very, very cool.



This has, of course, resulted in minimal amounts of sleep since Thursday and my brain feels very wonky indeed, but here's a couple of fun Sunday evening tunes anyhow.

The Streets - Let's Push Things Forward (Hostage Remix)

Will Smith - Miami (Laidback Luke Remix)


And don;t forget to check out the next Voodoo in two weeks time on October 24th. We have Duke Dumont, Photonz (first ever UK gig, having garnered support from Bloggers Delight and Erol Alkan, Louis La Roche and Ben from Skull Juice plus more! Noice.


Best,

J.


Xxx


p.s. this is ammusing, i think:

Friday 26 September 2008

Hysterics!




So, Rolo Tomassi unleashed their debut album on, what i suspect was a predominantly unsuspecting public and in celebration of this we were treated to a free show at The Old Blue Last in shoreditch, with support from the ghost frequency and Mirror!Mirror!

Um, best show ever? Well, not quite but, fuck me, it was up there.

Opening the proceedings are Nuneaton's own Mirror!Mirror! who are amazing and, almost certainly the only good thing to have ever come out of the delightful Midlands town... Smashing through tracks such as "My brain is Jassive" and "Wolfgang Bang" they get the eager crowd dancing from the off, ballroom style for half the gig, while guitarists Mike and Alex thrash out angular punk in the midst of the audience and vocalist Broads hangs from the lighting equipment. Once again, awesome.

I have to confess to missing The Ghost Frequency in order to catch up with an old friend, so have little to say o that front. Meaning i'm still o decide whether they're actually good or just another over hyped band with tattoos. Time will tell.



Rolo Tomassi... well, Rolo Tomassi tear the place apart. With an official capacity of eighty, the small upstairs room that acts as the live music centre of the pub was crammed with a good TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY people. Yummy. Anyhow, they proceed to slam out some hefty cuts from the brilliant new album, Hysterics, but not before the entire room has managed to sing keyboardist James a round of Happy Birthday (it being his 20th on the day). Through the cousre of the set we sea little else but chaos. aconstant stram of crowdsurfers and stagedivers swarm past (for once, it seems deeply apporpriate and even i have no qualms with it), Joe dry humping his bass, a bit more madness, bruising, genius and some of the most fun i've ever had bent over the front of a stage...




Then, the encore. possibly the bands two most classic tracks, Film Noir and Curby. Film Noir rips the last of the room to pieces in its 1:50 of blind franticness before curby stamps its bloody remains into the room below along with a massive stage invasion 9as far as a stage invasion can be "massive" in The Old Blue...).


Frankly, if you weren't there, oops. Gigs like that only happen in their handfulls every year or two.

Rolo Tomassi - Film Noir

Rolo Tomassi - Curby


J.

x

Wednesday 24 September 2008

Andy Caldwell




Fresh from having been remixed by the likes of Claude Von Stoke and Trentemoller (reckon you've heard of them), Andy Caldwell is back with his latest slice of electronic goodness in the form of "Freq Nasty", a rather jacking piece of electro i'm expecting to hear in many a respectable DJ set throughout the rest of the year.

Not only has he been spending time working on his next album, which is going to be BIG, he's also somehow found the time to set up his own label, Uno Recordings which will allow him greater range to explore his apparent talent for scouting out massive tracks and hot artists. You can grab a copy of it here, or any of the other releases from this new label.

Andy Caldwell - Funk Nasty


Out,

J.

Sunday 21 September 2008

ATTACK!




The area around Leeda (Harrogate, to be more specific) is stamping it's name on the elecro map right now through the marvels of Youth Attack and their rather brutal take on the common remix. Having already produced beautifully loud mixes for the likes of Late Of the Pier, Foals and Shadowdancer (some of which have already been covered on these very pages) they are rapidly making a name for themselves across the country and are inevitably only going to continue down this path to fame and excellence as the 2009 gets under way.

Not only this, but having played with Mr. Flash of Ed Banger fame over the weekend, thy impresed so much that Mr. Flash has requested the track for his own use around the world for devastating dancefloors and Ed Rec parties. Which is pretty ace really. Despite a lack of output in recent months you can still rely on Ed Banger to host a massive party.

Oh, and if you ever happen to be in their neck of the woods, it couldn't hurt to have a gander at their new night, Kill The rhythm, which over the course of two evening already boasts guests such as Ocelot, Matt Payne, Thick As Thieves as well as Youth Attack themselves.

So get involved, while there's still room on the dancefloor for their sets.


Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go (Youth Attack & Popcop Remix)







Other than that, i'm rather keen on these at the moment as well.

AC Slater - Poison

Pretty sure AC Slater is going to be the next massive thing to come out of the bass influenced house scene. This is why.

And, for a change, this rather mellow piece from Jeffrey Lewis which has some of my favourite lyrics of recent times.

Jeffrey lewis - Don't be Upset


Hope that's nice for you.



Love,



J.

X

Mujava!




Sounds like something out of the Lion King, eh? You know, the it where the Hyenas are trying to scare each over hissing, "Mustaffa!" at each other. Great film.

Anyhow, i know his tune Township Funk is getting on n age a little bit, but it seems to be getting a lot of airtime all of a sudden. Probably because it's ace, Electrorash even went so far as to call it the best tune ever. I think tht might be the kind of over-enthusiasm i'm prone to when i hear things that excite me a lot, such as the Soulwax mix of MGMT (though i still stand by that being ace and if you disagree... wel, more fool you. You know who you are).

Mujava has produced one of those tunes that has a ridiculously hooky synth melody that will get lodged inside your brain and have you humming it all day. Repeatedly. Probably for months.

I don;t know much about him, other than he's South African, awesome and has Township Funk coming out on Warp Records soon, i think.

DJ Mujava - Township Funk

I like this Fake Blood track, and i've found oddly hard to track down on the 'net. So here it is for anyone else who's been missing out.

Fake Blood - Blood Splashing (Fake Blood Theme)



Later,



J.

Xx

Tuesday 16 September 2008

Badlands Kik Bak



badlands have hit us up with a shiny copy of their brand new mix hot off the press. And... it's an absolute banger. With new tracks from Lincoln's Urchins as well as Mighty Fools, Merka and Gella alongside huge remixes from Soulwax, Mumdance, Fucking Zombies, Ocelot, Popof and Scott Cooper, frankly it was always going to be loud, offensive and generally sonically awesome.

Badlands September 2008 Mix


Tracklist


1. Pirate Robot Midget – ‘Hey France’ [Big Splash]

2. Gella – ‘Chi Kaa Chi Koo (Scott Cooper Remix)’ [Fat!]

3. Mighty Fools – ‘We Want’ [PottyMouth]

4. DJ Rush – ‘Mother f**king Bass (Popof Remix)’

5. Maelstrom vs Mc Youthstar – ‘The Beat Police (Is This House Mix)’ [Katorza]

6. Evil Nine – ‘All The Cash (Mumdance Remix)’ [Marine Parade]

7. Disco Of Doom – ‘The Click (F**cking Zombies Remix)’ [Passenger]

8. Merka – ‘Back Home (Chewy Chocolate Cookies)’ [Fat!]

9. Muse – ‘Knights Of Cydonia (Ocelot Remix)’

10. The MPI Project – Here I Am (Twocker Sniper Remix) [Sheer Music]

11. MSTRKRFT – ‘Vuvuvu’ [Dim Mak]

12. Chemical Brothers – ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl (Soulwax Remix)’

13. Suriv – ‘Epic Flow (Kieran Brindley and Calvertron Remix)’ [Roostar]



Get involved, get dancing, then get yourself down to see them play at the opening night of Kik Bak at Plan B in Brixton, 'twill be a rather large one.


On another note, being as this is the 100th post on the Plastic cowboys i thought i'd bang up a load of tracks for your pleasure, as i've felt a little short on that front for a while. Though that might just be my memory freaking out again after another alcohol related concussion.

Anyhow, going to start of with this number by Crookers, who i've always beena little suspect of, bu they finally won me over with this rather un-Crookers-like piece which kicks of their recent Mad Kidz EP. A blissed out piece which is a beautiful step away from their frequently all too "of the moment" jacking stuff.

Crookers - Embrace The Martian (feat. Kid Cudi)

Other stuff that i'm rather int now is Kissy's first decent output in christ knows how long... though maybe that's the Josh Harvey influence?

Herve & Kissy Sell Out - Rikkalicious

I'm still a little unsure s to The Touch's remix of Rex The Dog's last single, but this Trevor Lovey's remix of Maximization nation (awful name, eh?) is rather better.

The Touch - Maximization nation (Trevor Lovey's Remix)


The Touch - Le Night Dominator
(Not bad either, though quite old... but then, I lost both my hard drive and my ipod in the space of two weeks so am having to re-collect a year's worth of tunes).

And for old times sake, this newer mix of an the Rapture's most famous piece is a bit good too.

The Rapture - House Of Jealous Lovers (The Disco Villains Mix)

Bang! Hope some of those are enjoyed.

Catch you all soon.

Love,


J.

X

Wednesday 10 September 2008

Baobinga


Yo kids!

We have exclusive new Baobinga material to offer you here on Plastic Cowboys. Fresh from his release on Trouble & Bass (Drop The Lime's NYC imprint) which featured on up and comng bass maestros Jokers Of The Scene recent mixtape as well as performing a one off special acid-house set at Space in Ibiza for, We Love... Chew The Fat!

Big things then, i'm sure you'll agree, and you can check out the the new track, which comes across as a rather ace slice of piano led electro with a snappy break to it as Baobinga continues to nigh on solely reinvent a genre, here!

Baobinga - Chordal

His recent collaboration album with ID, Big Monster, is currently being reassembled as a remix album and set to be out in the next few months i believe, so hold your horses for that, as it promises to be a bit good.


On an unrelated not, or good friend Stupidisco is playing at Marriage this Thursday, the clubnight belonging to Faris of The Horrors fame. So props to Fe for getting his figers in that pie. See you there squire.

Out,

James.

X

Friday 29 August 2008

Love




I think i just feel madly in love. Seriously, Soulwax have remixed MGMT's "Kids" and it's probably the greatest thing i've ever heard... I'm not really sure there's much else to say about. There was always alot of potentioal in that weird synth melody and the vocal harmonies accompanying it, but Soulwax have surpassed themselves and come up with this absolute stunner of a track.



Please download and enjoy to the maximum extent possible!


MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Remix)


(Yeah, i know it's not the full track, but no one has that, apart from maybe Erol, and how exciting is it anyway?)

Oh, and try this too,as it's not bad either:

The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy, Hey Girl (Soulwax Mix)



Love,

James.

X

Thursday 28 August 2008

Reading 2008






Friday:

We’re expecting big things from the Friday at this year's Reading Festval, mainly due to the fact that Rage will be tearing the place apart on the main stage later on for the first time since, well, since they played their last UK gig here, eight years ago.



To keep us going in the meantime, however, we thought it would be for the best to take our minds off it and watching some of the other attractions the arena has to offer. First up on the menu was Southend’s These New Puritans on the Festival Republic stage, who tear through a set culled mainly from their debut released earlier in the year and instant classics such as ‘Elvis’ and ‘En Papier’ get those in the know bouncing to their taught and angular electro post-punk with delight while everyone else just seems a little confused by the cacophony. Though we did catch a little bit of Dizzee Rascal hyping the main stage crowd by dropping straight into ‘He’s Just A Rascal’ getting the field moving early on. A shame we were off elsewhere then.



Later on Friendly Fires get the ball rolling for an evening of synth-laden indie-pop/jerky punk that’s oh so of-the-moment. Luckily they have the tracks to back it up and a set including singles “Photobooth’ as well as Jamie Principal and Frankie Knuckles classic, ‘Your Love’ is a delight to behold and culminates in what seems less festival appearance as an entire carnival on stage with endless confetti being fired out into the crowd. All a good thing.




Following this up are French band, The Teenagers who answer the question as to whether they’re trend-following scenesters or a genuine pop act and in it for the long haul by reeling out an array of this from their recent debut and hyping an ecstatic crowd who fully lose-it when underground electro-hit and raunchy classic in the making ‘Homecoming’ is doled out. Perfect pop music for a sunny afternoon in a big green field.




Next on were Castle Donnington’s Late Of The Pier, who, fresh of the back of releasing the most hyped debut record of the year, are evidently going to be this year’s band to have seen. With the tent packed to the rafters and splitting at the scenes the proceed with a familiar set that never gets stale and everyone promptly goes bananas to big single ‘Space And The Woods’ and does stop for love nor money. This is a flawless set from a band that is only going to go through the stratosphere. THE band to say you saw, even if you were asleep back in camp.



Blacks hoods, arms behind backs and orange jumpsuits. That is the sight that finally greets us, eight years almost to the day since Rage Against The Machine last this site.
What proceeds to unfold is a nothing less than a master class in how to play a live show that names such as Daft Punk could learn from. Dropping straight into ‘Bombtrack’, statement made, they swiftly ditch the outfits and really plough into a set that is so full of hits it’s hard to believe that they stem from only three albums. None-the-less, this is the case, and it is easily enough to justify their reformation to any naysayers, skeptical Rage may have sold out their values in search for a quick buck. No, seemingly, they have something new to say that demands the appropriate platform from which to deliver it. For which the background of tracks like ‘Know Your Enemy’, ‘Sleep Now In The Fire’, ‘Bulls On Parade’ and, of course, ‘Killing In The Name’ are absolutely perfect.
With the sublime addition of ‘Ashes In The Fall’ in the set, not a huge track of theirs, but played so well it reduces various members of the crowd to tears with the pure emotional power of the band. As a group, we don’t quite have the words to express how stunning this set truly was, suffice to say it’s not often a band can reduce grown men to weeping quietly but openly in a field. All that really needs to be said is that this is band that went away and have returned in better form than ever. Spurn this comeback and you’ll only be hurting yourself.

Saturday:



Opening up the day on the Alternative Stage is George Pringle who, at twelve in the afternoon, has the un-enviable task of trying to get the best out of a bunch of stragglers who have been drunk in a field for a minimum of two days. Fortunately for all, her individual mix of lo-fi electro and streams of consciousness layered on top. The very laid back crowd lap up the gentle beats, basking in the beauty of her voice when she drops into to full blown singing, as opposed to her usual spoken word style. Music this interesting needs to be heard and, while it might be over the head of your average Joe, anyone with a vested interest in refreshing and inventive music should be keeping an eye on this young lady.



Fucked Up do nothing less than grab the stage by the throat and absolutely tear it apart with their brand of Black Flag inspired old school hardcore punk. Vocalist Pink Eyes is, as per usual, shirtless, vast and right in the faces of the crowd, handing them the microphone to scream the key lyrics for the songs themselves. The set, comprising mostly of tracks from their last album, Hidden World, storm the tent and cause wave upon wave of crowd surfers to float across the top of the mosh pit with Pink Eyes even catching half of them himself, even ending up with a sweaty human hat at one point! Leaving us with a closing salvo of “Crusades’, ‘David Comes To Life’ and a track from their, as of yet, unreleased new album we leave damaged, damp and incredibly happy, arm in arm with Pink Eyes who took it upon himself to leave, not with his band, but with the rest of us having clambered over the barrier for some post-set banter.



Justice step onto stage behind their traditional wall of Marshall amps along with their signature brightly lit cross and drop straight into album opener, ‘Genesis’. The crowd promptly goes completely mental and continues in that fashion for the next forty minutes. The likes of “D.A.N.C.E.”, ‘DVNO’ and the ‘Never Be Alone Again’ remix completely floor us in their majesty and keep me night on us nigh on as happy as Rage Against the Machine did on Friday. And that is saying something.



Playing surprisingly early on in the day for a band who have just released their acclaimed second album and so, correspondingly, Mystery Jets pack out the NME/Radio 1 tent at four the afternoon with a set of classics and new material form the aforementioned new record. Songs such as ‘Hideaway’ ‘Young Love’ and ‘Two Doors Down’ have thousands upon thousands of hands in the air singing along to their perfect pop choruses, regardless of the fact that the album was only released around a month ago, testament to their ability to write sublime pop hooks whilst retaining their indie credibility. The best reaction is, of course, saved for the HUGE old single, ‘You Can’t Fool Me Dennis’ which, despite being played early on, more or less incites an afternoon riot. Without a doubt, these boys will soon be back headlining this tent.

Sunday:



The least enviable task of the weekend, that of opening the Dance Stage at a festival comprised mainly of rock, metal and indie fans on the final day of the weekend, is left to French electro duo The Shoes. They hit the stage and drop straight into their blissed out remix of Primary 1’s ‘Hold Me Down’, which seems to be the right choice going by the weary expressions on the faces of the few people who’ve made it down at this time in the afternoon, as it eases them in before they start to up the tempo with some blistering live reconstructions of their songs, with recent debut single, ‘Knock Out’ sounding particularly fantastic. They even manage to get the wear souls at the front dancing, singing along and generally create a fun atmosphere, leaving us all wanting more as well as expecting big things from the duo. Justice… watch your backs.




The Death Set was a wholly different proposition. These guys always mean business and, luckily, they seem to be in the business of making party starting, thrashy electro-punk tracks that are fast enough to tear of you’re face and funky enough to make your hips shake at the same time; and interesting proposition. They take the stage and make sure we’re all aware of their intentions to turn the tent into an early afternoon party and immediately drop into their custom intro which mixes up the Jackson 5 and Salt n’ Peppa before they bounce straight into ‘Impossible’ and hips and fists start shaking as heads bang and inhibitions roll away. They continue to thrash out tracks from their two EPs and debut album to an excitable crowd, in amongst shouts of, “Motherf*cking Death Set!’ (see albums tracks ‘MFDS’ for an explanation…) before the guitarist smashes his guitar on stage and frontman Johnny Siera, failing at first to do the same, sets his own guitar alight before repeatedly dashing the aflame instrument against the stage until it’s remnants are littered all around and the whole marvellous ordeal is over as abruptly as it began.



The prospect of reviewing a Holy Fuck show is a little daunting. They are one of those bands whose music is so layered and complex, drawing from a range of influences so wide that it’s a hard task to know where to begin. The best place seems to be to simply state that they are entirely spellbinding.
Drawing their set from last year’s simply stunning debut long player, the majority of the crowd stand stock still in awed admiration as the band meld sounds together into the beautiful, twisted electronica they have been producing for years. Building to a climax, they draw to a close with ‘Lovely Allen’, a track so majestic it feels as if the band and audience alike may just float off into the heavens at any moment.
Holy Fuck are, today, simply inspirational.





Crystal Castles enter amidst a hailstorm of cheering, appearing mysteriously out of a cloud of smoke and waves of reverb and bass. At this point they already appear to have the crowd eating out of the palms of their hands and we start to wander if this will render the rest of the set somewhat moot.
We could not be more wrong as, over the course of the next half hour Crystal Castles go on to justify every single ounce of praise that has ever been heaped upon them. The music remains dark, menacing and atmospheric whilst being simultaneously euphoric at the same time.
A strange combination, and when coupled with vocalist Alice Glass staring out from beneath her fringe with eyes that suggest hints of controlled derangement soon to be unleashed the whole affair becomes truly life-affirming and songs such as ‘Air War’, ‘Loving and Caring’, ‘Crimewave’ and ‘Knights’ feel more like anthems for a generation’s war on the mundane rather than mere 8-bit electro tunes. Possibly the one band of the weekend to make sure you see as soon as you’ve left the festival grounds.




These Montreal-ites enter the stage to chants ripped straight from the somewhat epic minute opener of last year’s ‘Fancy Footwork’ album as hordes of people bellow out, “Chromeo-oh-oh!” until the band step up and belt out a ‘best of’ set compiling every last classic funk filled track from their two albums and the crowd lap up every second.
The whole affair has a much more slick and laid back vibe to it after the deranged chaos of the Canadians who took to the stage previously, Crystal Castles. This is not to say that they go any less brilliantly though, a fact testified by the band having to physically stop playing in the middle of Mama’s Boy when the chants become so loud the music itself is drowned out.
Couple that with their cover of Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing’ and you have a recipe for the most fun set of the weekend, though The Death Set come a close second.




Simian Mobile Disco enter and play in a manner similar to that of Crystal Castles, mysteriously draped in smoke, rendering them almost invisible for much of the set.
This, however, only adds to the atmosphere of their acid house and techno infused brand of electro as opener ‘Sleep Deprivation’ creeps in slowly, before the bass slams in and the entire tent bounces as one. Needless to say that single line sums up the rest of the set, as Simian Mobile Disco blast out tune after tune with dancefloor-devastating timing.
Judging by the quality of their last, this set justifies buying the new album as soon as it appears, as the closing barrage of “I Believe’ reverberates around our skulls.



Bounding straight into their opening track with all the subtlety of a horses hoof to the chest, maximal Kings Digitalism proceed to pound us further and further into the ground with a perfect display of how to perform live electro.
Hyping the crowd, including hook laden synths, memorable vocals and, of course, a cover of The Cure’s ‘Fire In Cairo’ that feasibly warrants the term “genius”, Digitalism have got this down to a fine art, and as the set reaches its climax at the peak of ‘Zdarlight’s’ build up there are more hands raised from grinning bodies than you could ever expect in a tent that’s so hot it is threatening to melt on us which, and trust us here, is most definitely a good thing.

So with that, and Metallica being shit, the weekend is over, leaving me to pass out repeatedly in the guest area before crawling into bed with thoughts of facing the delightful prospect of getting the hell out of this town.



The Fugees - Ready Or Not (Drop the Lime Remix)

Oh yes.

Prepare for the next Voodoo, because that's going to have by far and away the best line up yet (taking into account we've recently had Foamo, Andy George, Mystery Jets, Jack Beats, Plimsouls and Shadowdancer and even a little on the spot mix from Erol Alkan, that's pretty good going!) so make sure 19th September is free in your diaries.


Love,

James.

X