Wednesday 11 November 2009

Sdub



I seem to have found myself listening to quite a deal of dubstep of late, for one reason or another. Though it feels a bit odd, as i feel i have been so out touch with the whole scene for so long now I am not quite sure where to start again!

Anyhow, having witnessed Tek-One destroy at Oxjam, i have stumbled across this little beauty, Sduk, who is whipping out dark and ambient pieces that retain all the menace and presence of his grimier predecessors.

Check out his mix of Emalkay's "When I Look At You for a perfect example of this.

Emalkay - When I Look At You (Sduk Remix)


J.

X

Tuesday 20 October 2009

Whomp




Having been watching Alan Pownall grow with his live performances over the last year, alongside watching Jakwob rise from his very early days of production into one of the UK's most exciting melodic dubstep producers,I am happy to see the two combining on a remix with thumping results. The altered tempo of the vocal can take a couple of listens to get used to, but once your settled in it is fantastic and uplifting.

Alan Pownall - A Life Worth Living (Jakwob remix)

If it is not yet sold out, you can buy Alan Pownall's debut 7" "Clara" from Pure Groove or itunes.


J.

X

Friday 16 October 2009

Little Red






Little Red, hailing from Australia and bucking the trend of good music from Oz tending to orientate itself around the electro/disco vibe (see Midnight Juggernauts, Van She, Cut Copy et al) and bringing us a little bit of doo wop and punk influenced indie.

Think along the lines of The Pipettes, but not tacky, a bit of a joke and based around matching cutesiness and dresses. More, indie-rock from another time given an update and blasted into 2009.

Little Red - It's Alright

J.

X

Thursday 15 October 2009

Mystery Colums




So, another day, another act whose identity we are not yet fit to know. Intriguing? Not really. Tedious, a little.

Luckily then, the music is rather ace and this mix from Joe Goddard is rather lovely too.

Silver Colums - Brow Beaten (Joe Goddard Remix)

J.

X

Fool's Gold



Fool's Gold taken on by Phaseone who get a bit ambient and off-beat for this mix. There's almost a hint of an Arabian influence in there as well. Perhaps like a Burial for the less morose, happy 6am bedtimes after beautiful parties.

Fool's Gold - Surprise Hotel (Phaseone Remix)


J.

X

Wizards and dancefloors



Disco Wizards come out with a new piece, and it is my favourite yet! They take a more stripped back approach to their usual loud, industrial selves. We like.

On another note, i had some German marzipan candy today. It smelt like playdoh and didn't taste much better.

Disco Wizards - Marzipan


J.

X

Wednesday 14 October 2009

Duck Sauce Vid



Amazing.


J.

X

Beyonce meets Alan Braxe...


Good things happen.

Broken Hearted Girl is the New Single from Beyonce, taken from the album, 'I Am… Sasha Fierce' and is out on Monday Second of November, and is a sure fire for the No. 1 spot.

As a taster, french uber-producer and maker of all things warm and melodic, Alan Braxe has served up this delightful mix for you and he has pulled of his magic again.

Beyonce - Broken Hearted Girl (Alan Braxe Remix)


J.

X

Friday 2 October 2009

Surfing Vid



Falling in love with The Drums hard.



J.

X

Animals



I have been to-ing and fro-ing on this for a few weeks now as to whether or not to post this, as i'm sure everyone has by now. Today, however, i have been listening to it a few times and decided to throw caution to the wind.

Yeah, Jakwob has come out with another storming remix, this time of Penguin Prison's "Animal", taking the harmonies, meoldies and cheerful vocals and underpinning it all with a grubby, but warm and friendly bassline that pulsates gently throughout. Yummy stuff.

Penguin Prison - Animal (Jakwob Remix)

J.

X

Tuesday 22 September 2009

Raaaaaaar!



Converge. Are. Back.

As they are one of my favourite bands ever and wrote one of the greatest albums ever in 'Jane Doe', i shall say little more than this is them back to the top of their game. Short, sharp, brutal. Jacob Bannon still sounds like a demon possessed, Kurt Ballou reels out more unbelievable riffs (i'm still not sure how this man achieves what he does. We're talking Benjamin Weinnman with a lot more creativity) and the whole thing is over in a breathtaking single minute and forty one seconds with a breakdown in the last third that is going to cause so many injuries i can't quite believe it!



Converge - Axe To Fall

Buy from here

J.

Spells and Deception

INVASION - Spells of Deception from Marek Steven on Vimeo.



Yep, Invasion are back and my, how they've been missed.

Invasion, it has been too long since I had the pleasure of writing about the Moongazer EP. While this EP may come with dance remixes, thankfully, little has changed in the Invasion camp. Marek is still churning out heavy slices of distorted, and faintly sludgy, thrash brilliance, Zel is still pounding the drums as though the Earth, not merely life, depends upon it and Chan is blasting out soul vocals as though the hems of her robe were ablaze with the fires of hell.

Lead track “Spells Of Deception” is a slightly lighter piece, even utilising cowbell. Do not be fooled though, it is still a searing slice of early nineties influenced thrash that’s likely reek havoc wherever it may roam.

Conversely, “Behind The Black Gate” is darker and harder and thoroughly reminds me of, the much missed, Iron Monkey (RIP Johnny). If I’m honest, I’m struggling to write about this song as it just makes me want to run out and throw down somewhere.
On the remix, Scottish chaps J.D. Twitch and Wilkes (here under their Optimo guise, after their long running clubnight of the same name) keep things simple with a nice extended version of “Spells…” Effective. Boy 8-Bit takes us into house territory, stripping back a lot of the riffage and dealling out hefty doses of 4/4 beats and squelchy synths. Blokgolf keeps us somewhere inbetween the original and the 8-Bit mix, with a nice melodic-yet-brash remix, utilising more of the original (listen for the great use of Zel’s cowbell) with big electro loops running through it. Leading us out is N.A.M.E.’s grinding industrial piece which is probably my least favourite of the four mixes, but mainly for its linear direction in comparison to the other three remixes rather than out of actual dislike of it, it is definitely still worth a listen!

And here we have a nice little unreleased exclusive:

Invasion - Evil Forest


Buy from here


Love,

J.

X

Wednesday 16 September 2009

Apache



Here we have the new single, "Tropics", from the Brooklyn based Apache Beat. Produced by Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Afrika Bambataa) and mixed by John Agnello (The Kills, Sonic Youth, Andrew WK) it's a short, sharp slice of NYC indie.

The band will also be on tour with The Gossip and MEN in October across the US, for anyone of that persuasion.

Apache Beat - Tropics (Sendspace)



J.

X

Milestones



I just noticed, a little too late one might argue, that Plastic Cowboys has finally slinked surreptitiously past its double century of posts. So, well done, er, me i guess. Ha.

Anyway, for our first foray into our third century i thought i'd write about an artist i haven't really mentioned for about a year and half, when he dropped the limp bizkit sampling, absolutely crushing "Antisocial" on us. All violent bass and aggressive drops, Raffertie made his name through the same means as 16bit, an experimental cross between house and dubstep.

Now, however, he is experimenting with his own sound further and has come up with a Wild Beasts remix which is a much more stripped back piece of house music which really took me by surprise but also works very well and is one of my favourite tracks at the moment.

The opening may easily be mistaken for something in his earlier style, but the track rapidly progresses through stripped back melodies, almost tribal drums with the haunting vocals floating over the top, transforming the original into an eerie, late night piece of house that i've become rather fond of dropping in dark rooms. More of this please Mr. Raffertie.

Wild Beasts - Dancing On Our Tongues (Raffertie Remix)



Love,

J.

X

Tuesday 15 September 2009

Ghosts Of Venice




Descending from the lofty highs of the Youth Attack camp comes Ghosts Of Venice, a rather delicious filter house prospect that combines groovy basslines with the sound of 90's French house over bouncy beats.

Here we have remix of Feadz' single "Flashin'"which drifts and grooves throughout its five minute duration. If this is what Ghosts Of Venice is doing after such a short time in the production saddle, there is a lot (a lot!) of potential for this project to go faaaaar!

Feadz - Flashin' (Ghosts Of Venice Remix)

Love,

J.

X

Thursday 10 September 2009

Unseen original Day N' Night video

Kid Cudi - Day 'N' Nite [Crookers remix] (Directed by BBGUN) from bbgun on Vimeo.



In April of 2008, BBGUN directed the original Day 'N' Nite video for an unsigned Kid Cudi with a budget of only $250 of their own money. Since then, BBGUN has directed music videos for artists including The Roots, Fabolous, J. Cole, and Busta Rhymes.

I know the song is oooold now, but it's a cool vid and BBGUN seem to be onto a bit of a winner.


Check them out: BBGUN

J.


X

Friday 4 September 2009

Disco Balls




Hey all. Tuesday night, George Pringle album launch, good fun. Tables in the social adorned with roses, candles and bowls of all your favourite childhood sweets. Oh, and George herself performing after good sets from Young Athletics League and ChaCha. I decided to buy an hand wrapped copy of her new album (with ribbons, a tag with the title and tracklisting and a badge designed as a shining disco ball. Yum) and it turns out, as I suspected, it's pretty darned good. A review will be up shortly. In the meantime, it's back to some good old fashioned plagiarism (i'm not sure if that spelling is correct, but my computer tells me it is. Should i trust the US dictionary on Macs?).

Anyhow, to the songs. A couple of tracks from people I know next to nothing about other than that they make delightfully blissed out music. Think in the Enzo Ponzio Italo vein but with more gentle, fluid melodies.



First up the delightfully swirly Gatto Fritto:

Gatto Fritto - Hex



and the slightly more groove and funk laden Sally Shapiro:

Sally Shapiro - Moonlight Dance




Have a good weekend all!


J.


X

Wednesday 26 August 2009



KiD COLA is back, this time a remix of the Loose Cannons exciting new live project, Lego Johnson. Donning top hats and tails for their riotous live shows, Lego Johnson are gaining rapid notoriety for their brand of electronics infused rock and roll.

KiD COLA continues with his progressive ideals, as we find this remix dripping in deep melodies, gothic, electro tweaks alongside that solid and gritty KiD COLA bassline we all know so well. He has, with this mix, taken another step towards creating a sound that is truly his own

Due for release on Government Records as part of a Lego Johnson single package in the coming months, you can check the KiD COLA remix now as a taster of what is to come, and don't forget to keep an eye out for Lego Johnson's live shows as well.


Lego Johnson - Small Print (KiD COLA Remix)


Love,

James.

X

Lung Trouble



HEALTH. Having been supposed to have reviewed the about three times and having my list pulled at the last minute, I finally saw this group of LA debaucherous loons supporting the magnificent Deerhunter on Monday at Koko, and will see then tear The Lexington to shreds this fair eve'. They were, as predicted, amazing. Definitely my pick of the evening (Deerhunter and Crystal Antlers also playing).

So, (stolen, again) we have a great mix of the lead single from their soon to be released (7th September, i've pre-ordered mine, where's yours?) second LP.

Taking some of the synth lines and breathy vocals, Tobacco have crafted a piece that sounds something akin to what Damo Suzuki may have made of it, were he not (musically, at least) completely loopy.

Health - Die Slow (Tobacco Remix)


J.

X

Passion Mix


No, i believe it is time for some daylight summer thievery from the marvelous 88days again, as i haven't received much worth writing about that i am allowed to recently.

First up is a remix of Gotye from Passion Pit that i rather like. It is a much more house-y piece than i would have suspected from our electro-poppers extrodinaire with soaring synths and great arrangement. More please.

p.s. also see their Miike Snow mix of Animal for another little bit of goodness.


Gotye - Learnalilgivinanlovin' (Passion Pit Remix)


Love,

J.

X

Abstinance



Hi. So, yes, i've been a bit quiet for the last few weeks, what with work stuff, holidays and the like. Going to try and make up for this somewhat today with a few bits and pieces.

First of the day is a new piece from Yuksek who, oddly, I never pay a lot of attention too. What with Phoenix's Lisztomania being perhaps the best single of the year I couldn't really pass this one up.

Phoenix - Lisztomania (Yuksek Remix)

J.

X

Friday 31 July 2009

Aspirins for your bullkid?



On a related tangent to our earlier hype of The Aspirins for My Children, there is news on thecocknbullkid, who is releasing her new EP, "Querelle" on 4th August on IAMSOUND records. The lead track is, of course, pop genius and produced by my friend and yours, TAFMC! Big news all round really. Check out the track below then head out and buy the EP next week.

Having been building her profile for a couple of years now, cocknbullkid looks set to make headways with her new record, having heading the BBC Introducing stage at Glastonbury and toured with Late of The Pier, Metronomy and CSS.

thecocknbullkid - Clean Apart (produced by TAFMC)

Best,

James


X

Thursday 30 July 2009

Get Loaded Ticket competition



The Fish Don't Dance Djs are giving away 2 free tickets to this years Get Loaded In The Park on Sunday 30th August. READ ON....



Fish Don't Dance Djs are playing at this years Get Loaded In The Park 2009 day festival and because they are nice guys, they are giving away a pair of tickets.

All you have to do is email gl2009comp@fishdontdance.co.uk with the subject - FDD MAILING LIST SUBSCRIPTION PLEASE - and you will automatically be entered in to the prize draw on the 31st July 2009!

Also joining the Fish Don't Dance Djs on the line up is:

*** ORBITAL ***
Roni Size Represents
Royksopp
Carl Craig
Booka Shade
Laurent Garnier
Peaches
Sneaky Soundsystem
Miss Kitten & The Hacker
Freeland (Adam Freelands Band)
Magnetic Man feat Scream + Benga
Felix Da Housecat
Pendulum (DJ Set)
Crookers
The Count & Sinden
Chase & Status
The Bloody Beetroots
MSTRKRFT
Krafty Kuts
Rob Da Bank
Steve Aoki
Eddy Temple Morris
Junior Sanchez
+ many more to be confirmed!

So email gl2009comp@fishdontdance.co.uk with the subject - FDD MAILING LIST SUBSCRIPTION PLEASE - for your chance to win!

Good luck.

Closing Day: 4th August 2009 - midnight

Download the Fish Don't Dance DJ mix:

Here

Tracklisting:

1. Does It Offend You Yeah! - We Are Rockstars (Cold Blank Remix) (cdr)
2. Dan McKie - Pala-caras (unsigned) EXCLUSIVE
3. Chris Lake - Robots (Rising)
4. Michael Jackson - Bad (Mowgli is Bad Remix) (cdr)
5. Eric Prydz - Pjanoo (Dada Life Guerilla fart 7) (cdr)
6. Paul Aspin - Shame (Lazy Rich Remix) (1980 Recordings) EXCLUSIVE
7. Avicii - One Step Forward (cdr)
8. Faarsheed - Do U (Miro Remix) (1980 Recordings)
9. Zombie Nation - Forza (Fuck Offff Remix) (cdr)
10. Crazy Cousins - It's The Funky (Dan McKie Fish Don't Dance Dub) (Warners) EXCLUSIVE


/////////////////////////////////////////////////

Don't forget if you don't win you can always get cheap Get Loaded Tickets direct from the Fish Don't Dance Djs (Dan McKie & Lloyd Chapman).

Get them for £35 (no booking fee, no extra hidden costs - a nice flat fee)

That is the cheapest on the market; you are looking at the best part of £50 if you buy them online with booking fee etc.

All you have to do if email:

tickets@fishdontdance.co.uk with the subject "CHEAP GET LOADED TICKETS".

Buy stuff from their label

Buy Stuff from Dan McKie



J.

X

Tuesday 28 July 2009

Horrific Memory



Another week, more of this and that. This time i'd like to bring to the table The Horrors cosmic dub remix of “Bicycle”by Memory Tapes (a rather lovely collaboration of Memory Cassette and Weird Tapes (both of whom are the same man...))which does what it says on the tin really. Opening to a haunting keys melody to a backdrop of run falling against a window with some subtle rumbles of a far off storm in the background which gently fades as the song builds around that melody for over two minutes before the beat drops in, the cosmic loops start and the hi-hat snaps drop while effects and melodies weave their way around the main line, drawing up to the forefront before falling back and allowing others to take their place. Another feather in the cap of the ever more brilliant Horrors, and a prize piece for Memory Tapes as well.

Memory Tapes - Bicycle (The Horrors Cosmic Dub Mix)

Much summery cosmic love,


James.

X

Thursday 16 July 2009

Saucy



I suspect, everyone is on this already and anyone who hasn't discovered the simple genius of the A-Trak and Armand Van Helden collaboration, Duck Sauce, then where have you been?

Real Gold, we salute you again!

Duck Sauce - Anyway

J.

X

16bit



I know 16bit vaguely from some of their previous works which, frankly, have been ridiculous to the point of almost being un-listenable (in a good way) and generally sounding massive over club PAs etc.

This remix of Borgore, an Israeli bass meantalist, is little exception really. tarting off with a gentle piano riff and leading into a nice intro, things swiftly descend into bass based chaos. It may not be hugely intelligent, but when it's this over the top and fun... who cares!?

Borgore - Foes (16bit Remix)

Out,

J.

X

Tuesday 14 July 2009

Go 'Net



Internet Forever are a bunch of scuzzy indie so and so's from London (partially via Cambridge) making a delightful little racket round and about London's east end at the moment.

Taking the scuzzy distortion of Wavves with the beautiful pop melodies of bands like Los Campesinos, including the male/female offset voacals and even throwing in my favourite Why? song for good measure. while not being the most musically brilliant cover, it has a certain energy and charm to it that is somewhat akin to the contented feeling of falling in love on a summer's day and being truly happy about it.

Internet Forever then; make you feel like you might be falling in love. Not too bad.

Internet Forever - Broken Bones




Love,

James.

X

Friday 10 July 2009

Dragons



Canadian electro-pop outfit Dragonette have been doing the rounds since 2005 and have previously delighted my eardrums with the Ratcliffe remix of "I Get Around" late 2007/early 2008 time. It was pretty slick.

Now JOCKS (1/4 of th now defunct Good Books) have taken out "Fixin' To Frill" with Misters Deep and Disco and fused them into something altogether larger than the sum of its parts. A pleasurably deep piece that builds into a pulsing electro beast before calming and drifting away quietly, making room for a delightful song to replace it. I rather love it.

Dragonette - Fixin To Thrill (JOCKS Remix)


Loves,

J.

X

ALLEZ!



Allez Allez. Can't say i know a huge deal about these chaps, other than that Aeroplane remixed a single of theirs a few months back now and, obviously, turned it into a deliciously groove piece of Disco house. But then, don't Aeroplane do that to everything, regardless of what they were working with in the first place? Well... yes but fret not, as Allez Allez are more than capable of doing things for themselves.

In fact, i might even go so far as to say that Allez Allez could quite easily develop into the UK's very own Aeroplane or Holy Ghost! Big words I know, but i think this marvelous remix of Simian Mobile Disco's fairly ridiculous "Audacity Of Huge" speaks for itself. They even make the vocal sound less laughable. It's all quite deep and, i suspect, is going to fit nicely alongside a track i'll put up later that i have, defintiely, stolen straight from my good friends at 88 Days In My Veins who, coincidentally, are much better bloggers than me and should definitely be on your radar.

Long sentences aside, here is the track!

Simian Mobile Disco - Audacity Of Huge (Allez Allez Remix)


Bye!

J.

X

Kraftwerk project



Yep, those tasty boys (well, one of them) from Kraftwerk have taken their hands to working with emerging artists from, of all places, Ireland!

Empire State Human hail from Dublin and produce electro with elements of big beat within it. Not shabby stuff but, then, what would one expect from a band working with THE legends of electronic music? Nothing less.

Offered up on a platter for us is the Rob Kiraly remix which takes it into pulsating electro territory and keeps much of the vocal in place for sing along convenience. Though I have to confess to the "I Love My Techno" vocals in a Rammestein-esque accent are a bit OTT for me.

Empire State Human - Afro (Rob Kiraly Remix)

Buy it HERE




J.

Tuesday 7 July 2009

RUN!



Pony Pony Run Run. Not a band who have a gift for names, i have to admit. That aside though, they are a band who have a knack for a beautiful pop melody and hook laden vocals. And around here that generally means one thing; that someone has taken their gleeful music and done something rather magical with it.

This time, Mondkopf have stepped up and risen to the challenge. Treating us to mix that shimmers in its beauty. In fact, it makes me want to book my plane ticket to Ibiza right now purely to hear it at sunrise on a beach after one of those nights you will never forget, regardless of how much remember. Honestly, this is one of my favourite things i have heard in quite some time.

Pony Pony Run Run - Hey You (Mondkopf Remix)

watch the video here:



Love,

J.

X

Friday 3 July 2009

Big summer tunes



So, time for a few big tunes that you will inevitably end up hearing all summer whether it be by choice or the simple fact that will no doubt get every-bloody-where.

First up, a collaboration between A-Track and Armand Van Helden which harks more back to Armand's earlier days and is probably going to alienate fans of his more recent works or A-Track's material in general. Having been dropped by the likes of Aeroplan, however, the disco house crowd are sure to love this one.





Next up is the new piece from Switch. Again, no mp3s yet (unless you happen to be a part of or good friends with some the grindin network). This time Switch as, surprisingly... stuck with his trend of indie based remixes and has chosen Florence And The Machine for this round. It isn't up there with his Hideaway remix but it is quite light hearted and summery.

Florence and the Machine - Rabbit Heart (Switch Remix)



Also sounding pretty big and on the rise at the moment is The Aspirins For My Children. Having been awarded the position of No. 2 track you most need to hear this week in NME a week or two ago 9for the Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot remix). Here we have a remix of Lost Valentinos "Common Thief" which gets the usual loving makeover featuring swirling, ethereal synth stabs and builds with the vocals chopped yet still set out a relatively similar pattern. I've said it before, and I will definitely say it again, keep your eyes on this chap, he will go faaaaaar!

Lost Valentinos - Common Thief (The Aspirins For My Children Remix)

Enjoy, eh?

J.


Xx

Wednesday 17 June 2009

Fistibizzle


After an incredibly successful first year in 2008, which saw a sell out crowd enjoying the sunshine and some of most exciting young bands around, Festibelly returns in 2009, on 29th August. Once again featuring some of the biggest up and coming names on the circuit at the moment, Festibelly is setting itself up for another cracking year. This time round capacity has doubled to one thousand, after last years more than sold out, and features a lot to get excited about.

Firstly, there is the beautiful setting, out in the Hampshire countryside, but not far from civilisation either, the perfect combination one might argue! Then there are the acts which include exciting talent James Yuill, the set to be massive this year Micachu & The Shapes, Man Like Me, who are on the precipice of dropping their long awaited debut album, upcoming indie rockers The Operators, colouringIN, the incredible new disco orientated project of label boss Tom Neville and collaborator Henry Bennet.

Also on site providing their unstoppable brand of party entertainment are the reggae-Roast crew who, as anyone that frequents their events in London will know, always prove that they really know how to kick start a party. On top of that, you will also be able to see the delights on offer from The Laurel Collective, The Pepys, Rob Cowen & The Dissidents, Jazica, Tarrbaby, RWD, Sombrero Sound System, Fear Of Theydon, Itchy Feet DJs and Alex Parsons over the course of the day.

Along side this will be a new addition for Festibelly, the Secret Wars crew will be providing their brand of street art battles throughout the day for anyone who needs a break from the forward thinking sounds of the music and simply wants to max out in front of some worldwide drawing talent. More info on this talented group of artists can be found here; http://www.secretwars.co.uk/

Camping is thrown in completely free of charge, and one will be able to find all the usual festival likely suspects around the site, from local food & drink stalls to tepees in which to relax and, if you’re lucky, the opportunity to make your own one of a kind t-shirts. And with all of this for £25 pounds, it is setting itself up to be one of the finest days of the summer.

Fore more info & to buy tickets see, http://www.festibelly.com

James Yuill live at Festibelly 2008




J.

X

Tuesday 16 June 2009

Screendeath


Picked this up of my favourite new internet implement, Twitter, recently and have decided it was definitely worth posting.

Screendeath has taken Melting Wing's "Kingdom Nineteen" and re-molded it into a rather lovely of dark disco infused electronica. with beutiful use of "horns" and a nice jumpy little beat that seem perfert for after hours maxing.

Melting Wing - Kingdom Nineteen (Screendeath Remix)


Out,

James.

X

Amazing Baby - Rewild




Amazing Baby
- Rewild review:


Two things become apparent very quickly on listening to this album. The first, I feel, is the sheer number of influences on show here, everything from ethereal Pink Floyd-isms to Damon Albarn-esque affected accents. The second, is that these influences in no way take over the record and claim it for themselves. No, this is entirely Amazing Baby’s record, and what a record it is. All the elegance of Broken Social Scene wrapped in the pop magnificence of Phoenix (who, coincidentally, they are about to/are currently on tour with), which is fairly large praise, I suspect. Either that or I’m just terribly sycophantic, but I do not feel this is the case, I just like picking good albums to review!

Rewild opens up with “Bayonets”, which combines a mixture of guitars, strings, synthesizers and samples to achieve its aim of setting the tone for the album. A task it manages with aplomb, all soaring melodies, chunky guitars and choruses. Conversely, “Invisible Palace” opens with enough pomposity and bombast to be make it worthy of a more over-the-top Arcade Fire moment, before dropping away into a very understated verse undercut by some gentle brass the chorus puts the OTT back into overdrive. A marvellous contrast of moods that revels in the glory of Pink Floyd. “Kankara” lies somewhere inbetween the two previous tracks, utilising big riffs, drums and, well, big everything, before dropping into a racy, upbeat verse and continuing through cyclically.

“Headdress” centers around a chorus comprised of one the greatest riffs of the year offset by reverb drenched backing vocals, and works stunningly. Also see; great use of subtle piano in an indie song. “Deerripper” is a full on ride through a crazed indie journey before “Old Tricks In Hell” brings us gently back into the wig of things with a beautiful intro and some more reverb drenched backing vocals on loop. The Narwhal is a predominantly acoustic affair which picks up two thirds of the way through and goes out on some lovely melodies

Next up is “Roverfrenz”, which simply sounds like it is destined for big things. A big song, with brilliantly gentle vocals, and a brooding yet upbeat track bubbling away behind it. “Smoke Bros”, the albums penultimate moment, comes across like the underground “Common People” for the new wave of indie before “Pump Yr Brakes” takes us out with a mixture very large guitar and a feeling of culmination. It takes a while to get here, but this is easily the peak of the album, as the guitars entwine themselves around one another while the drums provide the bombast and the vocals just drop in as though part of the music itself.

If you were erring on the edge of going to see Phoenix on tour, the prospect of seeing this rather epic record should have you buying the ticket and waiting outside the venue a day in advance.


See ya',

J.

X

TAFMC and such




Well, i've been sitting on these for quite a while now, and it seems like everyone under the sun has been putting them out recently, so i thought i'd stretch them your way too.

The Aspirins For My Children has remixed Marina & The Diamonds again, this time he works "I Am Not A Robot" into something more ethereal and electronic than its original format. Daniel Barker seems to have a knack for transforming songs with wonderful hooks into te dizzy hights of breathtaking electronica, so get it while it's hot, eh!

Marina & The Diamonds - I Am Not A Robot (TAFMC Remix)



Also on show today is an exclusive for Plastic Cowboys. As you may (hopefully) be aware of by now, KiD COLA dropped his first single on us last week and this, this is a massive remix of it from a young American named Hidden Cat, who you may recognise from the KiD COLA mix of his track The Superfuture.

KiD COLA - first Floor Elevator (Hidden Cat Remix)

Later,

J.

Friday 12 June 2009

Friiiiiiiday! BLAM!




It's Friday again, and i have a lot to do:

Review the Amazing Baby Album
Review Johnny Foreigner single
Write a post for The Fat! Club
Burn off new tunes to play tonight (about 10 CDs worth)
Go to Cargo to catch up with @OELSP (yep, twitter speak reaches plastic cowboys)
Head to the Queen Of Hoxton for a birthday,
Head to the Horse & Groom for Rut (run by the crew behind Vump)
Head to The Legion to catch up with Gold Panda)
Get to Marble Arch to DJ at 10.

Hmmm....


So, in the meantime, i'm going to cram a few posts worth of stuff into one, base laziness, innit (i'm totally learning to write how people talk, and shit).

First up is my favourite, Todd Terje taking Wham and giving them a dreamy disco workout. I like this rather a lot, Todd has taken the verse out leaving it as, more or less, a dub version though it retains the chorus.

Wham - Club Tropicana (Todd Terje Edit) Zshare link...



Also here this week is a little edit, from France's Mustard Pimp, of DJ Jean's The Launch which is fairly similar but with a bit more of a jacking beat. Amusing, at the least, though perhaps not filled with longevity.

DJ Jean - The Launch (Mustard Pimp Edit)




Then The Twelves try get all disco on A-Ha. Not quite sure if this works yet or not. How does one re-edit such a ridiculously hook-laden piece of pop? Well, here's how they try:

A-Ha - Take On Me (The Twelves Remix)

Enjoy the weekend, i'm off to a tea party at Kenwood House on Saturday afternoon, then a store opening for my favourite little boutique, Behave, in Camden at around six, before DJing again.

BLAM!

J.

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Wednesday 10 June 2009

No Rave




Those delightful bass loving chappies from NONEWYORK have drafted up a new mix and, charmingly (though most likely, appropriately) titled it "NO RAVE", which hints at it being so bass loaded it's ridiculous. Frankly, that's bang on!

Big stuff!

NONEWYORK - NO RAVE Mix

Dark matter- N-Type
Shaolin Style (Nero Remix)- Bar 9
TRG - Horny (Reso Remix)- TRG & Mayhem
Art of Revolution (Original)- bassnectar
Nine to Five (DZ Remix)- BOLTAN
Antisocial (B. Rich Remix)- Raffertie
In The Death Car (Vocal Mix)- 16 Bit
#22 (Original Mix)- NONEWYORK
Mind Control- 501
Calm Down- AC Slater
CRACK- DZ & KOZEE
Explicit- Emalkay
Exia (Setsuna F. Seiei Mix)- Bombaman
Sunday Morning- Borgore
Dressed to Digress (Nero Remix)- Boy Crisis
Tokyo Pollution 3.0 (NONEWYORK Remix)- Tommie Sunshine
The Dream ft Dianaconda- NONEWYORK v Commodore 69
Young Folks (Dub & Run Remix)- Peter, Bjorn & John
Western Sensimilla- Dubtek
Dead Mix (Original Mix)- NONEWYORK
Dancehall Of The Dead(Kanji Kinetic Remix)- Kid606
Miss Her (Original Mix)- Komonazmuk
End Of The World- Nero
Dubnet- Stenchman
Gett'n Money- UltraBlack




J.

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Friday 29 May 2009

KiD COLA sinlge remixes!



First up are Scotland's (Perth's, to be more precise) Disco Wizards who taken the original and turned it into a full on heavy stomper of a track! Huge drums are offset by massive, rumbling basslines while the First Floor Elevator melody sits nicely over the top.

Good stuff all round then. And coming up in the next couple of weeks we will be dropping big remixes from Hidden Cat and Jakwob. Get excited!



KiD COLA - First Floor Elevator (Disco Wizards Remix)



J.


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Deficient?



Bit of a departure back into bass today, good times. Enjoying a few nasty basslines at the moment, offset by moments of melodic disco wonderfulness. This time round it's France's The Deficient, who was re-worked the likes of Dance Area, AC Slater, Mustard Pimp and Lee Mortimer.

There doesn;t seem to be a great deal of info around on him, but he seems to approach his work with a desire to make you dance, not to simply beat you into submission with bass, which frequently gets very tedious and happens all to often.

Here's what he's done to Lee Mortimer:


Lee Mortimer - This Is Real Shit (The Deficient Remix)


James.


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Jakwooooooob!



This young man, Jakwob, has been a friend of ours since the early days of working with KiD COLA. Back then he was kicking out a lot of music very quickly indeed and showed a lot of promise. Now he is taking a bit more time over his work he is really starting to fulfill that promise, one need look no further than his recent remixes for The Teasers and Ellie Goulding to observe that.

Hailing from Lincoln, he part of the scene that is thriving there at the momemt thanks the likes of Andy George, Jaymo, Urchins etc and the various massive parties that are thrown in the town every month!

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Jakwob remix)


James.

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Wednesday 13 May 2009

Roar




Well, it seems good news is afoot. What with Grizzly Bear's new album set for release soon and the promos sounding nothing short of brilliant things have got even better. Yep, one of favourite Frenchmen, Fred Falke, has taken time-out to remix new track "Two Weeks" and, rest assured, he nails it in classic Falke style. I sweat, if he carries on like this i'm just going to be spinning Fred Falke reworks in my sets. I guess that's no bad thing though.

Grizzly Bear - Two Weeks (Frad Falke Remix)



That aside, I've had this song for months now but have done nothing with it, and getting a new remix of his last night made me decide to do something about this state of affairs.

Firstly, bound to be most people's "banger" for the summer is Foamo's Remix of Man Like Me's ode to the capital, "London Town". I'm sure i've rambled about Foamo enough by now, but the man just keeps on developing, refining and improving his style so get involved.

Man Like Me - London Town (Foamo Remix)

Secondly, after his rather tight little edit of Skream's mash-up of "In For The Kill" he seems to have been snapped up to do a full mix of new single, "Bullet Proof", and serves it up in fine style. Though admittedly don't feel the vocals always quite fit over the music in this piece, it is still a fine piece of work.

La Roux - Bullet Proof (Foamo Remix)


Out.

J.

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Monday 11 May 2009

The Aspirins For My Children




London now has its band to watch for 2009. Quite easily the best thing I have heard for quite a while is the intriguingly named, The Aspirins For My Children. With a fairly rich history of production, having worked with the likes of Miss Odd Kidd, The Cock n’ Bull Kid, Ghost Poet and Jean-Charles De Castelbajac, the quality and experience very much shows through in original such as “Adults” with its pounding drums, mesmerising, layered, synth lines built around a hugely atmospheric chorus hook and of bizarrely appropriate pitch bending for good measure.

Another track, “Pineapple” sounds as though it a summer afternoon anthem for the more lively amongst us, with it’s strangely upbeat and lifting melodies and occasional looped vocal chants. One could possibly imagine Crystal Castles writing something like this if they stepped out of dark, smoky clubs and wrote music in glorious sunshine. “Cutter”, on the other hand, gives off an immediate presence of normality before rapidly developing into a great piece of electronica and then U-turning back to the start and again descending into elecrtonica. All inside of two minutes. Intensely brilliant.

On top of these original pieces, TAFMC also has a nice sideline in remixes, having re-worked songs for the likes of Situationists and Marina & The Diamonds, with several more in the works, “coming soon”. The mix of Marina & The Diamons’ “Obsessions” is a wonderful piece, utilisng Marinas’s vocal line and offsetting it with big drums, swirling melodies and soaring synthesised strings. Or, more simply put, it’s a wonderful piece that veers between simple melodies and haunting crescendos.
With plans afoot for shows later in the year and, hopefully, even more originals, I feel big things ahead for this one man music machine.

Marina & The Diamonds - Obsessions (TAFMC Remix)

Love,

James

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Tuesday 5 May 2009

Potentially the most ineteresting collab of the year...



Is the much hyped link up between Four Tet and Burial. Two fairly different styles of music, both with huge cult status, bordering on mainstream popularity (I imagine this is up for debate, but they are not quite household names methinks), though coming from to the table with each with a similar ethos as they both seem to like their ambiance to some degree or another.

The result can be found on vinyl in any competent record store, or on the internet in the shape of "Moth" which, as predicted, is a piece of surprisingly upbeat electronica in terms of the melodies, though their is a strong Burial influence in the beats and in the subtleties that swing around the lead lines. I suspect your best bet will be Rough Trade or Phonica for this release (if you're in London, or want to order online from a good quality independent store), I'm certainly out of here to one of these as soon as pay day hits!

A slight grower but a beautifully constructed piece. I can imagine these two writing an incredibly moving album together, as Moth alone took me off somewhere else entirely, to the the extent that I jumped when the song after came on.

Buial & Four Tet - Moth


Four Tet
and Burial on myspace.



J.

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Wednesday 29 April 2009

Fenech Soler


A new UK act who seem to take of with aplomb over the summer.

Dealing in what can only be described as blissed out pop melodies and electronic hooks offset by, at times, mesmerising vocals. I don't really know much else about them, if i'm honest, besides the fact that they are playing Off With Your Heads at The Queen Of Hoxton on 7th May and will be thoroughly worth the trip down, i believe it is free too. Oh, and then there's this; their latest single 'The Cult Of Romance' due out May 11th is quite simply amazing. It has been championed by Pete Tong & Andy George (Radio 1) and was George Lamb's (BBC 6) record of the week.

Not too shabby methinks.

Come down!


Fenech Soler - LA Love

Fenech Soler - Airbrushed


check out their myspace for more! Fenech Soler

Love,

James.

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Monday 27 April 2009

Junior Boys get it very right

\

Junior Boys still seem to come across as a rather underwhelming name, rarely heard outside of certain circles; but when one considers their work with techno legend Carl Craig and tours with the likes of Hot Chip alongside various high profile remixes, the true nature of their position comes to light.

Having actually been together and making music for many years now, one could almost regard them as the forbearers of Hot Chip’s mantle as the Kings of carefully crafted downbeat electronic stylings; though Junior Boys have always maintained more of a tehno influence which one can very much hear in this delightful record.

Opening up on this new EP with the melancholic "Parallel Lines”, with it’s delicate vocals gently layered over minimal landscapes and softened drums. Second track “Work” takes us into darker territories that occupy the land somewhere in between The Knife and Gui Boratto, with acidic loops and a pulsating bass. Then, suddenly, the mood shifts up a gear with “Bits & Pieces” which comes across like the bastard child of Hot Chip and Matthew Dear. There are even handclaps thrown in for good measure alongside layered vocals and hooky yet sporadic melodies. “Dull To Pause” is essentially a wonderful piece of down-tempo pop while “Hazel” takes us in the other direction, being wonderfully upbeat, underpinned with elements of (ex-Hot Chipper) Grovesnor.

Continuing with the theme of contrasts on this record, “Sneak A Picture” once again takes the mood down somewhat, utilising skipping beats, quirky synth lines and gently stabbing bass. “The Animator" is a piece I’m not entirely certain how to describe; whilst being stylistically very much a part of the record it seems to stand on its own slightly but I can’t quite put my finger on why. Needless to say it’s another brilliant piece of dark, electronic pop.

Closing track “What’s It For” is a beautiful, slow burning piece that starts off simply with some subtle background pulsating aquatic synths, before gentle vocals roll in over the top and an ecstactic melody casually builds over the whole thing in such a manner that one will hardly notice it’s presence until it leaves you and the EP has played out.

A wonderfully dark electronic piece, which is all the while strangely uplifting, Junior Boys have once again proved themselves as one of the most criminally underrated bands around today.

Junior Boys - Bits & Pieces

Love,


J.

Friday 17 April 2009

If Not Now...




Plimsouls - If Not Now, When?


Having been kicking around on the blog scene for a couple of years now, the time has finally come for Plimsouls to drop his first full EP on us, via Pieces of Eight Records who have brought us music from the likes of Style Of Eye and compilations from Sister Bliss. Rest assured, he holds his own against such weighty names.
Opening up with the slightly haunting “Twelve” we are a greeted with a huge, thumping kick drum while humming bass and swirling melodies build around the beat and strings begin to stab across building to a peak until, stop, and a huge lead synth melody rolls out and I’m hooked. Hodzo is built around a similarly intense kick drum but with almost more atmosphere, even choral vocals are included here, which the lead slowly builds out of until you find yourself in a sea of distorted bass, which drops away leaving the lead to carry through before the whole songs crashes back in and one is amidst a huge techno track! With breakdowns and builds using elements from each of part of the track, this is a wonderful piece that really sees Plimsouls utilising his potential as a songwriter.
“Tolle” takes us down a more “fidget house” route with its clicking beats squelchy melodies and slamming bass. Another track that goes to show the versatility of the young producer. Having covered almost three genres across three tracks it is also testament to his promising talent that the record also never feels disjointed, the mix through house, techno and fidgety beats is remarkably seamless. We are then taken on the closing journey of “One Step” which is a laidback house track with a nice funky, groove laden bass line, big drops and massive leads, that finishes off the record in fine style. In all honesty, the whole thing is entirely kompakt worthy, let’s hope they sit up and take notice of one of the UK’s brightest young producers.


Love,

J.


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