More Plimsouls

Plimsouls has treated us to some new material, late in the year. One could regard as a christmas treat of sorts, if you like.

Anyhow, the young guy from Bristol is really coming into his own and i think exciting things may start to happen for him this year. Coming though with a much more techy take on his traditional sound , have the tracks 3000 and Illin'.

3000 is if you can imagine it, what would happen if that steve bug remix of The Creeps - Freaks climbed into a blender with Sinden & Count of Monte Cristal. Making good use of some nasty, tech sounds with a female vocal, beat and bassline straight out of the Dave "Switch" taylor school of how to write a fucking Banger. Oh yes. The more traditional Plimsouls bleeps start to come out past the half way mark and proceed to lift the song and, i can only imagine, get your feet moving.

Plimsouls - 3000

Illin' is in a similar vein and just as good, with a particularly, and long, drop which i enjoy every time! Can't wait to see what's coming next if he keeps on improving at this rate.

Plimsouls - Illin'

Get him to play your party!


Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Good things in 2007

Person Of the Year:






Albums:

Gui Boratto - Chromophobia
Burial - Untrue (Burial - Archangel (Boy 8-Bit's Simple Remix))
Klaxons - Myths of the Near Future
Daft Punk - Alive 2007
SMD - Attack Decay Sustain Relase
Rolo Tomassi - Rolo Tomassi (not sure if this was strictly 2007, but the re-release sure was)
Kate Nash - Made of Bricks
Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
Kitsune Maison 5




Singles:

Bolt Action Five - Think Fast
Sinden & The Count Of Monte Cristal - Beeper
Late of the Pier - bathroom Gurgle
Late of the Pier - Space and the Woods
Kate Nash - Foundations
T2 - Heartbroken
Bolt Action Five - Tree Friend Tree Foe (and various remixes) (This being Th Cleft Palettes')
Los Campesinos - We Throw Parties You Throw Knives
Errors - Salut France
Passions - Emergency
The Teenagers - Homecoming
Klaxons - Golden Skans
Benga - Crunked Up

General greatness:

Late Of the Pier
Bolt Action Five
Tapedeck
Kissy Sell Out
Justice
Simian Mobile Disco
Daft Punk
Sinden & The Count Of Monte Cristal

Nghts:

Dollop
ISSST
SLAANG
Liars Club


Remixes:

Ben Westbeech - Dance With Me (Switch Remix)
Daft Punk - Harder Better Faster Stronger (Ghetto Rukus remix)
Daft Punk - Around the World (Villains Remix)
Vicarious Bliss - Theme from Vicarious Bliss (Justice Remix)
Klaxons - As Above So Below (Justice Remix) (yeah, it grew on me. I always said it was good though).
The Black Ghosts - Some Way Through This (Plastician & Skream Mix)
Klaxons - It's Not Over (Skream mix)
Courtney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep us Tangled Up (Ewan's Objects in Space remix)
The Secret Handshake - Summer Of '98 Tapedeck Mix)
Klaxons - It's Not Over (Brodinski mix)
ñ


Bonus:

Bolt Action Five - Faces of the Beast

Apologies for the scrappiness of the post. It's been a sort of compilation of thoughts over the last week or so. Apologies also for the lack of new things, but it is a round up of things i've liked from the year, which means mainly things i've probably all ready written about. WHo knows though, maybe someone will find something they like here, or discover something new, that's the general idea... i like to think.

Hope you all had god new years parties, ISSSST with para one was pretty damn fun. No lie.

Actually, hold on...

Para One - Midnight Swim

Para One - Midnight Swim (Surkin Remix)

Para One - Du Dun-dun


Take Care,


Chuck

Xxx

Ou Est... in the Mix.

FInally it's dropped. Ou Est Le Swimming Pool have taken up the challenge of remixing, and have come up trumps. Taking some advice and going for Bolt Action Five's "Think Fast" as their first effort, they've used the original vocals mixed in nicely their own put through a spanking new vocoder, over a mix of the track which stays quite true to the original while still adding in plenty of new elements to make it worth listening to as well as the original. Starting very bleepy, in that electro 8-bit style, that familiar synth line drops in soon with a new twist on it before they completely attack the bridge building nicely before dropping away and rising again into the next chorus over a filthy guitar lick and coming to a fairly spectacular close.

In all honesty, i like. I might even go so far as to say it's my favourite Think Fast mix, and there are a few knocking around.

Bolt Action Five - Think fast (Ou Est Le Swimming Pool Mix)



While we're on the remix topic, picked up a couple of bangers over the last few days which i thought were very much worth while sharing.

Having not found a Daft Punk Remix that was better than the original i've suddenly stumbled across a few in a couple of weeks, this time round it Ghetto Ruckus doing an incredibly dirty version of "Harder Better Faster Stronger" with a very cut up use of the vocal which works incredibly well.

Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (Ghetto Ruckus edit)


And something newish from the boys Herve and Sinden doing their usual thing, this time to Aquasky.

Aquasky - Have A Good Time (Sinden & The Count of Monte Cristal Mix)


Oh, and for Tom, in case he's reading.

Justice - Phantom pt III (Ghetto Ruckus mix)

Hope you like.


Next post, Robosonic.


Chuck

Xxx

New records that i have got recently.

First, and probably foremost, is Daft Punk's Alive 2007. I keep reading reviews of this saying that listening to this on a high volume is somewhat akin to being back in the field/stadium/wherever you saw this show (if you were lucky enough to catch it) and you need but close your eyes to experience the award winning visuals all over again. To be honest, i have some good live albums, but i though, "That can't be right, i was there and it was the greatest thing ever. How can a cd possibly live up to that experience?" Well, to be blunt, it does. It really, really does. The sound is absolutely fantastic, testament to Daft Punk's mixing, production and recording skills. Each song has been recorded as flawlessly as it was mixed on the night and the crowd noise has been left in also,but left in at the perfect level and at the exact right moments so as not to distract from the music, but merely to enhance the listening experience and so one can imagine oneself to be back in the crowd at the gig. Honestly, I think the only air way to sum up this record is with one word:

WOW.

Or how iDJ decided to, "If santa doesn't get yo this for christmas, he really does hate you."

Unfortunately something seems to be amiss with this album, and that is that it sold out in the space of a matter of days. It think that it is now having to be repressed and won't be around again until after christmas, though you can still get copies from itunes i imagine and form Amazon So, i can't recommend enough that you buy this album now. And get the new Burial record while you're at it.


I though i'd through this track in as it's a nice slow burner in between two massive bangers, so you'll get an idea of what's going on without hearing too much of the really juicy bits of the set.

Daft Punk - Too Long/Steam Machine.





Next up is ATTACK DECAY SUSTAIN RELEASE. I know this came out months ago but i only managed to get a copy yesterday, having finally got bored of dodgy mp3s that frequently skip to the next track halfway through. Boo. And guess what, it's a great album. TO be fair, any album that opens with a track like Sleep Deprivation is probably going to be a little bit good. Throw in, It's the Beat, Hotdog, Tits & Acid and I Believe as well and , basically, you're in for a treat. A nice stocking filler for anyone with half an ear.

SMD - Sleep Deprivation






My newest record of all dropped this morning in the post, Kitsune Maison 5! Oh yes. And you what, i think it may be the best yet. Admittedly, for some reason, only one of the two 12" discs came through, but that disc includes ace remixes of songs by Late Of The Pier, Digitalism, Cazals, and MIA and great straight up tracks from the likes of Rex the Dog, KID, David E. Sugar and Fischerspooner. So far, every tracks is very, very worth your time and attention. So maybe this will be a nice post-christmas treat for yourself with some of our christmas money you get from Grandma. It's a choice you will NOT regret!

Digitalism - Pogo (Sinichi Osawa edit)


Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Cazals Album Exclusive!

Cazals, a british guitar band, signed to Kitsune Records have a long history with big names on the Birtish indie scene and are tired of the association, wisely choosing to be looked upon as a great band in their own right. With a line up that not only encompases thrilling new British guitar music, they also have amongst their ranks, a DJ (second guitarist Luca), an actor and star of various independent films (vocalist Phill) and a notable re-mixer and producer (bassist Martin). A band, one might say, of many talents then.

Kitsune & Cazals on their situation and their album:

"Cazals are signed to French record label Kitsune. It is an electronic music label, home to Digitalism, Simian Mobile Disco, Crystal Castles and other such forward thinkers. You may know them from their excellent Maison compilations or for releasing vinyl only singles by Klaxons, Foals and Late of The Pier. They are not normally interested in guitar bands (especially those with retrogressive tendencies), but they made an exception for Cazals. This is significant.

“Basically they heard our track ‘Poor Innocent Boys’, and put it on their Maison 2 compilation,” says Daniel (It’s worth pointing out here that the bouncing, razor-sharp, handclap-assisted rhythms of said former single resided on this record between a Boyz Noise remix and a track by Azzido Da Bass). “They were ringing us up to ask what label we were on, and we were like, ‘Erm, none!”
“They’ve been amazing for us,” enthuses Phil. “It’s not a huge label, so they haven’t got a huge amount of money, but they had no problems with us taking our time to make sure the album was perfect. Perfect as far as we were concerned, and them.”

The investment of time by both band and label has paid off massively. One only has to listen to the first minute of ‘What Of Our Future?’s opener ‘New Boy In Town’ to realise it is a record of tremendous depth. There are spiky guitars, a rasping vocal and an unforgettable melody, for certain, but there are subtle textures here, too – at points you’d be forgiven for thinking Daft Punk were recording in the next room. ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ continues in this vein, and by the time the breakdown in the middle of the synthline led ‘Somebody Somewhere’ arrives, it’s anybody’s as to which instrument is making which noise.

“We spent a long time on the arrangements,” Daniel continues. “We’re not one of those bands who just bash out a song.” It shows. ‘A Big Mistake’ is driven by lo-fi electronic drum loops; ‘We’re Just The Same’ a gorgeous, half-paced pop song that exhibits the French influence that has seeped into Cazals’ music; ‘Comfortable Silence’, meanwhile, is – frankly – bonkers experimentalism, the likes of which few British guitar bands would dare even attempt. Even in the more conventional moments here – the frenetic ‘Life Is Boring’, the aforementioned ‘Poor Innocent Boys’ – are awash with layer upon layer of unconventional noise. And then there’s closer ‘Time Of Our Lives’ – a song that begins its life as a genuine, piano-led weepy, then builds and builds into a waltzing mini-epic. For all the musical adventure that precedes it, it’s, y’know, moving. “That’s another thing which is important,” points out Phil, “Every song on the record is a true fucking story.”

So no, not Shoreditch trendies. Not fashonistas. Just one of the most forward thinking British guitar bands in Britain today."


Myself, i'd have to agree, they do make fantastic, forward thinking guitar music for anyone who's into, well, guitar music. However, they're on of those bands that have the depth of knowledge and the ability to transcend genre and appeal to to fans of many genres, such as notable acts such as Klaxons (who kitsune also picked up and released early singles by a long time ago) who are, arguably the band of the year in terms of success story and in terms of their fantastic, Mercury Music Award winning album, Myths Of The Near Future. Any fan of said band, or new acts (also picked up by Kitsune and mentioned earlier) such as The Whip or Late of the Pier would be churlish not to investigate the talent of Cazals.

Cazals - To Cut A Long Story Short (Xtopher Mix)


You can also check out the video to new single, To Cut A Long Story Short here:

Cazals - To Cut A Long Story Short (Video)


To finish, i think a few deatials of their upocoming schedule and release dates, so you know exactly when to get involved!

06 Dec 07 Kobe World Memorial Hall supporting Daft Punk Kobe
08 Dec 07 Makuhari Messe Event Hall supporting Daft Punk Tokyo
09 Dec 07 Makuhari Messe Event Hall supporting Daft Punk Tokyo


Upcoming releases (only in UK) :
'To Cut A Long Story Short' - Dec 17th 2007
' Life Is Boring' - March 3 rd 2008
' What Of Our Future' (album) March 17th 2008


Take care,

Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Norfolk

Is a bit rubbish, but i'm going back there tomorrow for the first time in a while until later in the week, so the chances are i will have little to say that would be worthwhile. One could, of course, argue that this is the case generally, though i like to think otherwise.



We had a friends birthday last night in The Cedar Room on Upper Street. That was pretty fun, i did get absolutely spannered though and stumbled home at six in the morning unable to drink anything else and having pinched far too many cigarettes from people. Oh well, you have to indulge yourself sometimes i suppose... Apologies for anything ridiculous i may have said/done. A repeat of last Saturday would not be what is needed right now...




Anyhow, music. A friend of mine commented about this track a little while ago, saying it was the greatest thing he'd heard in a while. It took me a little longer to get round to listening t it (about a day) but it was worth it. Definitely the best thing Justice have done for a little while (though their Klaxons remix was good, not great though. I do like it though, don't worry). I'm talking of their remix of Vicarious Bliss' "Theme from Vicarious Bliss." Nice scuzzy bassline rolling through with good use of the amusing vocals and drops in nicely. Not exactly a massive dancefloor banger, but certainly great to listen at home through some nice speakers or massive headphones, though i think it would still go a treat mid-set in any electro set. Investigate.

Vicarious Bliss - Theme from Vicarious bliss (Justice remix)


And, to finish, a nice mix by Nottingham Duo Nightmoves (on Kitsune) who are basically... great. It seems to be quite a chilled out mix, which makes it great for for listening to with a book or something of that kind of nature. See what you think.

Nightmoves Chins Up Disco Mix

Love,

Chuck


xxx

Stop gap...

Times are strange right now. To the point where i am considering going back to Norfolk to clear my head. And to top it all off, having been annoyed about Fox n' Wolf (Kitsune records) having to cancel a rare live appearance earlier in the year at Adventures In The Beetroot Field at Fabric, i was sent this link:


Fox n' Wolf Live

Which has annoyed more, because let's be honest, that looks like one of the most insane and amazing live shows ever. Definitely one to put on the christmas wishlist!

Some good news is that hopefully i might be getting sent some nice, shiny new tunes all for your listening pleasure as of next week. I'll let you know more, but keep your eyes peeled in the meantime.

I don't feel quit right not having written about Late of the Pier in such a long time, but finally we have some news. Faley has started an exciting little blog under the Zarcorp name, with a wide variety of music to encounter. Get involved. Here's a taster of the page:

Late of the Pier - Broken (Live at the bodega social with full intro)

Unfortunately though, no live stuff for a while i think. A shame, but Bolt Action Five have gigs coming up, so hooray for them and the fact that they're one of the best bands in London right now. Good news about the '5 actually, but i am waiting for confirmation of certain details before i tell you all. Sit tight!

I think that's about it for now...


Take care,


Chuck

Xxx

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

The Lovely fellows from Chewy Chocolate Cookies have very kindly drooped me off a fresh copy of their brand new remix of Portuguese band, Loto. Who are, in their words:

"... the coolest band in Portugal, they are massive in
the land of the "francesinha" (it's a traditional
portuguese dish)
Their latest CD "Beat Riot" is out now, and it includes
huge collaborations with a couple of big names,
Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order) and Del Marquis
(Scissor Sisters)..enough!?"

See what you think. The remix has effectively taken the original, cut up and splice the vocals over the top a an absolute banger. I'm think you should probably go and have a listen to it, come prepared with your dancing shoes though, chances are you'll be wanting them.

Loto - Back To Disco (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)



In other news, The Daze played at Bloomsbury Bowls last night, and played a standard set of greatness. Some of you really need to see these guys live if you have interest in the genres of rock/pop/dance or blues. Do it!


Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Rhianna

Is not my favourtie artist of all time. Very true. However, get a few guys wit a little too much time on their hands to cover her smash hit "Umbrella" and watch a mini-phenomenon occur.





Ou Est le Swimming Pool did just this back early on in the summer and i'm having to post it up again due to demand. So if you didn't investigate first time, maybe now is the time to do so. Yeah?

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Umbrella


Love,

Chuck



Xxx

Chromeooooooo!

So, went to see Chromeo at the Scala in Kings Cross last night. And... it was utterly spectacular! Making the possible mistake of walking down from Camden, we got pretty wet on the way in the wind and rain, but we make it and head down to the stage to catch Man Like Me performing erhaps the perfect opening set for a Chromeo gig, mixing in good levels of silliness, fun and some cracking tunes such as Oh My Gosh, Single Dad and new single, Doughnut. Then it's time for Chromeo. Walking onto the stage to the sound of that rather epic intro to their Fancy Footwork album, with the crowd singing along to and hanging from every word, they burst straight into Detination: Overdrive and the party was officially on. Oh yes! As the sng draws to close the crowd once again begin to chant the intro at the tops of their voices and an enormous grin spreads across Dave-1's face, never to leave for the rest of the set. Safe to say the rest of the gig carries on in exactly the same manner with only marginally bigger reactions for even the big singles. You could really tell this crowd were here to see Chromeo and not just hear a few singles. Not just sticking to their own material, they drop in DJ Mehdi's (Ed banger) "I am Somebody" on which they feature, as well as, which i think was genius and one of my set highlights, a little bit of Journey. Oh hell yes!!!! Leaving they stage, the crowd once again chanting at ear-bending levels, they reappear swiftly and break into "Momma's Boy", stopping after the first verse to built the crowd up, as if they needed to, and are unable to play for another five minutes such is the enthusiasm of the crowd for applauding. At this point Dave is lloking as though he might shed a tear of joy and you are feeling strongly that all gigs should be like this, a complete lack of pretentiousness and everyone just having the time of their lives. Finally closing (on their second encore) with "100%" everyone walks out of the venue to find, not only have we just had the time of our lives, the skies have cleared.



Chromeo - Bonafide Lovin' (LA Riots Mix)

Chromeo - Bonafide Lovin' (Yusek remix)

Dj Mehdi - I Am Somebody feat. Chromeo

Man Like Me - Oh My Gosh

Now I want to take a quick moment to talk about a website by the name of Liveroom. It is quite a new site and is effectively an online music venue, recording live gig sessions on video and displaing the results up on the website for you to watch in the comfort of home for free. It's a very well put together site, easy to use, original and could be the next big internet phenomenon, so get yourselves involved.

Check it here:

LIVEROOM


Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Stuff and shit is cool.

Saw Bolt Action Five last night. No lie. Plaing at the Buffalo Bar in Highbury and Islington. We were given a set containing five new tracks, two old tracks and Salary. I have to be honest, i wasn't sure what i thought of the new stuff on first listen on the myspace, but safe to say that they sound great on the stage. I'm not normally a fan of bands playing a lot of new stuff in live set (hence why i may never go and see Hot Chip again) but these guys really pulled it off. Hats off to them. I suspect you'll be able to download all sorts of Bolt Action goodness on their myspace page or their blog, both of which are linked over to the side of the page i the "other people we love" section. Go do it.




Other news, got some new Plimsouls stuff yesterday. Which is good, havn't heard anything new on that front for a while. What we have are two new trackswhich take the shape of slightly slower, more housy tracks. First track, Long way down strays away from the 8-bit style of his last batch of tunes though retains the familiar synth sound from his earlier tracks. Not a bad song, though i feel not his strongest track either.

Second to come through was As it Hapened, which seems to have gone for a bassline and beat fitting of Sinden and The count of Monte Cristal's tunes such as beeper and the like, while retaining the familiar Plimsouls blips and beeps bubbling just under the surface. I like!

Plimsouls - Long Way Down

Plimsouls - As it Happened


Love,

Chuck

Xxx

Holy F*ck Batman.

That title acctually has nothing to do with the band (who are amazing though.. Go check them), it is purley to do with the fact that i am currently, and perhaps somewhat juveniley (is that a word? Answers on a stamped address to:

I don't care,
Whatever,
Go home."

Or something), anyway, really enjoying bands with the word "Fuck" in their title my two favourites, in order from 2nd to 1st, would be Fuckshovel and Fuck Buttons., I reckon that's basically genious.See above if you disagree. Raaar.

I have, though, seen Tapedeck knock out a couple of great sets, the highlight being Their set at Smakkit up in Nottingham on the 17th. That was pretty ace and made a nice change from an entire night of trendy electro again. Sriously, go see these guys if you ever feel like somethign a little dirtier than your average. Link's there, but as always, it's also down the side of the writing amongst the other links. Use one!

They have their first single coming out in February, i believe, so keep your eyes peeled for that, and the new Lillica Libertine release in the meantime. Out on Meal Deal records, it should be filling the record bag of anyone who likes... well, anything.



My friends in Ou Est Le Swimming Pool (genius name or no... you decide) have been working hard over the last few months and have come up with some pretty damn good tunes in that period. Breaking the shackles of simple indie guitar based music they have morphed into something much scarier, having written songs spanning hip-hop, electro, pop, amient and more. Go check them out right... here:

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool myspace

Quick note about Burial. Appearing towards then close af 2006 with his debut album, the selftitled "Burial" and walked aay with albumof the year from pretty much everyone who knows what they are talking about. And now, one year later, he comes back with another album. And once aain has snatched album of the year away from other contenders, such as Gui Boratto's Chromophobia. It seems as though we may just have to settle into a routine of waiting for the annual Burial album to come out and exceede anything we could have hoped for, as well as every other album of the year. I genuinely think that this young producer may be a genius and possibly the greatest electronic music talent in the country.

And i'll be off to see Chromeo tonight. Fuck yeah. That'll be nice and gangsta.

Chuck

Xxx

Mix time.

I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself at the moment as a bout of tonsilitis os preventing me from making my first trip to Nottingham as a graduate this weekend. This does mean, however, that if i'm not to ill i can go and see Plastic Little at Dollop, at the Old Blue Last, this evening...

Going for a mix based post this time.

To start of the lovely gentlemen from Thick of Thieves have allowed us to put this up here for you. A great mix with a lot going on in it's shortish duration. Fast mixingg here. Oh yes.



MIX!

Tracklist:

1. Human league - Things tht dreams..(Kissy remix)
2. Kissy sell out - Let there be blazing light
3. LCD Soundsystem - Get innoucuos (Soulwax rmx)
4. Adam sky - we are prostitutes (crookers rmx)
5. Duke Dumont - When i hear music
6. Example - So many roads (Herve rmx)
7. Felix Da Housecat - Silver Screen Shower Scene
8. The Cribs - Mans needs (CSS rmx)
9. Sinden - Red hot
10. Uffie - Hot Chick
11. Thick as thieves w/ben jacobs - A weeks worth
12. Fischerspooner - Emerge
13. Puzique - Dont go
14. The Hives - T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S
15. Daft Punk - Cresendolls
16. Chemical Brothers - salmon dance (Herve rmx)
17. Justice - DVNO (LA riots rmx)
18. SMD - Hustler
19. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
20. Peaches - Fuck the pain away
21. Mark Ronson & Amy Winehouse - Valerie (count of monte cristal rmx)
22. Hijack - Trouzer Jazz
23. Interpol - Mammouth (Erol Alkans rework)
24. Klaxons - Golden skans (Sebastian rmx)
25. Claude Von Stroke- Whistler
26. YELLE - A cause des garsons (tempr rmx)
27. Peter, bjorn & John - Young folks (thick as thieves rework)
28. Tempr - Minute Jacuzzi (Data Remix)
29. Lo Fi Fnk - City (Punks Jump Up Remix)
30. Joy Division - Love will tear us apart (Thick as Thieves remix)
31. Sinden - Beeper (Thick as thieves re-edit)
32. Promomofo - Back at the club (Boy 8-bit Remix)
33. Kavinsky - Testarossa Overdrive (SebastiAn Remix)
34. Talking Heads - once in a lifetime (Thick as thieves re-edit)
35. Surkin - Radio Fireworks
36. Daft Punk - Robot Rock
37. Para one - DunDun-Dun (Boys noize Remix)
38. ados Playdo - Immigrant Song
39. Justice - Waters of nazereth (Justice re-edit)
40. Klaxons - Gravity's Rainbow (Soulwax Remix)
41. Kings of leon - My Party (Kenna & Chad Hugo Remix)
42. The Libertines - What became of the likely lads

Thick As Thieves Myspace


Next up, a great one from our sister blog, Vump. Mr. Knockton has delivered a cracking little mix here, which looks something like:

MIX!
simon knockton.

1. Delia Gonzalez & Gavin Russom Rise [DFA remix]
2. Kraak & Smaak No Sun In The Sky [Henrik Schwarz remix]
3. Tronik Youth We Are [Dolby Anol Kronik mix]
4. Alter Ego Why Not?! [Joakim remix]
5. Kenny Dope and Terry Hunter Monopoly [Kenny Dope remix]
6. Caged Baby Hello There [Matthew Radioslave remix]
7. Pier Bucci Hey Consuleo [Samim remix]
8. Pig and Dan Sly Detector
9. Rolando Knights of the Jaguar
10. Tiger Stripes Survivor
11. Gary Martin Turkish Tavern [Turned Out Wrong SK edit]
12. The Klaxons Not Over Yet [Brodonski remix]


And something nasty by Kitsune's Guns n' Bombs:

MIX!

Tracklisting:

Harddrive - Deep Inside
Boys Noize - My Head (Para One remix)
Junior Senior - Get To Know You (Guns 'N' Bombs Jak The Tab mix)
Samuel L Sessions - Flipmode
Green Velvet - Flash
Bonde Do Role - Office Boy (Brodinski remix)
Zeus - Zeus
Curses! - This Is The Way (Drop The Lime remix)
Sal Basile - Feel Inside (Live Element remix)
Sluttt - Stop Copying Me (Jokers Of The Scene remix)
Armando - 100% Of Dissing You (Warehouse remix)
Patrik Alavi - Hell Yeah (Jaimie Fanatic remix)
Lethal Bizzle - Selfridges Boy (Boy 8 Bit remix)
Electrocherrie LK - Schnall


And to close, a dark, bass heavy little mix from Faggatronix.


MIX!

Tracklisting:

01. ? - set your body free [CROOKERS remix] / DJ TAMEIL - i smell pussy
02. L-VIS 1990 - change the game
03. STICKY - dr who
04. FAGGATRONIX - broken promises
05. DND - got myself together
06. THE OUTHERE BROTHERS - wiggle wiggle
07. UNKLEJAM - lova ya [HERVE remix]
08. DIZZEE RASCAL - stop dat [BOK BOK's SE5 refix]
09. STARKEY - noreaster riddim
10. ACID JACKS - mookie
11. STICKY & GAPPY - inna da dancehall [D&G mix]
12. DROP THE LIME - come 2 life
13. FLO-RIDA - birthday
14. CROOKERS - aguas de parco
15. LIVE O - dirty skankin
16. DJ ASSAULT - kill the bitch
17. DEXPLICIT - good for me
18. DROP THE LIME - big malice
19. DJ TRAJIC - 1 2 3 4 all the ladies on the floor
20. I ROBOTS - frau [BOYS NOIZE remix]
21. WES FIF ft B.O.B - haterz everywhere
22. J MIXER - let it all go
23. H20 - what's it gonna be ft Platinum
24. T2 - salsa
25. Keisha Tara Shonda Sabrina Crysta Daronda Theresa Felicia Tenisha Sha'von Monica Monique Christina outro


In the meantime, maybe while some of that is downoading, go to Chromeo's myspace and listen to Their interview on Annie Mac's Radio 1 Mash Up show. I challenge you not to snigger. Love it.

Tapedeck - Destiny (Lillica Libertine's Knight Club edit)

Lillica Libertine

Tapedeck

Chuck

Xxx

Another month passed,

And more music to be listened to. Good times. been away for a little bit recently, up in cambridge. Seriously, go there, it's a stunning place with some quite nice old pubs and a distinct lack of chavs. Can't say much fairer than that, yeah?

Anyow, rcently i have been listening to some stuff that i, asically, know little about. That doesn't detract from the quality of the tunes though.

First up, Stereo Image. A new band made up of an ex-junior boy (They're good too, saw them supporting hot chip last year and they were probably more interesting to be honest) making some of the darkest, yet unashamedly pop, pop music i've heard for a while or possibly ever. I'm not sure, judge for yourself. I suppose you might compare the sound to that of burial on prozac maybe.

Stereo Image - Red Nights

Next up i thought i'd opt for the new The Bug track, Skeng. It's pretty nasty and this Kode-9 remix brings that slightly disturbing deeper edge to it. Kind of the aural equivilant of walking around some incredibly haunted mansion. I like.

The Bug feat. Flo-Dan And Killa P - Skeng (Kode-9 remix)

And more on the same vibe, a bit of Milanese, who i believe put things out on Plamet Mu? correct me if i'm wrong. Planet Mu i think are quite closely associated with Warp, but tend to put out the really dark and evil stuff rather than the "IDM" and electronic an such.

Milanese - Cowboy

Finally managed t find some newer Plimsouls material. He's definitey gone for a more upbeat, 8-bit soun here, but it's also some of his best work. His songwriting is coming along with every track e produces and his newer stuff is sonding up there wit the best of the 8-bit artists around at the moment. Get involved.

Plimsouls - Rebecca (Re-edit)

Next up, Flying Lotus who are out on Warp ecords. I've read this lot being described as the most ground breaking thingwarp has ever released. I reckon that's somewhat of an overstqatement when you consider their roster and some of the music they've put out over the years. Regardless of that fact though, it's still a fine tune in a kind of modern take on the whole old school hip-hop thing with lots of lovely twists getting a bit more of a groove going after a little while.
Flying Lotus - Massage Situation


And a bit of modeselektor. Honestly, i know amost nothing about this lot except the've got a fantastic rep and this piece of slowed down elecrto is not about to change that fact. investigate!


Modeselktor feat. Maximo Park - (I can't sleep) Without Music


All my love,


Chuck

Xxx

....part 2.

Hmmm, well i suppose the best place to start this follow up would be with the start of last week and an old favourite of mine. Yep, you got it, Bolt Action Five. They played Rough Trade (East, off Brick Lane) Lazast Monday for the launch of their new double A-side Think Fast/Can the Freedom Regulate the Volume?, bboth of which are fucking ace tracks, but i believe the single is stricktly limitedf to 500 7" copies, so get onto your computer or down to your local record store and get involved with this little touch of genius yeah.

Bolt Action Five - Can the Freedom... (struggling to find the file for this, bear with me!)
Bolt Action Five - Think Fast (old live version)

Brodinski, ah where to start? I'm not entirely sure i know a lot about this guy, but he's pretty good (bore witness to that last thursday at Fabric) and is making a name for himself on the London Dj/remix circuit. Here he has outdone himself with a Fantastic remix of Klaxons' cover of Grace's It's Not Over. (Which i've only got recently got hold of due to reasons stated in the previous post). ANyway, he's turned a short pop song into an after hours rave epic, so go get involved.

Klaxons - It's Not Over (Brodinski remix)

Next, some old favourites of mine who seem to be getting a lot of attention lately, Holy Fuck. I first came accross this lot at Nottingham's Dot To Dot festival in 2006 and they blew me away, making stunningly beautiful electronic music using what seemed to be a bizare mix of "instruments", using everything from battered old synths and drum programs to childrens toys to accomplish their soundscapes. ANyway, set closer and generally all round amazing song "lovely Allen" was the highlight, and here it is, just for you.

Holy Fuck - Lovely Allen

Now we come to a band i have to admit to not liking at all, The Others. I think there are two reasons behind this, the music, which i simply never enjoyed and the singer effectively promoting use of crack, paticualry after shows around influential kids. I don't know what he's up to these days and kudos if he's amended his way, but i aways found that pretty fucking wrong. (sorry if that got a little preachy, but reading interviews with him used to make me quite angry).

Anyhow, as i mentioned, i was never a fan of the music, however dupstep producer/DJ Caspa has taken their track "Bushido" and produced an enchanting deep dupstep track out it. It's really quite a beautiful remix, please investigate! (I think it wqas pulled off a radio show sao there's some chatter over it, sorry. It's still awesome!)

The others - Bushido (Caspa mix)


In my recent trawles through my favourite blogs and such i found something i'd always kind of hoped for but wasn't sure it would ever come to fruition, Justoce remixing Klaxons, though looking back at it i suppose it was always bound to happen at some point. I did find the choice of track a little strange, and justice seem to have given it the pop treatment rather than the banger treatment, but it's definitely worth a listen, see what you think and leave feedback if you feel like it.

Klaxons - As Above, So Below (Justice remix)



And, as promised, some Tough Alliance material (which you probably all have already).

The Tough Alliance - Something Special

The Tough Alliance - First Class Riot


Oh, and maybe check this out, great band, great song, never hear anything about them:

Tiger Force - Syntax Error


(came out on ltd. 500 copies 7" with indivually hand painted covers. very nice!).
Tiger force Myspace

Once again, take care,


Chuck

Xxx

What a month, part 1.

So i've been pretty buy over the last month, what with tryin to kove to London and having no computer for much of that time. Hence the extreme quiet on the blog front! This has meant i've felt ridiculously out of the loop for this period of time and have only started crawling back to some kind of knowledge of what is going on in the music world in the last few days! It's not all been a waste of time though, i have spent the last two weeks working for ATC Management, who are a top bunch of people, thanks a lot guys, i hope to see you all again in the future.


Firt off today, i want to talk a little about the Deadly Syndrome who i have been meaning to write about for, oooo, maybe six months now and never gtten around to it. And to be honest, there's still not a lot (or anything) i really now about them. You can visit they're homepage here - The Deadly Syndrome. Playing a stunning brand of indie that is incredibly beautiful. Songs like Eucalyptus are pehaps those that naysayers might write off as merely depressing indie nonsense. But this is the same kind of pointless and possibly ingnorant dismisal that irritates me in the same way as it does when people address it towards radiohead. Yeah, it's not the most upbeat thing in the world, get over yourself. It's still a fantastic song!

Anyway, yeah, check them out!

The Deadly Syndrome - Eucalyptus

I'd also like to touch on LA Priest briefly. During a swift chat to Dan the Carnivore (Of Bolt Action Five fame) i discovered that this name i've been hearing a lot recently is none other than Sam Eastgate of Late of the Pier notoriaty. Turns out that his solo stff is just as good as the LOTP band stuff. Songs such as "Engine" have all the energy of LOTP tracks but are clearly designed with one purpose in mind, slaying dancefloors rather than gig venues. Maintaining a simialr sound to that of his day band (innevitable i suppose as he is LOTP's principal songwriter) yet removing the harder, rock based influences and focussing purely on electro craziness, you can't help but throw some angles when this comes on. He also has a new 12" out soon/now, i imagine it's pretty limited so i'll race you to my grubby mitts on a copy!

LA Priest - Engine
LA Priest - Swing Youth

A quick nod to some of my favourites over the last 12 months, Tapedeck are currently working on new material, some of which is apparently going up this weekend so keep your eyes peeled for that, they've been doing some awesome stuff lately and have a remix coming up for Late of the Pier which i expect is going to fully grimey and very good! Anyway, what's really been rocking my boat over the last couple of weeks is their mix of The Secret handshake's Summer of '98. It definitely one of those tracks that you can't help putting on right before you go out as it it's so upbeat it really puts you in a great mood for the evening, thoughit's works well at anytime!

The Secret Handshake - Summer of '98 (Tpaedeck edit)

Oh, and go check out their lkabel, Meal Deal records, they've got some ace releases coming out soon! Including one from Nottingham's own Lillica Libertine.

Anyway, reckon that's enough for one post. Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 over the next couple of days when hopefully i'll manage to jot down some notes about brodinski and a remix of a band i hate, but has been worked into such a different style i love it!

take care,


Chuck

Xxx

AHA!

Christ. Dave and I saw The Tough Alliance live this evening, and i don't know quit how to describe it. Hopefully we'll get back to you with some tunes et cetera, but now i'm semi lost for words. I've never seen a show like it. zanything approaching your usual live set was abandoned an the two guys from the band spent the set running around inciting as much havoc as people were prepeared to incite! In all honesty it's hard to describe the tough alliance experience in words. All one can say is thier set was possibly as good as a Daft Punk set, except that they only palyed for 20 kins and made no pretence of playing anything. So please, next time they're down come join the chaos, or miss out on what might be the best night of your life.


It's your choice...



Xxxxxx

The Tough Alliance in England

Back to London tomorrow, and this time i do believe i have a house sorted for myself. Excellent stuff. It seems soon i might have a permanent home and a better base from which to continue with this on a more regular basis.


Anyhow, so i leave for London tomorrow due to the fact that The Tough Alliance are playing The MacBeth tomorrow evening. I'm ridiculously overexcite dabout this, and even more so, perhaps, about seeing Late of the Pier in Fabric on the weekend. Woop. So all in all it should be a good week. I can't beleive some oif the press that Late Of The Pier have been getting recently, and i'm so happyu for them becasue they such top guys and so good as well. I think they deserve everything they get. Go check 'em out, breadface.

Other than that, all's been a biut quiet on the music front of late, i've successfully not made it to any gigs recently which is probably why i'm so excited about this week. I did pick some records up the other day though.

On the list were:

Nathan Fake - You are Here 12"
Skream - Sub Island 12"
Hatch & Benga - 10 tons Heavy 12"
Uffie - First Love 12" (finally!)
Shackleton - Blood on my Hands (Ricardo Villalobos edit, so epic it covers both sides of the record!)
Simian Mobile Disco - Sleep Deprivation 12"
and something i've apparently forgotten...

Then yesterday from Rough Trade:

Late of the Pier - Bathroom Gurgle 7"
Bobmo - Let's Go Bobmo 12"(again, finally!) Bobmo - To The Bobmobile

So that's good times, i'll see if i can't upload a few of those now.

Finally, our new friend Plimsouls has put up a new batch of stuff on his myspac page which, quite frankjly, is ace. Havn't managed to acctually get my hands on the tracks yet, bt i can still say that perhaps his best yet. There is a distinct change in style from the older more minimal and quite cold electro stylings, he seems to have gone for a much warmer, more 8-bit (almost) sort of sound which seems to utterly befit this delightful September we're having so far. I urge you to go check out thi snew stuff, trust me, it's a strong look!


Oh, and go check Skream remix of Klaxons- It's Not Over. It's pretty fucking bass-tastic!


Anyway, to all you wonderfull people who are even faintly interested in my life, or take the time to examine what i've been listening to of late; thank you so much and take care, i'll atch you soon.

Chuck.

Xxx

it's been a while

My contributions to the blog recently have been, well limited. Apologies. It's been a busy couple of months with the finishing of uni, Ibiza, moving back to Leeds, moving to London, finding a house, finding a job etc. etc. and of course all the required raving in between.
I feel this should be resolved.
Chuck has mentioned a lot of stuff, events, gigs etc. I was there for most of them, however they do not need mentioning again. One thing he didn't mention and one of the best things I've been to this summer was Gui Boratto at Plastic People, Shoreditch. A truly awesome gig, one of just a couple of UK dates that Gui has played this year. Low ceilings, absolutely no lights and some fine west German minimal. I think its safe to say that the periphery was certainly circled that evening.

Gui Boratto - The Blessing

Tube and Berger feat. Vanity - Funky Shit (Gui Boratto rmx)

Here's a bunch of other tracks which I loved this summer. In no preferred, significance or chronological order; just songs that sum up summer '07 for me.

Riton - angerman (jesse rose rmx)

Matthew Dear - Don and Sherri

Robert Babicz - Sonntag

Snax - Honeymoons Over (Konrad Black rmx)

Chung King - Voodoo (Hot Chip rmx)

Modeselektor - The White Flash (feat. Thom Yorke)

Gui Boratto - Shebang

Also a couple of new ones for you. Two truly awesome tracks that I've blogged recently, does anyone think that bonde do role sound like M.I.A on the urlspracht?

The Knife - Pass this on (M.a.n.d.y and Booka Shade Knifer remix)

Bonde do Role - Solta O Frango (Ladytron remix)

I promise it won't be so long until my next post. Promise!

dav

England!

Back from holidays with a weekend in London under the belt, excellent.

Canada was pretty ace and relaxing with one quite spectacular hangover smack bang in the middle resulting in my lack of attendance from a little dub/reggae festival, oh well.

First night back on Friday, August 24th and off i went to watch my friends in The Daze play at 333/Mother Bar, whatever it's called these days. That was pretty, with many old friends i hadn't seen for a long time appearing for the party. Though it could be said the evening went rapidly downhill shortly after the set... Without delving into any details one could say that unpleasantries occured...

SUnday brought an afternoon barbeque downb Kingston way and much Champagne, always appreciated. Ha. Then, of course, TDK in the evening.

As an event it was great fun, though the organisation was not all that great, it has to be said. I think I had to queue around 54 seperate tims before i'd entered the festival. Then couldn't find anyone selling (i've now accepted the terrible fact that one will always have to pay extortionate ammounts to find out simply who is playing and when...) laminates with the details of stage times on them, thus meaning the night turned into somewhat of a lottery. Still, i managed to make my way to see Alex Under (live) soon after arrival, with some friends, and his dark throbbing techno made a good start to the proceedings. I moved soon though (upon hearing that a lot of acid was being swallowed around me (more on that later...) and fucked off next door to the band room and found my friends in To My Boy knocking ou a cracking set with few people watching and being vastly unnapreciated. A tragic shame, as these guys nevr fail to put on a llive show that is anything less than thrilling, yet seem to frequnetly to be playing to only a small number of people. This needs to be rectified shortly. So check this out,

To My Boy - Outerregions

Knowing that Shitdisco were on son after To My Boy (i hoped... fearing they may have been before) I waited around and grabbed a beer, which i found out were £4.50. Ouch. Luckily Shitdisco did play next, and were probably the best thing i saw all evening. Playing most of the songs from their album, Kingdom of Fear as well as their cover of (what i can only assume) Oxide and Neutrino's "No Good 4 Me" The room had filled out a lot more by this point and the crowd were dncing quite enthusiastically to the likes of "Reactor Party," "I Know Kung Fu" and recent single "OK". Top stuff and i was exhausted by the end. ANd it was only 12:30/1 o' clock at this point!

Shitdisco - OK

After this point, due to the lack of a laminate, i'm not fully sure of what i saw for a while. But to the best of my knowledge it was James Holden, Jamie Jones, Green Velvet and ISSST djs, anything else has been lost in a haze...
James Holden, as expected, packed the room to the rafters and knocked out a killer set of his own brand of wareped eletro and techno. Seriously, go see him, it was really quite special! Jamie Jones is another character to watch out for, i think 2008 could really be his year. Having made a name for himself accross the techno map with regular slots at Fabric and recent slots for nights such as Product in Nottingham. Playing it in the Mulletover hosted room we found him playing a set of severely wonky techno and incredible, wobbly bass lines that had us enthralled the instant we stepped through the door. I intend to see a full set by this guy as soon a s i possibly can. Awesome. I think we took a break for a while after this beofre cathcing the end of Green Velvet, which seemed good, though i swear some of it was verging a little too close to Trance regions for my liking. Next up was Kevin Griffiths of ISSST fame Knocking outa style of electro that would be to the genre what Jone's set was to Techno. Really good stuff, as you'd expect from one of the men who run the rapidly becoming infamous ISSST nights. Booby M, also behind the decks, seemed quite content to merely dance behind the decks, though may have taken to the decks later.

Basically, great evening, marred by overpriced beer, too many people making moving between stages a truly tiring experiencer and a good friend of mine having to take an acid riddled friend to the local hospital.

Tales of the Jackalope was a very simialr story, a great day marred by the same problems with beer, seemingly no provision of free water (though it turnbs out there was a tap doing such, hidden in a corner undiscoveed until Sunday morning, thougbn luckily we'd brough our own). Highlights of the day were Late of the Pier who were the first band of the day to really get things going. They played a great set, again, though tracks such as "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "Random Firl" seem to be getting little airtime these days... Shame, though we were treated to a new song which takes a completely new direction and needs a little work on it, but sounds promising.
Also, don't forget thier new single, RELEASED ON SEPTEMBER 10TH (in the UK), Bathroom Gurgle. Here's a couple of Old Demos...

Late of the Pier - Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Late of the Pier - Random Firl

(apologies for the poor quality, i believe they are quit eold demos, not sure how available they are, so... give them a try).

They also once again provd themselves to be charming gemtlemen as well.


Uffie, who i only managed to catch half of (reasons later) seeme dto be in good form and "Pop the Glock", "Ready to Uff", and "First Love" sounded wicked. And she looked good, as always. Ha.

Fucked Up easily ruled the day with a mere 3 songs, bneing dragged off after this due to noise complaints and the bouncers having no idea how to deal the the insanity that was unfolding before them.

They appeared around two hours late (at 2:15 rather than 12:00) at exaclty the same trime as Uff, so i had to split both sets and it sems i chose about right, catchingall of Fucked Up's short set and only missing "In Chrarge" and most of "Hot Chick" from Uff's. Oh well. So, Fucked Up take the stage, singer Damien Dressed in Big basketball shorts and a wrestling mask (oh yeah, and his nipples taped up) and prceeds to ditch the mask while jumping onto a fold out table and decimating it beofre jumping off stage and sending the crowd into a frenzy. Three songs later i was off to see Uffie and it seems they were back off to Canada, soon to be followed by me.

Others, such as Chromeo, Shy Child, Tapedeck, The Fall, Get Shakes, Autokratz (recently signed to Kitsune) and the Neon plastix also rocked it, but the abovew three were what i came to se and i did not leave dissapointed. The rest of the night ws spent dsancing around the campsite with an Ipod and minispeakers to Chromeo and Daft punk. Cool...


Not much else going on at the moment aside from trying to get a place in London and then finding a job (fun stuff, eh?), so we'll see how that goes.

In the meantime, i think i'm going to be heading to see LAte of the pier at Fabric on the 21st and then to see Passions at Dollop in Nottingham in October (i think). Dollop is a great night in friendly and intimate surroundings, by the way, so if you're around please head down, it's cheap and Sam's always offering cheap list all over the place so keep your eyes open.

Oh yeah, i found some big and some wierd stuff recently. For instance, Fucked Up covering Justice and Soulwax Nite Versions doing their thing with that French duo as well.

Fucked Up - Stress (Justice cover)

Justice - Waters of Nazareth (Part 2) (Soulwax Nite versions mix)

Then there's that whole indie-dubstep crossover thing i mentioned. Over the past few weeks i've decided that i do like that Skream/Plastician (though i always wonder if they mean Plasticman, as i'm sure Plastician is a collaberation between Holden and someone i've forgotten... Hawtin or someone like that i guess, or maybe Hawtin and Acquaviva) remix of The Black Ghosts.

The Black Ghosts - Some Way Through This (Skream and Plastician Remix)


And, of Course, Hot Chip's summer anthem that seems to have been crimianlly underplayed so far:

Hot Chip - My Piano


Take care people.

Chuck

Xxx

Holidays

So I'm in Canada at the moment, visiting my sister and generally maxing out across the water. Thus, no posting for a good two weeks at least, i figure my sister won't want me logging weird music on to her compute in case any of it happens to be virus ridden or something.

Anyhow, i hope everyone's doing ok. Back on the 23rd for TDK cross central that weekend etc.

see you around.

Chuck.



Xxx

Transformers

One of my friends has proclaimed this "the most important 2 hours 20 minutes of hius life." The fool clearly didn't pay attention when we watched the original but a few days before. Oh well. I've heard the soundtrack is like Nikelback trying to play like Van Halen. Makes you want to shoot yourself, doesn't it.

Anyway, this month has been kind to me. I've seen Bolt Action Five twice, and once with Late of the Pier and Neon Plastix (that was pretty special) and at then Filthy Dukes run night, Kill 'em All at the Camden Barfly las weekend. Woop. They were, of course, great both times, though i think the second perfromance i enjoyed more, purely due to the fact that there were other poewple dancing around. However, they played "Can the Freedom Regulate the Volume" (new single, out in October, AA-side "Think Fast." DO IT!) at the LOTP night... Hard choices.

Also over the last week, that very kind young fellow, Plimsouls sent me a few tracks to have a listen to. The first, a cover of Shitdisco's Reactor party is a good first effort for a remix, certainly the best first attempt i've heard in many monhts i think, though is let down at the middle. It starts off with a long and interesting build up untill little past the two minute mark, and while the drop is by no means bad and woiuld certainly keep most dancefloors (exclude, i'd imagine the ones full of purists. Read: boring people) moving, it something about it seems a touch off... though i can't quite put my finger on it, perhaps the wonky melody running through it seems slightly out of time or something, i'm just not sure. Fuck it, it's still good, using the vocal sparingly which seems to be the otion of choice for some of the better remixers of late. Check it out

Shitdisco - Reactor Party (Plimsouls' Cataclysmic Mix)

The other two tracks i recieved were two new productions of his own, Malc (i assume short for Malcolm) X and Not today. The first, Malc X, represents a sharp improvement in P[limsouls worksounding quite fantastic from the very first listen. It's a fine piece of electro with strong tech influences that would sit comfortably alongside any of the darker Kitsune releases, whilst retaining a distincly British air about, possilby the haunting, almost melancholy , melodys and vocal samples he uses. Anyway, it's quite something.

Not today is a slice of something quite different with a strong lines and beat running through and building slowly throughout the song, this track seems to rely more on stabbing and whirring/swirling electronics through which to crete dancefloor destruction, my guess is that it's a succes, before dropping into a mean throbbing bassline which thenn morphs into something that sounds as though it could have been produced by Mr. Oizo, not a 19 year old. And that... is a serious acheivement i think. Both these tracks mark, as previously mentioned, marked a step in Plimsouls prduction levels with these tracks easily outstriping the older tracks, though this is not undermining those so much as stating the quality of newer stuff as i'm (surprise!) a fan of it all, old and new. Carry on my friend, and we look forward to seeing where things pan out from here and wish you the best of luck.

Plimsouls - Malc X

Plimsouls - Not Today


My friends in Ou Est Le Swimming Pool have also finally managed to produce stuff to a level they felt was adequate enough to put up on their Myspace page. First track, Umbrella is, well, a cover of Rhianna's Umbrella. It immediately outstrips the original (in my opinion) by cutting out the Jay-Z, a man i can't stand, vocal line. That aisde, it's great so go check it!.

Also up are Haddon's Bastard, an brilliantly obscure piece about a drink invented after some exceedingly quaint substances had been drunk at a party. THere's some ammusing references in here also, if you can spot them.

Lastly is All in All... is a track written purely by one Charles Alfredo Haddon, minus thehelp of his usual partner in song, Mr. Joseph Hutchinson. Written in under a week, it's a catchy piece of indy-pop that should sit well with most people.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Umbrella

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - Haddon's Bastard

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - All in All...

Another couple of tracks i've stumbled across and loved are the MSTRKRFT mix of Chromeo's Tenderoni (though the original and Sinden Mix are good also), which is, it has to be said, in a very simialr style to their D.A.N.C.E. mix, though this is no bad thing or even a complaint. Merely an observation.

Chromeo - Tenderoni (MSTRKRFT mix)


Prins Thomas have done a nice and simple remix of SMD's I Belive. A nice gentle elctro re-work that'll keep dancefloors and headphone heads happy alike.

Simian Mobile Disco - I Believe (Prins Thomas Remix)

Then there were a few people that i am entirely new to, Janedge, Riva Star and MESH. Here some samples which range fromincredibly dirty electro to pure dancefloor bangers and some seriously wonky tech-house. Ace!


Riva Star - Thizzle

Janedge - You Sampled That

MESH - I Want to Start

And for a extra bonus some randon Daft Punkery:

Daft Punk - Da Funk (Casio Inc. Mix)

This weekedn is Tales of the Jackalope which i'm far too excited about, what with the likes of Dizze Rascal, The Fall, Late Of The Pier, XX Teens, Errors, Kissy Sell Out, Uffie & Feadz, Shy Child, Foals and DJ Mehdi amongst others. Then i'm off to Vancouver Island for a couple of weeks. Happy times. Catch you all on the flip side of August.

P.S. This lot are playing Jackalope and, along with LOTP, are going to slay the place!

Fucked up - David Comes To Life

Chuck

xxx

Adventures in the blog field

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

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

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

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

Feist - 1234 (Van She Technologic mix)

Meatboys - Fireworks (Punks Jump Up Mix)

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

Simian Mobile Disco - 3 Pin Din

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

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

Audion - Fred's Bells

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

Appleblim - Cheat 1

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



So that's good...

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

Late Of The Pier
Bolt Action Five
Neon Plastix


Faley
Dollop
Care in the Community
+ more DJs

£4 on the door

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

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


Chuck.

X

Where's it gone?

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

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

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

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

The Teenagers - Homecoming (Bono Must Die Doggystyle mix)

The Teenagers - Homecoming (Sluttt 98% done mix)


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

The Teenagers - Homecoming (The Cleft Palettes mix)

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

Crystal Castles - Knights

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

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


Take care,

Chuck

X

Tales of the...

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

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

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

Here --> LOTP - Bathroom Gurgle

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

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

Simian Mobile Disco - I believe (Switch mix)

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

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

Plimsouls - The Hit

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

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

Chuck

X

It's a Beautiful life...

Few things to share on this (post-massive storm) Wednesday morning. The first is simply a single track..

Gui Boratto - Beautiful Life

A stunning track, perhaps even the highlight, from a stunning debut album from Brazillian producer Gui Boratto. Though he's been producing for over adecade or so he only dropped his first long player this year, a rather great mix of slightly minimal techno, with a warm brazilain edge to it and elements of house and electro thrown in for good measure. Beautiful life though, is a slice of pure blissed out indulgance. Imagine Nathan Fake coming up at sunrise on a quiet beach in Sao Paulo and you'ree somewhere close. I'd reccomend it over the new Justice and Simain Mobile releases to be honest, though you should look into those soon afterwardss! On that note, here's a touch of Mr. Fake for comparrison:

Nathan Fake - You Are Here


Secondly, i'd like to point out that everyone's favourtie potty-mouthed little French lady, Uffie, is piosed to drop her debut next month (if word on the 'net is to be believed). She also has a new single released, i believe, at the start of the week. Going by the name "First Love", it comes across as a slightly deeper, more emotive effort than her previous works and certaionly beats the hell out of her recent collaboration with Justice and her track for the Ed Rec 2 compilation which, frankly, just felt ruched. I'd say there definitely seems to be much more of a Mehdi influence in this new track as well. Anyway, it's definitely the best thing she's done since the Hot Chick/In Charge split and i'm rather fond of it.

Uffie - First love

The final thin to mention, bearing in mind this current trend for indie dnace movement, is Gomma Records from Germany. having more akin, i think, to Kitsune than Ed Banger, who concentrate on (somewhat accidentally it would seem) on their roster of electronic artisits who all happen to have an upbringing on instruments, lending a wonderful organic feel to their tracks. Seemingly, and criminally, ignored with the current popularity of the French seen you should go and see for yourselves that Germany is always prepared to step up and fight for it's reputation. A recent cut from artist Golden Bug:

Golden Bug - Barbies Back

Summer is here!

Or is it? I'm not sure to be honest... How many good days have we had since April? Not enough by my reckoning. Anyway, to those of you who have been dilligently (thank you) checking up here you, of course, have noticed that there has been little (read: nothing) happening. My apologies. I suppose i could say that i've been busy what with the whole graduation process etcetera, but in reality i've just been enjoying myself a little too much as well as my internet beeing down for a number of weeks now. Dave i can't speak for, i suspect he's just lazy (yeah, how'd you like them apples Dave!). So time for a round up of the exciting stuff we've been up to over the last month or so.

Firstly, there was last month's Dollop, a great round of to a year of great nights with Friendly Fires really outdoing themselves, getting half the crowd on stage and ending up playing "Your Love" twice for that very reason. I certainly wasn't complaining. Brilliant. Mr. Flash then proceeded to wow with his turntable skills for much of the rest of the night. (i have since been told this was acctually Vicarious Bliss, but as most of the Ed Rec crew have longish hair and are fairly beardy, i'm just not sure as to who it really was!). Either way it was fantastic fun and our (mystery) Ed Recker was on fine form, even rolling out Rage Against The machine's "Killing In The Name" which seems to, oddly, be becoming somewhat of a rave classic. Fun stuff indeed.

Friendly Fires - Your Love

Next up, two days later on Sunday 27th (May) was Nottingham's own Dot to Dot festival. In short, this was bascially owned by Late Of The Pier, who fucking killed their set. These guys are on fire at the moment and are easily worth all the attention they're getting. Also, they're nearly as nice as Bolt Action Five and you know how much we like them! Other highlights were Foals, Kate Nash (anyone who slates Caroline's a Victim should hear it live, fantastic!) and my second favourite moment of the day (after LOTP's "Bathroom Gurgle") Was Tapedecks' double set, sandwhiching Bonde Do Role, culminating in their remix of Atlatis to Interzone (tell me you know who it's by!). What a moment! Download it below from an old post. Another great day in Nottingham.

The next few weeks were more or less lost in a drunken haze with many a random house party and drinking through hangovers of various degrees of seriousness. Highlights, off the top of my head, would have been Justice and Busy P demolishing the MArcus Garvey ballroom at Firefly's seventh birthday. Big up those guys for putting on slamming techno nights for seven years now! Justice were great, as always i imagine. The nice surpirse was Busy P, who i thought was just there because of his position as Ed banger boss. Wrong. A talented DJ he was indeed, and worked the crowd well, who were all pumped for Justice when they appeared (after, it must be said, a somewhat unnecesaary set from local beatboxer, Petebox). Once again, props to the Ed Rec crew for being, well, amazing.

The only fault at this stage had been Fresh Out Of Death. Don't get me wrong, i had a great time and Punks Jump Up knocked out a killer set. I was, though, slightly dissappointed by DJ Mehdi. Having a few of his tunes/remixes on record (not to mention he's a big player for Ed Banger) i was really quite exctied, on arrival though he seemed far to intent on mixing too many tuines in too quickly, giving his set a fractured feel as it never allowed and flow or momewntum to build up. Shame. On that note we left, meaning that we missed exciting new prospect d.i.m. (recently signed to Turbo recordings, owned, i believe, by Tiga) who i'm sure was immense, but it was firefly the next day and we were tired and poor. Drat. Thus we ambled home feeling a little dissaponted. Still, kudos to the Fresh Out Of Death crew for the line up, it was a sick one.

Punks Jump Up - Dance To Our Disco (Baseball Furies mix)

d.i.m. - Airbus Baby

All that's left to report after that would be my Saturday in Hyde park over the weekend for the O2 Wireless festival with, excuse my language, motherfucking DAFT PUNK! A few days of crappy weather cleared up in the early afternoon meaning we got to enjoy the likes of Shy Child (better than OK, but nothing special), Datarock (hilarious fun, probably a highlight for sheer comedy value alone, but don't let that detract you from the music. They have an array of absolutely cracking tunes. Go see 'em, you won't regret it), Digitalism (amazing, of course, though the Daft Punkisms can not be denied. It's no bad thing though, look how good they are! I was paticularly glad to hear new single Pogo, probably the best inide track i've heard since Banquet, and written by an electro band. Doesn't say a lot for indie at the moment), New Young Pony Club (i have to say it, i'm really not that big a fan... but they were ok), CSS (well, the end of, wish i'd seen more as it was so much fun, Off the Hook and Music is My Hot Hot Sex in paticular were fantastic, but those drink queues are so long). After that we sat outside the XFM tent having a beer and listening to Simian Mobile Disco (as we'd seen them in the rescue rooms the week before). they sound imbecible and i couldn't refrain from dancing around like a twat on my own, nice. A little bit of LCD Soundsytem (good, i think i need to look into them more, but they didn't sound as good as i expected, in fact there was a distincly un-electronic sound about i was a little dissapointed by, but hey, everyone else seemed to be loving it so i'm probably wrong. Then again, didn't Bon Jovi release something titled something along the lines of, "Shit loads of people can't be wrong"? Well John, yes they can as you're music has always struck me as the aural equivilant of of a paticularly nasty session on the loo after a piss up and a curry. Go listen to Iron Maiden to see how it's supposed to be done, or even Van Halen). Anyway, i digress, Midday through we went to get more beer, abandoning our frined Ruth (who seemed to find the rest of her friends and have a good evening beyond that, so no worries) when i heard Klaxons playing Golden Skans coming from the XFM tent. being quite drunk at this point we, again, sat outside the tent with our beer and sang along loudly to every word of the rest of the set much to the enjoyment/ammusent/annoyance of those around us. I loved every second of it. Do not be put off by things lke their performance on the Jothnathon Ross show, in real gig situations they sound ace. Which leaves us with Daft Punk (myspace) themsleves. Having missed the start due to our antics outside the XFM tent we ended up pushing our way to the middle to the sounds of Robot Rock. Hell, it suited me fine. They spent most of the next hour and a half (or so) knocking out one of the best sets i've ever heard, possibly surpassed by Iron Maiden performing tracks only from their first four albums at Reading 2005 and Isis on the "Oceanic tour" in... 2003 i believe. I may well have fallen strongly in love with Bangalter and de Homen-Christo, but let's keep that hush-hush... So, returning for on encore, complete with lit up robot costumes (the final touch to the greatest light show i've ever borne witness to)i seem to remember hearing "Human After All" (again), "Prime Time of your Life," "da Funk," and possibly a bit more of One More Time... Either way, it's definitely in my top three shows of all time, maybe even top, only time will tell.


Datarock - Fa Fa Fa


Daft Punk - Da Funk

CSS - Music Is My Hot Hot Sex

CSS - Let's Make Love... (Simian Mobile Disco RMX)

And now, in the aftermath, i'm sitting at home missing all my friends deeply, looking forward to catching up with a few back in Nottingham in the last week and a half of June and as many of the rest of you over as many years as possible, with my newly required degree (which i'm not entirely sure i need, but is nice to have) wondering what the hell to do now, hence the rambling in this post, but if anyone reading this happens to run a record store in London and needs an employee it'd be good to hear from you (Ha, if only!).

There are, as always, some downloads for you pleasure. however, as always, we ask that you make some effort to go and see the bands and Djs that you love and make buy some of their merchandise, albums or singles on you favourite format so that they can carry on doing what they love and we can keep writing about them! Some bands i have purposefully not put up downlaods for as they already have some up here. Go search, you might find an interesting piece i wrote a few months back, though probabably not and thus just download the track... I forever live in hope though.

All my love,


Chuck.



P.S. Just bookended my year by finishing John Peel's Autobiography "Margrave of the Marshes" A Fantastic, very emotive read and, i feel, perhaps essential reading for any open minded music fan and i thoroughly recomend buying it, though if you know me, just ask to borrow mine.

P.P.S. One thing I forgot, my surprise find of the day at Dot to Dot, Dolby Anol. They were really quite good. I Believe we were treated to a rare live show, though it may have just been DJing with laptops, either way they are definitely ones to keep an eye on.

Dolby Anol - Vista-Countdown (Freelance Hellraiser Mix)