RSSMix.com Mix ID 22169

Gehts Noch

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 13:46:16 -0500

Belgium has always punched way over it’s weight in the music world; with Soulwax and Aeroplane flying the electronic flag in recent years. The latest wave of production talent to emerge from the heart of the European Union are people like Sound of Stereo, Highbloo and today’s bloggees Geht’s Noch. A quick look at their [...]

I'm watching ESPN

http://www.crossfadedbacon.com/2010/03/ ... ass-remix/

Grum Cant Shake This Feeling (video)

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 12:04:20 -0500

CP NORMREX

Rick Lakai Commercial HD 720viaHillarious ;)

Rick Lakai Commercial HD 720via
Hillarious ;)

Down with the squats!

Zrichs biggest and most colourful squat called Binz is facing demolation.To promote their petition against the city of Zrich they put up a poster on Zurichs townhall last night.

Here some pics from the squatted factoryon flickr. Find out more at binzbleibtbinz.ch

macaframa – video test

Massan from MACAFRAMA on Vimeo.

This black piramid house in Saiji, Hiroshima, was designed by…

This black piramid house in Saiji, Hiroshima, was designed by Suppose Design Office (via House in Saiji - today and tomorrow)

bild/video test

Click here to view the embedded video.

Use your Hands ! says Eike

Just added to their Site is the interview and visit by republish’s mates of Freunde von Freunden at Eikes current office in Berlin Kreuzberg. Text & Interview ist in deutsch.

And if you’re at it you might also want to check out the Insightful interview with Eike Knig done by Leonardo Mercado for TrimarchiTV on Canal A.

Eike Koenig from Hort: “

(Via FormFiftyFive.)

Republish Mix #1

Refreshing one of our basic habits, here’s the first mix of the new republish season. Put together by republish editor Dan aka DJ Brilliant aka Damn Choize in March 2008, with heavy bass tracks from the beginning of the short but feverish baltimore sound uproar.

DJ Damn Choice – Bassmerz (03.2008)

For Playlist and DL read on…

DL link

001 I Love you (Bart B More Secured Dub) – Larry Tee
002 Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Twocker Remix) – Slyde
003 Huvudet i sanden feat. Adam Tensta – Familjen
004 Dooms Night (Crookers Bum Mix) – Azzido da Bass
005 Flex (Dave Spoon Mix) – Dizzee Rascal
006 The Good Life (Heavy Feet Remix) – Kanye West
007 Walking Down the Street (Bart B More Remix) – Ron Carroll
008 Freak from Desire (Round Table Knights rmx) – Gala
009 Moving to New York (The Touch Remix) – The Wombats
010 Bill Cosby Sweater (Hostage Remix) – Oh Snap!!
011 Turn you on (Mowgli Remix) – InThe Club
012 My Red Hot Car (Johnatron Remix) – Squarepusher
013 Freak Like Me (Udachi Remix) – Adina Howard
014 Day N Night (Crookers First Remix) – Kid Cud

Coffee

Matt of Giz has a profound overview of all sorts of making coffee. Also kind of the US American view of things and indicates the hippness of the theme.

Digital Deconstruction

As far as it can get by todays means of deconstructing a facade with a layer of projection on it.

The Project is called 555 Kubik realised by Urbanscreen, Art Direction is from Daniel Rossa. The featured Building is the Kunsthalle Hamburg by O.M.Ungers.
via

Takes it a big step further than just Colorful Deconstruction, a project I did during 2007 EASA Summer School in Elefsina, Greece.

Arun of Undplus Gallery just came by the NoMoreSleep office and…

Arun of Undplus Gallery just came by the NoMoreSleep office and told us Nomad from Berlin is currently painting Kutchers office walls. Pic from Demi Moores Twitter. Make sure to grab an original Nomad painting at Undplus soon before the prices reach Miami Level.

SACRILEGE

Discovered this by accident tonight. Not sure how I feel about it. Of course, my wife (who knows that (a) I detest Duran Duran on general principle and (b) Warm leatherette is one of my favourite singles ever) thinks this is absolutely hilarious.

And when did La Bonn and his chums start pretending they were Kraftwerk..?

DODGY PROMO ALERT

There's a program on my laptop called 'Windows Movie Maker'. I've never opened it before, but tonight I was feeling bored and listless so I opened the fucker and, for the sheer hell of it, 'created' the above promo clip using a few old pictures from my raving days and the first two minutes of a killer tune called "Elephants" by October. It is scheduled for release around late July or early August on Immerse Records.

Here's what Immerse's Kid Kut had to say about it:

"...created back in 2003 when Jules (October), myself and a few others used to go out to parties and get a little worse for wear and wanted something to listen to when we came home, didn't have a label then but now is definitely the right time to put these out, definitely captures an era for me personally, a time when i was first getting into dubstep, ThinKings mix and SLT with that amazing ep on Soulja."

And if you understand what he's saying, like I do, then that probably means you were vibing on early Mark One, Plasticman, SLT Mob, Soulja and Road 12-inchers and getting really excited about this ice-cool new form of UKG that was so fresh and underground it didn't even have a firm name yet.

This tune is the shit. Buy on sight.

THE ANALOGUE LOUNGE

After a decade out in the cold, I finally got some of my hi-fi gear, and specifically a turntable, back into the living room at home, having removed all the kids' crap and reorganised the furniture, thus reclaiming this room as an adult living area.

Oh, the simple joy of playing a record on a decent stereo system whilst lounging on a sofa. It's almost like the old days...except I'm not allowed to smoke anymore...and if I get too comfy I will invariably doze off.

Yes, there's always the possibility that the little buggers will fuck with my shit, and possibly break something, but I'm willing to take that chance.

You will notice that this is a purist system. Turntable, tape deck and amp only. No CD player. This is a digital no-go zone. Though admittedly there is an emergency USB interface jacked into the Aux input, should the need to play digital/Spotified music via laptop ever arise, but so far only the kids have taken advantage of this facility (I may have removed all their stuff, but their presence still stubbornly remains). Me, I'm trying to keep the faith, baby.

Here's to the Analogue Life!

R.I.P. DAVID CARRADINE

I don't pretend to be an expert on his career, all I know is I fucking loved watching Kung Fu when I was a kid. I still have my collection of bubble gum cards and, as a mark of respect, here's a few of my favourites....

JACKO ABLETON 'TRIBUTE'

c/o Headhunter. Amen, brother...

DISCSTYLE

Speaking of books, how did people manage to drool over cool pictures of sexy records and CDs before websites like Hard Format? Well presumably they spent twenty quid on a big coffee-table tome like this...

"Discstyle" by Martin Pesch & Markus Weisbeck (Collins & Brown, 1999)

I assume it's long out of print, but I came across a copy in a charity shop this week for two quid. It's a luxurious thing, with a forward by Ian Anderson (Designers Republic), charting the design trends of electronic music graphics in the latter half of the nineties. Not enough time has elapsed for it to really exude a strong, pungent flava of the era, in fact much of the imagery on offer wouldn't look too out of place today. But it's a nice thing to have and will perhaps grow in collectibity in the coming years.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FUTURE?

"Once upon a time, people believed in the future. When I was growing up in England in the 1970s, one of the most popular programmes on TV was called 'Tomorrow's World'. Every week scientists would talk about how new and wonderful inventions would make our life better. Sociologists talked of an impending leisure society, where our biggest problem would be what to do with all the spare time created by increasing automation..."

Neil Transpotine (History Is Made At Night)

"The future we were sold in the 1970's/1980's where robots would be our servants
and we would hop into our hovering cars in the twenty-first-century techno
cities never quite materialised. Here we stand, twenty years on from seeing
chip-shop-chips on compact discs and things are the same but worse as our
optimism of the future has been eroded away collectively.

'Tomorrows World' never came."

Leyland J. Kirby, from recent press release

An interesting point, aside from the convergence of thought in the two above texts, concerns the stylistic differences between the two youtube clips. The first is the opening titles for Tomorrow's World as it appeared in the 1970s - a jaunty, exciting, endearing and kind-hearted view of the future with a bright easy listening soundtrack. The second clip shows the new title sequence introduced at the start of the 80s - cool, spacey and mysterious, propelled by a synthetic euro-disco beat that informs the work of modern day retro-futurist Belbury Poly. What was it about the 80s that demanded such a clean break with the old? Other programmes given quite dramatic overhauls at the time included Top Of The Pops and Dr. Who (with Delia's original theme finally superceded after 17 years). It seems we couldn't wait to leave behind the stylistic signifiers of the '70s. Yet each decade tinted the future with it's own distinct hue. Both promised us a better world. If only...

AUF DIE MOND!

A couple of links sent my way earlier today - Jan Jelinek's 'radiophonic' hoax album (via Bob) and a Conny Plank podcast (via Matt) - converged in my mind and sent it flashing back to a little-known krautrock-inspired hoax album entitled Auf Die Mond! I always assumed it was a hoax, anyway. Promotional cd-r copies were floating around in 2001, yet when I googled it I couldn't find a single reference to it's existence! Hard to believe, I know, but somehow this particular item has managed to remain undocumented on the web...until now.

After a good deal of searching through mountains of dodgy old promo CDs, I finally found it. The sleeve notes, written by one Clifford Snouts, claim that the master tape for this 'forgotten krautrock gem' was discovered by a retired German recording engineer in a filing cabinet. The album, by an unknown artist/group, was apparently recorded in late 1974, possibly in Hamburg. Stylistically, the music recalls Kraftwerk circa Ralf & Florian, although the title track is clearly endebted to Neu! But perhaps the closest overall comparison would be with Cluster, as the music veers between the formless dronescapes of Cluster II and the naive cyclic melodies of Zuckerzeit or Sowiesoso.

Now I'm not usually one for wholesale filesharing, but on this occasion I've decided to share the entire release with you, dear readers, complete with reproduced sleeve notes. Afterall, this is one of those weird little forgotten electronic projects that is so obscure that the chances of anyone actually finding a copy are practically nil. Plus I'm almost hoping it's creators might spot this and get in touch to solve the mystery of it's origins once and for all.

As I said, I'm pretty sure this must be a hoax, but it's still an enjoyable and quite authentically retro-analogue listening experience, full of filtered rhythm machines, Farfisa organs, backwards guitars and clunky hand-played monosynths.

Download here.

MATT CAN SPOON

Matthew Ingram Showreel January 2009 from Matthew Ingram on Vimeo.

Clever chap, isn't he..?

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

In the middle of reading Dave Haslam's "Not Abba - The Real Story Of The 1970s" (4th Estate, 2005),which I found in the local library, not a charity shop. Haslam's narrative style can be a bit jarring in places, but I like the way he's interwoven the political landscape with popular music. So on the one hand I read that "the National Front made headway in an era when the political process looked flawed and the major parties lacked credibility" (hmmm, sounds familiar), whilst on the other discovering that soul group Sweet Sensation were from Manchester, not the States as I had always assumed, and that their lead singer Marcel King would make a record on Factory Records in the following decade in collaboration with Barney Sumner (New Order) and Donald Johnson (ACR), which would become an early dancefloor hit at the Hacienda.

WARP 20 HAS LANDED...

SPOTIFY: PROS & CONS

I've been playing around with Spotify this week. Download the program and you can stream a staggering amount of music for free. And it's completely legal. Some thoughts for the curious...

ADVERTS: So you have to pay9.99 a month to go Ad-free, which seems a bit steep to me. I'm happy with the free version for now. The ads aren't any more or less intrusive/irritating than what you'd hear on most independent/pirate radio stations. Typically, listening to a full album will only be interupted once by a couple of ads somewhere in the middle. The 99p 'day pass' option could be useful if, say, you were throwing a party and wanted to prepare some suitable playlists. Hook the laptop up to an amplifier/speaker set-up for instant, ad-free soundtrack to your swanky dinner party. Guests can have fun picking tracks without getting their grubby little mitts on your beloved vinyl/CD collection.

CHOICE: Considering it's still at Beta stage, the choice of music is enormous. Obviously, if you're specifically looking for niche/marginal genres, you'll be very disappointed. Dubstep is only really represented by the Soul Jazz 'Box Of Dub' compilations and a few other bits here and there (my in-progress dubstep playlist here). Post-punk electronica is quite well represented due to involvement of Mute/Grey Area (a nice playlist I built here). Recent releases by Warp acts like Autechre, Squarepusher and Clark are available, but generally there's a lot of work to be done before electronica reaches an acceptable level of representation. Where Spotify excels is, naturally, the pop/rock area. Some big names like The Beatles and Pink Floyd aren't involved yet, whilst Elvis and the Stones are. Some 'classic' Left-field artists like Kraftwerk, Brian Eno and Soft Machine are comprehensively covered, and krautrockers like Can, Faust and Neu! are also well-represented. Yet I can't find anything by ~~Scandinavian~~ Dutch prog-rockers Focus yet. No doubt these anomalies will continue for some time. Afterall, there's an awful lot of music out there to collate, publishers to negotiate with, etc.

FUNCTIONALITY: Searching the site is pretty straightforward and especially helpful if you're not quite sure what you're trying to find. Type the word 'Donk' and you'll be quickly directed to Blackout Crew's "Put A Donk On It", type 'Sigor Ross' and you'll be asked if you mean 'Sigur Ros', etc. The ability to createplaylists is useful and fun, though I think it would also be nice if there was a facility to build your own virtual 'collection' of favourite artists/albums, organised by genre/year or whatever. Perhaps that'll come later. Being able to share/modify your playlists with other users is useful too and could lead to fruitful collaborative efforts. Those who still prefer to buy their music elsewhere may still find Spotify a useful tool for previewing material and researching artist's catalogues. The speed of delivery is superb - the stream kicks-in almost instantaneously when you make a selection (it's as quick as playing mp3s on your media player) and I've had no system crashes yet.

ETHICS: Look, it's legal, okay? So everyone gets paid, right? And I don't need you giving me a fucking guilt trip cos it's not a 'real' format. I still love and maintain a hard-format collection and I think I'll always enjoy the act of searching for and acquiring vinyl records, though I rarely buy CDs these days. A big part of my motivation is tracking down music that hasn't been absorbed by digital formats - those forgotten remnants and curios of the 20th century that only exist in the analogue world. Plus vinyl is a joy to handle and drool over, you can smell it, and of course itsounds great providing you look after it, but there's the problem: the burden of ownership means you have to protect your investments. I've got some lovely, collectible records that I never play cos I'm too scared of ruining their condition. Sometimes I pull them out of the stack and have a good oggle at them, but then put them back unplayed. Sometimes I feel weighed-down by the responsibility of maintaining this wall of 12" cardboard and plastic that I've put all my adult life into ("my possessions - will the howling never end?!"). Sometimes I almost wish I owned nothing. And with Spotify you really don't own anything. You don't even have to worry about how much space your MP3s are taking up on the hard drive - the burden of ownership, maintenance and storage has been passed on. Yes, Spotify reduces music to a souless stream of zeros and ones, and renders proper sleeve art useless, but it sure takes a lot of the worry out of my listening experience. Inevitably, this is the way most passive music consumers will access sound in future; there will no longer be individual character-defining collections, just one gigantic all-encompassing stream; especially when it becomes possible to access this kind of service from mobile phones, in-car systems, etc. Only producers and djs will need more 'malleable' media. For the rest of us, resistance will constitute little more than an alternative, 'eccentric' lifestyle choice.

MORE PIVOTAL TV MOMENTS

Following on from the Cabaret Voltaire post, I've tracked down a few other clips that stand out in my memory as particularly influencial in my personal development. It is perhaps hard to remember now how influential these brief televised encounters could be for a teenager growing-up in the '80s, thirsty for fresh musical experience, yet desperately restricted for choice and information by today's standards. Yes, we had the radio, and we had the music press, and sometimes we even had enough pocket money to buy an actual record, but often it's these fleeting, unplanned televisual experiences that burn brightest in the mind's eye. Perhaps the slower rate of intake allowed these things to be inwardly digested better. I mean, I can't remember what I was watching/listening to on the internet last week, yet these clips from over twenty years ago still linger...

I didn't see the original broadcast, but this clip was repeated on Whisletest sometime in the mid-'80s (during the Mark Ellen/Andy Kershaw years). At that time I knew very little about Pil apart from maybe recent hits like "Rise". I'd never seen a group playing like their lives depended on it before, and I remember being utterly gobsmacked by Keith Levine's deft, almost violent, approach to synth-playing. As the clip finished I suddenly realised I'd been holding my breath.

I'm not sure when and where I saw this clip, originally broadcast on one of Granada's regional shows, but it was my first exposure to the music of Joy Division, viewed without any knowledge of their history or growing legendary status, nor any inkling of the dark, tragic story attached to the lead singer. I wasn't as immediately blown-apart by the music, but the image of the group on those raised podiums, so starkly intense and transfixed by their own sound, (plus the singer's rather curious dancing technique) is the first image that comes to mind whenever I think about Joy Division.

The Southbank Show did a documentory on the Velvet Underground in 1986. I'm not sure if I'd even heard of the group at this point, but I would always make a point of watching the programme when they were covering music. This one totally hooked me into the sound and mythology of the Velvets. It looks like the whole thing is now up on youtube, although this section, with it's evocative description of the creative tensions that spawned "Sister Ray", made a particularly heavy impact on my young mind.

To finish (for now), here's one that was actually a current, brand new track at the time. Again I have Whistletest to thank for playing this video and thus irrevocably cementing my love for Mantronik and electro-flavoured '80s hip-hop in general.

GEOLOGY OF A LIFE: BOOK SPINES AS SEAMS

GENIUS AT WORK...

WHAT THE (BRITISH) FUTURE SOUNDED LIKE...

Featuring Delia's green lampshade, John's cash register, and the bloke who used to present Screen Test. What more could you possibly want?

The amazing and ultimately tragic story of Peter Zinovieff and EMS in a nutshell.

And here's what the rock stars did with EMS synths...

ANOTHER DEAD SHOP

Nothing unusual in itself, but I'm taking this one personally.

All my life this little retail space at the bottom of Cleeve Hill has been an off-licence. My dad used to come in here to buy his cans of Hoffmeister and packs of Marlborough. Sometimes I would go with him and wait obediently and patiently while he chatted with the ever-jovial proprietor about the football results, hoping that he might feel inclined to buy me a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar or maybe some Opal Fruits from the enticing selection of snacks on display at the counter.

Years later, having moved back into the area, I began frequenting the shop myself, to buy my bottles of Budweiser , Drum tobacco and Rizlas. Occasionally my children would accompany me and, if they were well-behaved, I might feel inclined to buy them a packet of crisps or a chocolate bar or even a packet of Starburst. But I never had any idea who the proprietor was. The counter was now a plexi-glassed fortress with a little opening where cash would be furtively exchanged with an ever-changing staff of young student-types who always seemed vaguely annoyed at my presence. Perhaps because I had disturbed them in the middle of some urgent text-messaging.

And you wonder why I keep going on about the past.

The atmosphere, lay-out and even the brand names might have changed, but there's one thing that's always stayed the same about that shop: the smell. I think it must be something to do with the wood. The shop has dark wooden walls and floors, and they secrete a particular warm, woody odour that is, in my experience, entirely unique to this shop. I've never smelt it anywhere else in the world. It's a lovely, comforting smell. Whenever I smell it I connect with a little 8-year-old kid, holding his dad's hand, happily biting into a Cadbury's Fruit & Nut bar. I hate the idea that, for the time being at least, I am denied access to that smell and the sensations it inspires.

SOUNDS FROM BETWEEN THE WARS

Excellent to see some much needed publicity for James Kirby aka The Caretaker akaThe Stranger aka The Artist Formally Known As V/Vm akaThe Artist Soon To Be Known As Leyland Kirby. First there was Kek's crucial interview piece in Fact, along with accompanying podcast, quickly followed by a splendid feature by Mark 'K-Punk' Fisher in this month's Wire magazine. From arch prankster to serious, 'thoughtful' artiste, Kirby appears to have pulled-off one of the great self-reinventions of our time. I was first seduced by the V/Vm brand when I came across those spectacularly vulgar 'Help Aphex Twin' 3" CDs many moons ago, though I can't bare to listen to them now. Rather, it is Kirby's ongoing 'ambient' explorations of time, space and place that captivate me now. Previews of forthcoming Leyland Kirby material inspired me to fork-out some hard cash and pre-order the double-vinyl (and you can too, via Kirby's new website). More thoughts on that as-and-when it arrives, but for now...

I sometimes wondered why I found the overt references to 1930's ballroom music in The Caretaker's work so personally powerful and evocative. Initially a spin-off idea from Kubrick's movie The Shining, by the time of last year's stunning "Persistent Repetition Of Phrases"the concept had taken on a whole other life of it's own. It was only when I read the references to Al Bowlly and Dennis Potter's TV drama Pennies From Heavenin the recent interviews, that the penny dropped.

The reason why the music of Bowlly and his ilk resonates dimly in my skull is all because of my Grandmother. She was a strong presence throughout my childhood (I often stayed at her house and she lived with us in the family home for some time) and I must've been exposed to this music early on by her. A quick search through Gran's record collection yesterday confirmed my suspicions - there they were: the Bowlly records and the soundtrack to the TV series. She had a big pile of old 78s too, but I didn't get around to checking them, nor her massive collection of sheet music. But I spent an enjoyable Sunday afternoon in Grans' company, playing the records and discussing them with her. This was the 'dance music' of her youth and she could still recognise each song just from the opening notes, still knew all the words, and had memories associated with them all. Even without The Caretaker's audio treatments, this music still has a naturally transportative quality - the particular grain of the recordings seem to impregnate the present with a misty aura of the past - in Gran's case, the pre-war glow of her teens, for me a nebulous yet comforting sensation associated with time spent in her company as a child back in the 1970s.

It was a interesting experience and it makes me wonder why I've never spent time listening to music with my Grandmother in adulthood. Always too busy, I suppose. But it felt good to experience this cross-generational exchange and it also got us talking about my Gran's own musical 'career'. Yes, she had a good pair of lungs on her, by all accounts, and built quite a strong reputation on the live circuit. She can still hold a note even now, well into her eighties, but unfortunately no known recordings exist of her in her prime. Apparently many people tried to push her to further her career by appearing on talent shows like 'Opportunity Knocks' in the '60s, but she has an aversion to fame and it's trappings which comes as a breath of fresh air in this age where the pursuit of fame is an end to itself. This Briton Had Talent, she just chose to keep it low-profile. Good for you, Gran...

SAPPHIRE & STEEL

One of those old TV series I've been meaning to re-experience ever since K-Punk's blog posts back in 2004. Finally, I came across a bunch of VHS tapes in a charity shop recently and I've been gradually working my way through them, late at night, when the rest of the family have gone to bed.

Yes, VHS tapes, faithfully replicating that low-budget, badly-lit world of yore - to hell with your digitally remastered DVD special editions! It's still as weird as my childhood memories suggested, and the plot-lines are only slightly more comprehensible to me now, as an adult. Here was a series so creepy, even the Look-In picture strip adaptation had an unnerving quality about it. How anything as impenetrably arcane as this could ever have been considered mainstream family viewing remains one of the great cherished mysteries of what we might call the 'Ghost Box era'. Though of course that's not actually correct - the series falls just outside the 1958-78 timeframe for true hauntology buffs...but that's the beauty of it: it's the last word, the final rallying cry for the uncanny in popular culture, ultimately crushed by the onslaught ofThatchersim, the 'Me' decade etc; the last of the dreamers, and the nightmares.

It's the pace of the thing that I find so fascinating. Due to budget restrictions, every storyline unfolds very slowly, typically stretched over six 25-minute episodes. Events occur at a magnetically slow pace, in a scenario where, funnily enough, Time itself is supposedly the 'villian'. Special effects, supporting characters and scene-changes are kept to a bare minimum - everything is held together by the rivetting on-screen presence of lead actors Joanna Lumley and David McCullum. The complete absence of spectacle imbues everything with an eerie stillness, which makes the occasional action sequences even more startling. Special mention must also go to Cyril Ornadel's incidental music. Arranged for a small ensemble of musicians (predominatly woodwind) with liberal use of electronic treatments (ring modulation, echo/delay) to intensify the drama and suggestion of horror,Ornadel's cues are far more powerfully chilling and evocative than anything you're likely hear in the mainstream media today.

STILL FASCINATED, 25 YEARS ON

As previously discussed (in the days before youtube)...

...but it was those Cabs promos that really got under my skin, particularly Just Fascination which I taped and watched over and over again. I felt the change a-comin'. The realisation that maybe there was more to music beyond Queen, Billy Joel and Nik Kershaw. Something about Mal's freaky staring eyes, or maybe Richard's spectral presence...perhaps Peter Care's superb video direction and visual techniques..Definitely something about those hard rhythms. Quite accessible yet very un-pop with none of the usual hooklines. That ominous synthetic groove was the hook. The lyrics... more like a mantra, "This private... Fascination, just fascination, just fascination", looping, hypnotic, mesmerising. It's also quite possible that Peter Care's voyeuristic close-ups of the mysterious female in the black stilleto's and fishnets had some kind of profound effect on my still-developing psyche, introducing me to a particular adult pasttime known as sexual fetishism. (Even now, I'm still turned-on by a nice pair of ankles in high heels - thanks for that, Pete). Overall I was getting the impression that here was something with bit more depth than the usual chart-fodder. Something that took a little time and effort to assimilate and form opinions about. Something that perhaps had a message within the message. Something that had something important to say, but wasn't gonna say it directly. It wanted the listener/viewer to draw their own conclusions; there was a veil of mystery, an aura of subversivness, that just clicked with me...

CITY IN PROGRESS

Another post-war concrete footbridge prepares to meet it's maker. Cherish it while you still can...

WARP20

Go on, you know you want to...

Los Chinches Jungle Majik

Last year UK/Peruvian Chicha demons, Los Chinches came down to Secousse and smashed it. I first saw them playing their special amazon surf rock at the Carnaval del Pueblo where they made Camberwell in South London sound like the depths of the jungle. They are super fun, and echo the twanging voodoo funk of classic awesome 70s Chicha bands like Los Mirlos, Juaneco Y Su Combo and Los Hijos del sol. So we're really happy that Toy Selectah has done a snaking reggaeton cobra of a remix complete with dem bow drums on their new track. Check it.

Los Chinches - Chicha Love (Toy Selectah RMX)

Go check them playing live shows in London soon.

Atencin!

After being lucky enough to hear Toy Selectah's great lecture at the Red Bull Music Academy last week, it really got me thinking (uh-oh) about how one releativly simple style of music has branched out in so many awesome directions, from the Aztec rave of Tribal Guarachero to the Bass kicks of Texan Crunk Cumbia to the even the relatively commercially crossover leanings of Toy's own work with Vampire Weekend. Its all good basically! Toy gave a great overview and background of how the genre has exploded from its folk origins and subsequent widespread commercial success in Latin America to the rest of the world seen in heavily sampled hits from Timbaland to Michael Clies. The raw folk roots of Cumbia lends itself nicely to other metagenres. Adaptability.

DJ Orion of the excellent Texas based Peligrosa blog has made fine collection of editss rely heavily on the actual original Colombian cumbias, using the beats to subtly underpin the riddims, giving the originals a chance to shine and blast for the dancefloor. His awesomely refreshing Baltimore, Hip Hop and Bass driven Cumbia jams are available to download via his pay-wot-U-want Bandcamp site. Go get 'em.

And if you're in the US be sure to check out his live sets at Que Bajo?! in New York and his own Peligrosa parties at SXSW.

EDIT.

Check out the full lecture by Toy Selectah

Jose Antonio Torres Gualajo

Of all the cheap, pirated cd-rs ive picked up whilst in Colombia, the undoubted highlight would be an album by Jose Antonio Torres Gualajo called El Pianista de la Selva, in which he works his way through Pangos, Jugas and even some Rumbas.

My favourite is this Pango which opens the CD.

Jose Antonio Torres Gualajo - Pango (direct download)

Also check this awesome Youtube video of him playing the Torbellino

A cuppa with J-Wow (Buraka Som Sistema)

Regular readers here will know we've been big fans of Buraka Som Sistema's Bass heavy kuduro for time. To coincide with ex Red Bull Music Academy student, now member, J-Wow's appearance at the RBMA party and workshop on Saturday at the ICA, I got the chance to have a little chat with him about what he's cookin up for 2010. ( Sadly didn't find out why he's in that fridge though).

Hey Joao. How's it going ?

All good thanks!

Although dance music styles like dubstep and bass heavy stuff are a big influence, Buraka's roots lie deep in kuduro. Is it still a big influence in your sound? Where you taking it right now?

Yes.. it's still very much defines our sound!!!
we're probably going to take it as far as possible, experimenting all sorts of different and weird drum patterns... right now we're focusing a lot on trying out cool short vocal hooks that work as both voice and percussion.

Who are you favourite Kuduro artists and who should we be watching out for ?

My number one dude is still DJ Znobia.. he's just a very complete package and the most creative of every producer doing kuduro... he really pushes the limits on music production...
watch out for DJ Malvado as well... he's more on a housier branch of kuduro, but still sounds amazing!

Any plans to record in Angola again with kuduro MCs ?

Not for now...

On kuduro blogs based in Angola and Portugal, I've seen your stuff posted up along with Angolan kuduro. This makes me think people don't really see a difference between your music and Angolan jams. Is that something you care about?

They do see the difference, but it has also became part of it.. like a side branch. Most of the Angolan producers like what we do and kind of use it as a reference as well.

Buraka Som Sistema are kind of the stadium kuduro dance act - I've seen loads of people go mental to your live shows that probably haven't heard your style before, especially at festival shows. Do you think you're opening doors for other kuduro acts like Costuleta, who recently played big stadium shows with Kassav ?

I have no idea... we're just doing our thing... and we like to make things big, so we work a lot in having the best live show possible. Although I dont really think our show is a good stadium performance.. I always like the dirty small and sweaty place better.

Kalemba (Wegue Wegue) went to No.1 in the Spanish singles charts, still is I think. Are you finding more mainstream success in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries? Is it an issue for you to try and cross over into English language markets or not bothered?

We obviously think about it.. I'm not going to lie and pretend we don't... but it's not really a number 1 priority...

On your mixtapes and on Black Diamond, you've collaborated with people like Afrikan Boy, Znobia and Aloe Black. Any more guests in the pipeline ? Who would you love to work with?

I think our next release will be as much guest free as possible... but we got a bunch of stuff recorded with Maluca that we're dying to use.

'Rebita' your new track is pretty sick, almost Brazilian sounding with the accordeons. Is it a J-Wow club tool or a new Buraka track ?

It's just a club tool for me to use on my dj sets... I would probably get in trouble for releasing that because of the sample, so I just decided to give it away...

Sweet!

J-Wow - Rebita (Yousendit)

Catch J-Wow along with James Pants, Poirier and loads more at The Red Bull Music Academy this Saturday night.
All info is here.

Mix for The Exotic Pylon

Last Saturday I played a few records, had a chat with Jonny Mugwump and did a little mix for his Exotic Pylon show on Resonance FM. It was fun.

Grab the the podcast here.

Resonance Radio show Tonight

I'm going to be playing some records on The Exotic Pylon show between 22:00 - 23:30 tonight.

On Resonance 104.4 FM.

Expect a tropical medley including some Tribal guarachero, Funana and a bit of Techno Brega. I may even do a little Secousse mix.

Afroturf - Sheffield This Saturday

This Saturday, A.J. Holmes and I are bringing the tropical pain to Afroturf in Sheffield. Cannot wait. Come down.

We Like To Party

This arrived in the in box this morning. Jeeps! An exclusive guilty pleasure remix from Radioclit's Australian tour DJ crate. This one will either send you over the edge screaming waving your shirt over your head or hide in the corner of the room and have a bit of cry.

Radioclit - We Like To Party

Congolese Cumbia

Download this video for free here

In my mind, the sound and visuals of this video could put this in D.F. as much as Kinshasa. The rhythm has a Cumbia feel (probably the tempo), and the visuals contain skeletons and lucha libre masks.

Baloji, Congolese rapper based in Belgium, who did one of my favorite music videos from a few years ago comes with a hot hot single Karibu ya Bintu (Welcome to life in Limbo) from his new album Kinshasa Succursale. The album is out, but I can't find it, so in the meantime grab his previous album, Hotel Impala.

Down South with Poirier

Not content with his bashment-soca-dancehall maelstrom, Montreal's excellent Poirier takes his dancefloor armageddon to South America for some latin tinged hammers with the ZZK crew. His new EP Las Americas Vol 1 features reggaeton inspired vocals from MC Boogat and its a killer as you would expect, named Kalima Shop Titi (after him out of Temple of Doom). Remixes come from the ZZK label's macs of the moment Douster, Uproot Andy, El Remoln & Lagartijeando. Its going to be dropping digitally worldwide on Feb 16th.

If your in London this Saturday, be sure to catch Poirier playing at the Red Bull Music Academy party joining J-Wow from Bruaka Som Sistema for a highly recommended, all out bass attack.

Forever?

D.C. Africans! (+ more Sierra Leone pride!)

Wale comes with the video for his Bunny Mack sampling Afro Disco jam! I have to say when Wale reps D.C. through Go Go or Nigeria and Africa it is when he, in my opinion, is at his best.

I'd like to take a second to mention the shock and sadness I feel that Google has decided to take down without warning the Masalacism blog. I hope the Montreal crew is able to recover as much as possible and be reborn under a better more free blogging software. We are planning here to get off of blogger and on to a more friendly platform. Hopefully now sooner than later.

Mamaseh

Mamaseh from Old Money on Vimeo.

Some nice and murky SA house innna UK funky tip straight from the depths of New York. This is the B-side to Old Money's new single (buyable). Produced by Fonda of Team Facelift, Mamaseh is rocking Ghetto Bassquake hard right now.

March Out

After the monster that was Township Funk burst out of nowhere (ok the internet) over a year ago, its been pretty quiet for Mujava until now. His massive follow up single is coming out so soon you can almost smell it. A huge party anthem called Mugwanti/ Sgwejegweje out on a new compilation called AYOBANESS - The Sound of South African House released in early may on Outhere Recordings. His trademark military Pretoria drums stomp along underneath some great vocals. But before you get ready to support Mujava's awesomeness with a purchase, here is a special FREE remix from Munich's Tropical Bass Terrorists, Schlachthofbronx which we're loving.

DJ Mujava - 'Mugwanti/ Sgwejegweje (Schlachthofbronx Remix) (mediafire)

THE REAL McCOY

Shocked and stunned to discover this snippet of archival footage of Daniel Miller and Robert Rental in performance and at home studio back in '79 - I had no idea such a document existed.

DJ DELIA IN THA MIX

Just noticed someone had uploaded that clip of Delia Derbyshire splicing together 'sampled' tape loops, then 'beat-matching' them to form a rhythmic composition (from the BBC4 Alchemists Of Sound documentary).

Get humble, muthafuckaz...

Carnival Carioca

As its carnival season, some fresh Funk Carioca. Much has been said about the current stagnant state of Rio funk, but Rio based Soundgoods has dug up some of the better tunes from last year. Some really cool samba, Batacuda (and Star Wars) sampled jams complete with sleeve notes. Head over to his blog to grab it.

Soundgoods - Funk Carioca 2009 Mixtape

BONUS FUNK

Diplo twittered this new mix from the very excellent Sany Pitbull.

SanyPitbull-TwitterFoliaMix

Ba-ZOO Ka

Batida - "Bazuka"

+BATIDA+ Check our new video! | MySpace Music Videos

We've been on about the awesome album by lisbon's Batida for a while. Now they're dropping a great video for their Bazuka single. Born out of their Fazuma radio show, they're making some of the most exciting lusophone stuff we've heard for a while - melodic kuduro with Angolan folk samples. This video is the result of hours combing the RTV Africa archives and tells the story behind the song. Pedro from Batida says:

"Bazuka" is based on the testimony of a popular in our documentary " Dreda Ser Angolano", who raises an unanswered question: "Who drafted me?". He was "drafted" as a child, or recruited and forced to fight in war, got lost from his family and survived with serious health problems. We found him in Luanda in 2005. He has a name. He is the unknown soldier of the Colonial and Civil War in Angola. Has "got two pieces of shrapnel from the war, in his head" and faces a new battle everyday: The survival in time of peace. "Ya. That..s all i have to say."

Wiley Swims With The Toads

So what was the Toads Theme by Mad Decent's croaky soldiers, Toadally Krossed Out, has now become a new Wiley track. Credited as a Diplo production, Wiley and J2K roll over the beat with their tribute to going fishin in the club. Pretty cool.

Ayoba Remix Contest

Dem nice lot at Man Recordings are giving you the chance to remix Schlachthofbronx's excellent single Ayobaaaa.

Ayoba! by Schlachthofbronx feat. Spoek & Gnucci Banana has become a serious hit on dancefloors and blogs around the globe now Man Recording gives you the chance to remix one of the big tunes of 2010!

RULES:

1. Download the parts of the original here

2. Remix the song the way you like!

3. Upload your remix on the Sound Cloud drop box of Man Recordings and name it AYOBA! (your remixer name) and add Ayoba Remix Contest in the tags. The link to Man Recordings Dropbox is here

4. The winners will be selected by Man Recordings and streamed on this website.

PRIZES:

1st prize: Official digital release on the Ayoba Remix EP alongside remixes by Ku Bo, Beataucue, Daniel Haaksman, Top Billin, Phon.O, Beware + Motorpitch amongst others. (Man 046, released March 1st)

2nd & 3rd prize: limited edition Man Rec surprise parcel + Schlachthofbronx T-Shirts.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT REMIX: 12th of February 2010

Campaign to put Bubu on MTV!

Thanks to Eddie Stats for pointing this out up at Pitchfork! A glimpse into the Salone culture I knew as a pikin. Banquet halls and heavily decorated living rooms.

Check for an interview with Janka in the Fader from last year. His album will soon be released high quality digital and vinyl on True Panther Sounds. Let's get this man paid!

Yeeeee!

Every Freakin' Night

Moments in Love Mixtape. I love this song, ever since hearing it on the Boyz In the Hood Soundtrack that my mom took away from me in the 4th grade. I love these guys, I love this mixtape. Too damn good! Every track got me shakin' my head (in a good way people!) House, Kuduro, Juke, Chitown Brass Band, 2 step, Booty Bass... Had to share it!

Nzugunzugu-Moments in Love Mixtape (Direct Link)

Head to DJ Rupture's site to get the tracklist

LOVE-FEST BABY

Baobinga

Baobinga's new material, both solo and alongside DJ ID, is bangin. It's got both the subtlety and dancefloor payload needed to withstand the current hybrid-bass climate. In fact Baobinga and ID's version of United Groove is my current choice to drop!

In this mix Binga lays out his vision for the perfect contemporary rave hybrid sound, bangers alongside the mash ! Lets go>

BAOBINGA - Quick Lil Promo Mix October 09

1. Zero 7 - Medicine Man (Cooly G RMX) - Atlantic
2. Bubblez - Loser - Devotional Dubz
3. Baobinga - Ride It - Build DUB
4. MJ Cole ft Serocee - AO (Zed Bias RMX) - Prolific
5. TRG - Tribal Flex - DUB
6. Noob & Brodinski - Peanuts Club (Bok Bok & Greena RMX) - DUB
7. Baobinga ft Rubi Dan - Raggipahop - Monkey Steak DUB
8. DJ Sneak - Get Da Ho (DJ Mes RMX) - House Guest
9. Major Lazer - Pon De Floor - Mad Decent
10. Andrea Lai & Madox - Smoke King (Baobinga RMX) - DUB
11. Redlight - Kid Soldier - DUB
12. Baobinga - Make It Drop - Trouble & Bass DUB
13. Skepta - Sweet Mother - Boy Better Know
14. Jamson & Viper - Urban Hero - Relentless
15. L-Vis 1990 - United Groove (Baobinga & I.D RMX) - Mad Decent DUB
16. TRG - Strobe Lick - DUB
17. Killa P & Rossi B - Police A Come - DUB
18. DJ Znobia - Me Batem (Baobinga & I.D. RMX) - Enchufada
19. Dexplicit - Shut It Down - DXP
20. Taz Buckfaster - Half Man, Half Trout - Rwina DUB
21. Baobinga & I.D. - Tongue Riddim - Build DUB
22. Wedge & Shadz - Running Away (Guido RMX) - If Symptoms Persist DUB
23. Dorian Concept- Trilingual Dance Sexperience - Affine Records
24. Moving Fusion - Atlantis (Bad Company RMX) - Ram
25. Baobinga & I.D. - Jah - DUB
26. The Dream - Hit It On The Road - Def Jam
27. Busy Signal - Up In Her Belly - VP Records

4 classic Geeneus riddims

This aint Sinogrime, but it comes from the same place. Rinse FM have just quietly given away four fantastic Geeneus/Wizzbit instrumentals from grimes golden era - lost treasures unearthed from the irresistible late-garage/early-grime bleed period. Gee and Wizzbit are the same person of course - I never was clear what the pseudonym was about, since the sound is interchangable. The tracks are:

Geeneus - Raggo
Geeneus - Poltergeist Remix
Geeneus - Midnite Remix
Wizzbit - Aquarius Remix

Download the pack here. (or here)

Its exactly the unimpeachable DJ-led rollage we brought you in Alex's brilliant '69 Allstars' mix-slash-history lesson a couple of years ago. Midnite Remix in particular is devastating - rarely has a grime producer been able to make a synth STAB so aggressively, while still having the drums push you to move so hard at the same time. It helps, of course, that we're getting these tunes in high quality for the first time.

On this subject, beyond Grimetapes I feel theres a fairly urgent need for a salvage operation to rescue, archive and release more of these 2002/3 instrumentals. Ive heard some terrible, heartbreaking things recently about crashed hard-drives belonging to Ruff Sqwad producers if some of these unreleased classics really are lost to the ages, it would represent grimes elemental transience being brought to its natural conclusion some of those dubs might NEVER see the light of day.

But don't mourn for now BRUCKOUT

************************

And while you're listening, some other little tidbits for your weekend:

I wrote a piece for the New Statesman explaining why funkys egalitarian skank culture is part of human evolutionary history. Dance or get eaten by tigers, innit.

Tom Lea interviewed Mr Bok Bok and Mr L-Vis1990 for American mag XLR8R - a great read.

See you all at Night Slugs!

more Save Plastic People

here is the official petition curtesy of Friends Of Plastic People.

http://www.petitiononline.com/PP2010/petition.html

SIGN IT !!!!!!!!

Manara's Miracles

Chiiiiiize!!

I'm jealous of this tracklist. Manara's completely banging and very concise (20 mins) new mix:

MANARA - Miracles Mix

Paula Abdul Cold Hearted (Dubstramental)
Roska- Gone to a Better Place
Aero Manyelo My 8 Kids
Aaron Carl Oasis (Nick Holder Vocal Dub)
DJ Gregory Klappa
DJ Gazzeto Cruel 22
Shaun-D Spanish Fly (Kingdom remix)
Ikonika Brown Acid remix
GIRL UNIT I.R.L
Dj Deeon Freak like Me (Brenmar mix)

A Million Updates

Rather than doing small daily updates, I always manage to get to the point where I have to do mega posts. So again, stick with me through this epic.

Today is the last day to vote for Djmag's top 100 list. I ask if you haven't voted yet and truly enjoy what I do to take a minute and head here to vote for me. This will help me come back to your city or even visit your city for the first time.

The next petFood release is out now exclusively on beatport. It's a track I did with the other petFood half, Jay-You. It's called Comandante. I'm very excited we got the chance to get a very good Oscar G remix on this release. We've gotten great feedback from the likes of Tom Budden, Xpress-2, Steve Mac, Davide Squillace, among others.

You can give it a listen and a buy (if you like) on Beatport.

If you've been following what we're doing with petFood you already know by now we're doing a monthly podcast. Each month it's a different petFood artist and we always showcase upcoming petFood releases on the mixes. It's a great way to get a sneak peak at what we're doing and hear some mighty fine mixes at the same time. This next one is from Mary Velo who has the next petFood release featuring Edu K and Stryke remixes.

You know the drill you can download direct here.

But if you want an enhanced podcast with all the track titles you will have to subscribe to our petCast on iTunes here.

Every Wednesday @ Hoy Como Ayer in Little Havana. Oscar G, Stryke and Me are there every week doing some real underground shit. Great soundsystem and none of that door policy BS. It's a fun vibe in there always and we are really playing whatever the fuck we want.

Music:

Randomly came across this track called Beach Ball. It's by M_Ferri, a German who mostly releases under the Autist label. It has a very lovely feel with a great disco sample. Almost reminds me of Patric Baumel's remix Booka Shade's Sweet Lies....can never be a bad thing to be compared to!

Out on Autist.

M_Ferri - Beach Ball

Trilogy

A spot-on trilogy meter by Dan Meth.

Music:

The second remix e.p. for Crash is out now. Milton Jackson's choices for these remixes are very wise as both Jimpster and H.O.S.H. have delivered great tunes (they usually do). I have a hard time choosing between the two since they both do good in their own right but I have noticed Jimpster's mix fits better in my sets.

Out on Freerange.

Milton Jackson - Rhythm Track (Jimpster Remix)

May Top 10

Here it is....

1. Anja Schneider & Lee Van Dowski - La Roulette /// Mobilee
2. Peace Division - Eh Oh Um /// Tsuba
3. Tiefschwarz - Voodoo /// Viva
4. The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Lazaro Casanova Amazon Remix) /// DFA
5. Ernesto Ferreyra - Hunted /// Cadenza
6. Jamie Jones - Summertime feat. Ost & Kjex (Extended Vocal Mix) /// Crosstown Rebels
7. Lazaro Casanova - Ay Negra /// CDR
8. Simon Baker - Way Out Of My Head (Julien Chaptal Remix) /// 2020Vision
9. Nihad Tule - Way Of The Lonely Ones (Jerome Sydenham Dub Mix) /// Spectrum

10. Tom Budden - The Tree Dance (Jim Rivers Remix) /// Alive

Music:

Keeping with the tradition of posting a track from my top 10 here is a new one from Cadenza (Luciano's label). This one is by Ernesto Ferreyra. It has a great house groove to it with a very nice vocal sample. I'm also featuring it on the next petCast at the end of the month.

As a side not it's becoming a bit difficult to keep posting tracks as my personal music network grows. So the post counts might slow down a bit but on the bright side I'm legitimizing the content being posted here.

Out on Cadenza.

Ernesto Ferreyra - Hunted

July Top 10

Monthly chart is here but before we get into that I have a few updates:

1) lazarocasanova.com is now live! For a long time I had a "coming soon" page up but a friend of mine stressed how important a web page was even in todays social networking craze. Thing is social networking come and go but a solid artist website will always remain as a place to visit. I set up about 95% of the page in the matter of a night (no I didn't sleep). I am most excited about the main page that has random pictures load on each visit. Go take a peek! I am still making some tweaks and adding content.

2) 2nd petFood release is doing great (Gil Montiel's EP). We got great support from from a few ravers including those crazy Nadastrom lads. Also getting good feedback from other upcoming petFood releases.

3) You can take a listen to one of the upcoming petFood releases on the X-press 2 Kiss FM radio show. Yes, they are supporting again! This time they played Oscar G's remix of Comandante.

Tracklisting:

Hour 2
Shit Robot Simple Things (Todd Terje Remix) Dfa
Cobblestone Jazz Traffic Jam Wagon Repair
Danny Howells Phycotic Bump Dig Deeper
Pearson Sound Wad Hessle Audio
Lazaro Casanova & Jay Comandante (Oscar G Remix) Pet Food
Roberto Rodriguez Saved By The Bell Laka Worldwide
Idif East Village Hustler Cdr
The Revenge Heavy Love Instumentas Of Rapture
Frank Zander Captain Starlight Hansa

Download the show here.

Oh yea and check out that Shit Robot track that starts off the mix. Both the original and Todd Terje remix are great acid house!

Ok, and finally my chart for for July. Thanks for your patience.

Santos - Hold Home /// Moon Harbour
Pedramovich - Ashes /// Alive
Shit Robot - Simple Things (Work It Out) /// DFA
Daltn - Oye Africana /// petFood
Sebo K & Metro - Saxtrack (Reboot Twisted Fist Remix) /// Ccille Numbers
Davide Squiallace vs Alfa Romero - Black Cabbage Soup /// Supernature
2020 Soundsystem - Sliding Away (Lazaro Casanova Remix) /// CDR
Lee Curtis - Reverse Caress /// Cityfox
Toby Tobias - Shoon (Dave Ellesmere Remix) /// Rekids
Style of Eye - Retur 2 /// Dirtybird

Music:

There is so much win in this release! Sebo K, Reboot, and Ccille records...again all sorts of win. Sebo K & Metro dish up a great jazzy house groover on the original. Reboot takes things into a different direction with a super loopy french house gem. If all french house can sound this good then I will welcome back the genre with open arms. This remix takes me back to the days of Crydamoure!

Out on Ccille.

Sebo K & Metro - Saxtrack (Reboot Twisted Fist Remix)

Audiojack

I first caught wind of Audiojack in a recorded live James Zabiela set. He specifically played the Audiojack remix of Underworld's, Holding the Moth. At first listen (while I was driving) I thought "Shit I need to ID this." And sure enough once I got my hands on this remix it immediately became a staple in my DJ sets.

This is why 9 months later when I got a friendly email from the 2020Vision guys asking if I wouldn't mind doing a review on the debut Audiojack LP I replied yes before I even gave it a listen. So here I am writing this as I am about 30 minutes into the new Audiojack Full Length titled, Radio.

At first listen I've noticed a few things. First off, the album never has a dull moment. There is constant groove and all the tracks uniquely segway into one another.

Radio kicks off the album just right. With a steady bassline and a killer combo of clap-snare. It meets two vinyl slow down effects and ends with the first segway of the album, which is creatively a radio host segment into the second track Disco Gameshow. Again, the bassline is key as it switches into a live sounding bass guitar. It has a great disco vibe with some nice string samples thrown in at random.

Jack the Keys has some mean pianos and starts giving you some hands drums. A preview of things to come which segways into my favorite track of the album, Red Eye. DRUMS.

The album continues this pattern of unique segways but Audiojack clearly thought this album through. The songs vary enough to keep fans of different dance music genres pleased. There is a broad range of sounds but all done logically.

Radio, will keep any listener engaged through it's whole journey. I personally listened to the album in its entirety at 2am.

Audiojack and 2020Vision have been kind enough to let me offer a song off Radio for free. But go and buy yourself the album as just one song does not do it any justice.

Out on 2020Vision.

Audiojack - Jack The Keys

Buy the full album at:

iTunes

Beatport

DJDownload

December Top 10

Here she is:

december

B.D.I. - Industrial Kites /// Rush Hour
Lazaro Casanova - Brames Jrown /// CDR
Edu K - Boitat /// petFood
Luca Bacchetti - It's Jazzy /// Ovum
Daniel Steinberg - Rush Me /// Formatik
Lee Burridge - Here's Johnny (Lazaro Casanova Rainy Night Mix /// Leftroom
Marlon D. - Trust the Drum (Drumz Mix) /// Underground Collective
Daso - I'm Over You /// Do Easy
Nina Kraviz - Pain in the Ass /// Rekids
Catz 'n Dogz - Twardzioszek - Upon You

Included in this is a new track of mine called Brames Jrown. It's a bit of a funky one. Look for a clip of it being uploaded this month. I am just wanting to play it first on a mix I am putting together for Oscar G's XM radio show.

Music:

Catz 'n Dogz have been very consistent producers for quite some time now. I especially like that they have been mixing deep house elements into their music since I first heard them. They manage to have their own twist on house music and still deliver with deep groovin' basslines + quirky elements. Twardzioszek will be getting a lot (and I mean a lot) plays in my upcoming sets.

You may remember they had a very good full length on Mothership records called Stars of Zoo. You may also remember I interviewed them a bit more than a year ago on Shot Callin'.

Out on Upon. You

Catz 'n Dogz - Twardzioszek

Videos

Music:

Catalog #2 on Slam's own imprint, Paragraph, is out now. The A-Side is Hot Knives and the B is called What's On Your Mind. I've been playing Hot Knives in some of my sets, especially the longer ones where I can build a few times. The song consists of rissets that lead to monumental build ups, but the fun part for me is after a few bars on the drop the song gets quiet again.

Out on Paragraph.

~~Slam - Hot Knives~~

Octoberfest

October means pumpkin beer and great weather (in Miami atleast). This time last year I did a side project (called Nitemares) where I sampled horror films and made Hell Cab. I also did a Nitemares dj mix. I've thought plenty of times of doing the same this year, I just have a lot of work and I am not sure I'll make the Halloween deadline. I will hope to get it done early November atleast.

The next petfood podcast is now up. This one is mixed by Diego De La Vega, he has a release titled Ormigas, that will be forthcoming on petfood.

You can subscribe to the enhanced podcast on iTunes here. Tracklist is included!

Also you can stream and download it directly from soundcloud here.

One of my tracks just came out on beatport, it's called Ay Negra. This is my second release with Three-O-Five Digital, the first was Rosa. Three-O-Five is a label started by Oscar G and Stryke and as the name suggests it is based out of Miami. This release (just like the first Three-O-Five release) features tracks from Oscar, Stryke, and myself. My song also includes a Dub mix. I've gotten amazing feedback/support for Ay Negra from great talent including, Tim Green, Tom budden, Jim Rivers, Andrew Grant and much more!

You can listen and buy it on beatport.

Also my October chart is up at the usual places. My website, myspace, and facebook.

But also here:

october:

Stimming - Funk With Me /// Diynamic Music
Claude VonStroke - Storm on Lake St Claire /// dirtybird
Lazaro Casanova - Ay Negra (Dub) /// Three-O-Five Digital
Precious System - The Voice From Planet Love (Dixon Edit) /// Running Back
Steve Bug - Swallowed Too Much Bass (Joris Voorn Remix) /// Poker Flat
Hot Natured - Electric Jones /// Wolf + Lamb
The Detroit Experiment - Think Twice (Henrik Schwarz Remix) /// Juno
Lee Burridge - Untititled (Lazaro Casanova Remix) /// Leftroom
Oscar G - Fula /// Three-O-Five Digital

I'm very excited about my Lee Burridge remix!

Also for Halloween I will be playing Oct. 30th with Steve Lawler in El Paso @ Club 101 and Oct. 31st in Nashville @ Limelight.

Music:

I'm very pleased with Stimming's Stormdrum EP. I think Funk with me is his best work to date. Just an all around pleasure to play this track out.

I'm uploading a sub par quality vinyl rip of the track so you guys can hear and agree to buy the EP on beatport. The B-sides are very good too and carry a similar feel.

Hey wanna funk with me?

HEY do YOU want to FUNK with me?

Out on Diynamic Music.

Stimming - Funk with me

Awesome

I've come across a pretty neat site.

My Parents Were Awesome.

Despite just being another photo themed website (Example: people of walmart), I personally like this one cause each picture shows parents in a more innocent time before many of the worries and responsibilities. Each picture (for the most part) perfectly portrays the idea of love. Bravo to the site creator, great concept.

Music:

Speaking of awesome, I finally gave a listen to Mathias Kaden's new album, Studio 10. It has been on constant rotation in my car and a great album concept overall. This along with Claude Von Stroke's, Bird Brain LP has given me a lot of great ideas and influence to draw from for my own album. They are albums full of songs that I necessarily wouldn't play at clubs not because they wouldn't be able to move a crowd, on the contrary I think this stuff is so groovy that I actually want to listen to it at home (or in the car).

I highly recommend to buy this album. Beatport is a good place to buy.

Out on Vakant.

Here's one of my favorite song off the album.

Mathias Kaden - Chazz

June Top 10

Here it is...

1. Buraka Som Sistema - IC19 (James Talk Remix) /// Fabric

2. Yousef - Anti Hero (Andy Chatterley Remix) /// Circus

3. Audiofly - Sweeter Than /// Supernature

4. The Discowboys - To The Mountain Top (Two Armadillos Remix) /// Dessous

5. Lazaro Casanova & Jay-You - Comandante (Oscar G Fuck Fidel Mix) /// petFood

6. Butane - Inferno Jack (Kalabrese Remix) /// Crowsstown Rebels

7. Lazaro Casanova - Ay Negra /// CDR

8. Edu Imbernon, Coyu - El Baile Aleman /// Liebe*Detail

9. Gil Montiel - U Got A Feeling /// petFood

10. Danien Steinberg - Cry All Night /// Supdub

Some quick updates. Those asking about when Rosa will be out. The final date is June 31st on Three-O-Five Digital. The whole EP has gotten great response and Xpress-2 played both Oscar G's, Toma! and my track Rosa on their Kiss Radio show! It's an honor to be amongst such a tracklisting of talented artists. It's also very exciting to hear Xpress-2 playing my stuff.

Here is the show tracklisting:

Hour 1
Jackspot - Lhakah - Highgrade Digital
Heinrichs - Quantum Leap - Highgrade Digital
Dj Koze - Mrs Bojangles - Circus Company
Kaiserdisco - Descalzo - Mbf
Dj Yellow - 1st Step (Dubfire Remix) - Composite Records
Mikael Stravostrand - Die A Little (Bruno Prosanto Remix) - Lick My Deck
Bjorn Bergland - The Essence (Jesper Dahlback Remix) - Soundz
Oscar G - Toma - Three O Five DigitalSlam - One Note Samba - Paragraph
David Squllace - Black Cabbage - Supernature
Lazaro Casanova - Rosa - Three O Five Digital
Floating Points - Truly - Eglo

Download:

Xpress-2 Show 1/6/09

Music:

I've been playing this one in about all my sets lately. Titled Cry All Night by Daniel Steinberg. It's a feel good jiggy joint. Very great use of samples and works extremely well. I mean it even gets me dancing from inside the booth ;)

Out on Supdub.

Daniel Steinberg - Cry All Night

True Friends

Slew of updates (again).

First head over to my myspace page to hear my latest remix I've done for 2020 Soundsystem's, Sliding Away. Throw some headphones on to catch the low end.

Next, I just had a gig at Space in Miami with fellow Three-O-Five brother, Stryke. Great show, good times, we'll see if we can make it happen again this year. I have the rest of my tour dates up for August on both myspace and my site (work in progress). But so you don't have to go through the painful task of clicking a link here you go:

8/14 - San Diego, CA @ Spin
8/15 - Los Angeles, CA @ Vanguard w/ D. Ramirez
8/21 - Lima, Peru @ Coliseum Mariscal Caceres w/ Donald Glaude & Cedric Gervais
8/22 - Monterrey, MX @ Aura (The 10th Party!)
8/28 - Mexicali, MX @ Arroyo Hondo
8/29 - Ciudad Mexico, MX @ Pasaje America

I am very excited about heading to Peru for the first time.

Also, a couple of my friends really encouraged me to go for this DjMag top100 thing this year, so I'm giving it a shot. If you guys can give me a few seconds of your time and head over to djmag and place your vote for me it would be very much appreciated. Usually, the list is comprised of a lot of commercial acts. My main angle on this is we can work on getting a Cuban on the top100. Would be the first time since Murk, I believe.

Music:

It's the time of the month again. Our fourth installment of our monthly petFood petCast is here. This one is courtesy of one of our younger talents, Daltn. He's been working with Diego De La Vega on a few things and recently gave us a great solo track called, Oye Africana, which you can hear on his petCast (it's a bomb!). As usual you know the rules:

Subscribe to our petCast on iTunes here. Our podcasts are enhanced so you get full tracklisting as it plays.

Otherwise you'd could technically download direct from here. But then you wouldn't get tracklisting. You see what I did here?

Here's your goodie today. This track I've been playing a lot lately and it grooves so well. It's also one of the most unique and addicting vocal samples I've come across in quite some time. It's by Glimpse & Alex Jones. Glimpse I''ve been following for a while now. He's put out with great labels like Leftroom and Cadenza.

Out on Kindisch. (Sublabel of Get Physical).

Glimpse & Alex Jones - True Friends

April

Here is my top 10 for April:

1. Alex Moments - Yakamoz /// Below
2.Hermanez & Ramon Tapia - Straniero /// Miconn
3. Mark Broom - Jackpot /// Saved
4. Lopazz Feat. Eddie Zarook - V Point /// Get Physical
5. Lazaro Casanova - Rosa /// Three-O-Five
6. Tiefschwarz - Yeah /// Souvenir
7. Til Von Sein - Ovas (Catz N Dogz Ohne FX Remix) /// Dirt Crew
8. Tomas Barfod & Fredski - March On Swan Lake /// Get Physical
9. Matt Nordstrom - Spanglish (Dub) /// Saved
10. Dj Le Roi Feat. Roland Clark - I Get Deep (Mirco Esposito Edit) /// Deeptown Music

Music:

I've made it past a pretty crazy week at wmc with only getting slightly sick. Great parties happened and some didn't (I'm looking at you Circoloco). Some highlights were Get Physical, Nic & James, Danny Howells, Spectral, and Flying Circus. Unfortunately Circoloco got shut down cause of fire marshals and over capacity. Lights out (Lawler's party) suffered the same fate being downstairs of the same club (Nocturnal).

I missed Radio Slave at the Beatport pool party but caught a stream of his one hour set from home. The week had many one hour sets (just so much talent in one place) and this had to be one of the best one hour sets I heard all week. Matt (Radio Slave) is definitely feeling the drums. Props.

By the way the full lineup this day was Damian Lazarus, Radio Slave, and Josh Wink. ;)

Radio Slave @ Beatport Pool Party 3 WMC

petCast

We've started a monthly petCast (petFood pocast) a month ago. Jay-You mixed the first, I mixed this second one. Each podcast features upcoming petFood music.

Here is tracklist:

1. Ernesto Ferreyra - Hunted /// Cadenza

2. Simon Baker - Way Out of My Head (Julian Chaptal Remix) /// 2020Vision

3. Darius Syrossian, Nyra - Osasuna /// Viva

4. Oscar G - Toma! /// Three-O-Five Digital

5. Davide Squillace, Michele Tabucchi - One Lobster Please (Mathias Kaden's Gambass Remix) /// Sci + Tec

6. Anja Schneider & Lee Van Dowski - La Roulette /// Mobilee

7. Peace Division - Eh Oh Um /// Tsuba

8. Nick Curly - Say Something /// 8bit

9. Gil Montiel - U Got A Feeling /// petFood

10. Lazaro Casanova - Ay Negra /// CD-R

11. Tom Budden - Tree Dance (Jim Rivers Remix) /// Alive

12. Paul Kalkbrenner - Sky And Sand /// Bpitch Control

Download the mix directly here.

P.S. Ay Negra is a new track I've finished that's intended for a special label.

March Top 10

Here it is...

1. Mark Broom - Raincheck /// Saved
2. Milton Jackson - Rhythm Track (Jimpster Remix) /// Freerange
3. Michel Cleis - La Mezcla /// CD-R
4. The Juan Maclean - One Day (Lazaro Casanova Haunted Dub) /// DFA
5. Christian Smith & John Selway - Swingworld (Paul Ritch Remix) /// Jericho
6. Minilogue - My Teenager Gang /// Mule Electronic
7. Lazaro Casanova - Mango /// Three-o-Five
8. Spencer Parker - Yogoto /// Rekids
9. Lazaro Casanova - Feisty Hell /// Saved
10. Fergie, Reset Robot And Alan Fitzpatrick - Gas Mask /// 8 Sided Dice

Global Underground

Fellow friend Nic Fanciulli is the first to launch the Global Underground DJ mix series. Nic has been busy on all fronts lately, as he is now touring in support of the GU comp, hard at work with his label Saved, doing monthly Saved parties at Matter in the UK, as well as producing under his own name and with his production partner Andy Chatterley under Skylark.

This is a great 2 cd mixed compilation spanning through ambient, dubstep, house and techno. Featuring very talented producers including Seth Troxler, Spencer Parker, Jamie Jones, to name a few.

I definitely recommend picking this one up and when you get a chance go catch Fanciulli play live as he is one of the most well balanced DJ's I have ever heard.

For complete Fanciulli tour dates go here.

You can buy GUDJ001 mixed by Nic Fanciulli here.

Music:

Reboot is one of my favorite producers. His latest release is on the almighty Cocoon. The A-side, titled Ronson, is supported by Dj's across the globe and is very representative of a sound I personally like to play. It's summed up with a loopy hand drum that just keeps driving forward with a nice simple two note portamento synth on top. Be sure to pick this up and check out the B-side as well, Mirrasierra.

Out on Cocoon Records.

Reboot - Ronson (Original Mix)

Letter of Resignation

I've just cracked open my first beer of the night,

the first of plenty tonight,

it's been a few weeks since,

i've had a drink and somehow

somehow, somewhere, somewho,

feeel

little

"ME"

Music:

Audiofly, in my opinion, are one of the most consistent producers these days and they put out new music at a very fast rate. It's almost as if this stuff just came to them naturally. This next one is titled, Sweeter Than.

A lot of there music has the same layout with some breaks that have some obscure vocal going on for just long enough to have people really appreciate when the beat drops again. Truly great arrangements going on here. Also, for those who have caught any of my later dj sets you might remember this one.

Out on their own label, Supernature.

Audiofly - Sweeter Than

August Top 10

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Weekend gigs were great, big thanks to Beth & Giant as well as Rob & Compression for having me. They were really great parties. D.Ramirez is also one of the nicest fellas I've ever met and it was a real pleasure playing with him at Vanguard, even if the chocolate birthday cupcakes were knocked over.

I've got to link up with Jay-You and finally agreed to see his new place after much convincing and guilt trips.

Up next is Lima, Peru and then Monterrey, Mexico. Both will be epic raves.

Music:

My second remix for the very sarcastic Juan Maclean came out today on DFA records. I believe today was the digital release and later this month (maybe the 25th) the 12" will come out. The package has a slew of talented remixers, I'd highly recommend picking it up despite my shameless self plugin.

Tracklist:
1. Happy House (Radio Edit)
2. Happy House (VHS or Beta Remix)
3. Happy House (Chateau Flight Remix)
4. Happy House (Lazaro Casanova)
5. Happy House (Will Saul & Mike Monday Remix)
6. Happy House (Will Saul & MIke Monday Dub)
7. Happy House (Paul Woolford Apocalypse Version)
8. Happy House (Paul Woolford Apocalypse Dub)
9. Happy House (Matthew Dear vs Audion Remix)

Buy on beatport

Buy on itunes

Here is my August top 10.

Marek Hemmann - Gemini /// Freude Am Tanzen

2020 Soundsystem - Sliding Away /// CD-R
Loko - Scarlet House /// Soulman Music
Daniel Steinberg - Bailando /// Front Room Recordings
Glimpse & Alex Jones - True Friends /// Kindisch Records
Seulo - Overcast /// Alive
Uner & Coyu - Raw Sweat /// Diynamic Music
The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Lazaro Casanova Remix) /// DFA
Tim Green, Emerson Todd - Excercise /// Cocoon Recordings
Samuel Knob - Makanie /// Glueckskind Schallplatten

This next track I played all weekend. It get such good feedback from the dancefloor. It's my first time hearing Marek Hemmann but with a quick listen of his other tracks I've become a fan. Also, he has a side project with Mathias Kaden who is already on my radar as a great producer.

Out on Freude Am Tanzen.

Marek Hemmann - Gemini

WMC '09

It's time of WMC '09 edition. Everyone is making their lists of top parties according to the "hype machine" (literally).

But here is my list (in no order), from a Miami native.

1)Sunday School for Degenerates

March 28 & 29

Adultnapper // Argy // Barem // Cassy // D'Julz
Guy Gerber // Ida Engberg // Joris Voorn // Marco Carola
Martin Landsky // Mathias Kaden // Matthew Dear
Mr. C // Onur zer // Ryan Crosson (live)
Seth Troxler // Solomun // Steve Bug // Stimming (live)
and more TBA...

At the Ice Palace

59 NW 14 St

Info

2)Flying Circus

March 25

Audiofly & SAFE present:

FLYING CIRCUS

STEVE LAWLER
AUDIOFLY
NIC FANCIULLI
TIEFSCHWARZ

GUY GERBER (live)
PACO OSUNA
DAVIDE SQUILLACE
LUCA BACCHETTI
GEL ABRIL
JOHNNY D (live)
HEIDI
NICK CURLY
MISS JOOLS
AMELIE
KABUTO & KOJIALI NASSER
GEDDES
CONWAY
ALEX FLITCH
LUCA MONKEY
& MORE TBA

Nikki Beach

1 Ocean Drive

Info

3)One Night Only...an AM Only Event

March 27

Buddha Gardens:
Adam Beyer & Paco Osuna
Adultnapper & Mr. C
Alex Gaudino & Starkillers
Alexi Delano

Bart B More & Chris Lake

Behrouz & Guido Schneider
Christian Smith & Misstress Barbara
Funkagenda & Steve Porter
Guy Gerber
Josh Gabriel
Josh Wink & Steve Bug
Konrad Black & Seth Troxler
Lazaro Casanova

Loco Dice & Marco Carola
Martin Buttrich
Paul Ritch
Sander Kleinenberg & Victor Calderone

Karu & Y

71 NW 14 St

Info

4)Viva vs Cadenza

March 26

Steve Lawler
Luciano
Timo Maas
Tiefshwarz
Loco Dice

Bearweasel
Mirko Loko
Reboot

Space Terrace

34 NE 11 St

Info

5)Get Physical Miami

March 28

M.A.N.D.Y. vs Booka Shade

Matthew Dear

Audiofly

Italoboyz

Bronnt Industries Kapital (Live)

Studio K

60 NE 11 St

Info

6)One + One

March 27

James Zabiela & Nic Fanciulli

Studio K

60 NE 11 St

Info

7)Made in Miami

March 29

Murk featuring Oscar G & Ralph Falcon

Behrouz

Cedric Gervais

Patrick M

Stryke

Lazaro Casanova

Club Space (Main Room)

34 NE 11 Street

Info

8)Circo Loco

March 28

Luciano

Timo Maas

Tania Vulcano

Arpiar

Clive Henry

Davide Squillace

Andrew Grant

Tiefschwarz

Lee Burridge

Nocturnal

50 NE 11 St

Info

9)Hallucienda 2009

March 27

Three

Lee Burridge

Radio Slave

Mr. C

Reverse Commuter

Droog

Conway

The Vue Rooftop (Former Sony Building Rooftop)

650 Lincoln Road

Info

10)Crosstown Rebels

March 28 (Morning)

Damian Lazarus

Jamie Jones

Clive Henry

Seth Troxler

Butane

Dyed Soundorom

Lee Curtis

Lee Foss

Droog

The Electric Pickle

2826 N. Miami Ave

Info

Music:

My remix for Juan Maclean on DFA records is out now on a couple of online stores including beatport. Other remixes on there are by Marc Romboy, Surkin, and The Emperor Machine.

Tiefshwarz keeps releasing fire on their own imprint Souvenir (it's all consistently good). This time we get a 2 part EP titled Simple, Maybe. My personal favorite out of the bunch is Yeah. I look forward to seeing Tiefshwarz play during conference and ofcourse playing this one myself.

Out on Souvenir.

Tiefshwarz - Yeah

Sesame Street

Sesame Street is partly to blame for why we're all fucked up. The best part of this skit is how the dogs continuously try to eat some of the ingredients and in one part a hand even slaps the dogs face away.

Music:

Yet another remix e.p. for Loco Dice's, 7 Dunham Place. The first remix e.p. had great contributions from Luciano and Cassy. This second one comes with even more talent, Marcell Dettmann, Onur Ozer, Marco Carola, and Mike Huckaby. I still play Luciano's remix of Pimp Jackson Is Talkin' Now!!! But I definitely will be supporting Marco Carola's mix of M Train To Brooklyn.

Out on Desolat.

Loco Dice - M Train To Brooklyn (Marco Carola Remix)

Oscar G

Oscar G's new 3 disc project dropped today. It's titled DJ. For those who are intrigued by the cuban influence in my music well I will just openly admit right now that Oscar is the OG of this shit. He's been a big push in my music lately even giving me a home for some of my music with his new label Three-O-Five which he's started with another great friend of mine Stryke. The 3 discs are broken down like this:

Disc 1 is all new original material from Oscar. All tracks connect into each other very thoughtfully and in general is a great listen. Seriously, a nice range of music on this one. Stryke offers his vocal talent on three tracks. And already we have seen good support for the first single Back to You, which is great diva vocal house track. Here is a video of Cassy & Ricardo Villalobos playing it at Sunwaves Festival in Romania.

Disc 2 is a live mix of Oscar playing at Club Space. This is a solid mix and features the very first petFood release which is a track I made titled, Los Tambores. This was the first time I have been licensed for a compilation. Good looking out!

Disc 3 takes you to the visual aspect of Disc 2. Here you will see lots of footage of the infamous afterhours in the Club Space terrace. It is the same live mix of disc 2. Those of you who have done afterhours at Space terrace will get some flashbacks. Those of you who haven't been will be intrigued to go soon enough.

Here is tracklist:

P.S. There's a free download in Disc 1 tracklist ;)

Oscar G
DJ (d'j')

Tracklist

Disc 1 Originals

1) Stuck On You (Featuring Stryke)
2) Back To You (Featuring Tamara Wallace)

3) "Innosence
4) I Try (Featuring Stryke)
5) Your Love (Featuring Tamara Wallace)
6) Lost (Featuring Chino)
7) Asere
8) What You Need (Featuring Tamara Wallace)
9) Futro
10) Over You

Disc 2 Live From Space Terrace

1) Made By Monkeys I Think Of You (Oscar G Reconstruction)
2) Jay Quik Feat. Stephanie Tiangco Cry Of Creation (Stryke and Quik Space Dub)3) Ralph Berr Dutchie (Original Mix)
4) Christian Falero Easy Rider
5) The Southern Brothers Break It (Korioto Trip Mix)
6) Ralph Falcon Whateva (House Mixx)
7) Kerri Chandler Pong (Ben Klocks Bones & Strings Rework)
8) Jean Claude Ades I Begin To Wonder 2008 (Jerome Isma AE Remix)
9) Lazaro Casanova Los Tambores (Original Mix)
10) Lemoch & Deibys Besame (Original Mix)
11) David Penn & Rober Gaez What Is House? (Kot Anthem Dub)
12) Belocca, Soneec, Chris Lauer, & Canard Raspberry Mouth (Groovenatics Remix)
13 Morten Alik & Casper LT M.R.
14 Charlie Solana Pres. Tri Fecta Wild Morning
15 Jewel Kid Break My Heart
Acappella: Eric Entrana Addicted

Buy @ Beatport

Nervous Records

Disc 3 Oscar G DJ (DVD)

Ok onto more Miami related news. Earlier I mentioned Three-O-Five. So Stryke and Oscar had a great idea to get a nice little collective of Miami musicians together and just put out consistent good music. The music will initially come from Oscar G, Stryke, Ralph Falcon, Noise Artistry, and myself. My favorite part of this line up is that we each have our distinct sounds but are still able to work together. Time to put Miami on the map! For those of you wondering when my song Rosa will be out. It's coming out on Three-O-Five in June.

Three-O-Five Myspace

For those in Miami...Oscar starts a weekly party tonight at Hoy Como Ayer (in little havana). The party is called Tropicasa. I will definitely be checking this out and I think it's not to be missed. It's hard to explain what this party in words but think of cuban influenced house music, think drums, think some great cuban vocals...just a fun time and no bullshit at the door!

It goes down every Wednesday @ Hoy Como Ayer

2212 SW 8 Street

Little Havana

Mutual Meetings

and in one fluid motion he's lost,

his mind,

his mind wanders, replaying

all

the

events that have led up

to this.

hello inebriated self,

we meet again at the lovely...

bottom.

so pleased to meet you!

again

aga in

ag ain

a gain was lost

and

a loss was gained.

and in one fluid motion he's lost,

his smile.

his smile chose to take an

ex te n de d

vacation.

his chest stings with the

wonderful delight of

solidarity.

let's have a look see,

you know a look....see...

and in one fluid motion he's lost,

her.

Dr. Dog - Ain't It Strange

___________________________________

regular updates will come soon but not now.

Promo Mix

Quick update: Here's a promo mix I did last week. Lot's of stuff I play currently and a fun mix overall. Includes a new track of mine called Oh Yes, Wow.

Enjoy!

Download

Art is Hard

I'm fully aware updates here have been on about a monthly basis. I just want you guys to know this blog is still active. I have been really busy with finishing up some new music and remixes. I have just finished remixing a new Lee Burridge track for Leftroom Records. I am excited for you guys to hear this one as it's probably the deepest track I've made.

Also if you guys want to follow what I'm doing more closely follow these links.

Twitter

Facebook

lazarocasaonva.com

Art Basel is here in Miami again. Last year I was part of a great show @ Grass that included Shaun Reeves, Seth Troxler & Matthew Dear. The weather was perfect which made the whole idea of the show being outdoors just perfect.This year I am playing again for Safe. Safe has been pretty much responsible for bringing the underground acts to a very mainstream Miami. I am very pleased to be playing alongside Argy & Radio Slave this time around.

For more info and tickets: Safe

Music:

This is a track I cam across recently and I have so much fun playing it out. It's from an EP between Niko Schwind and Kellerkind, they each have three (mighty tasty) tracks on it, my favorite being Hangover. It's a great twist to the classic house sound which I feel is the direction a lot of dance music is heading back to next (see Reboot's latest, Enjoy Music). Love the very limited use of the vocal it is super effective.

Out on Stil Vor Talent.

Niko Schwind - Hangover

Updates

Stick with me through the amount of information I'm about to give you guys & gals.

First, my song Rosa finally came out on June 30th. I had a few people ask about this one for a while now but the label kept pushing it back for promo reasons (which ended up being a great idea). It got good support/feedback from amazing artists including Xpress-2, Omid 16B (SOS), and Derrick May (yes!), to name a few.

Rosa is part of the first Three-Oh-Five Digital EP, which is a label started by Oscar G and Stryke, I am very thankful to be on this roster. The EP features music from Oscar G, Stryke, Noise Artistry, and myself. The label will pretty much remain with this line up including Ralph Falcon. This is a great addition to what I am doing with petFood to put Miami back on the map.

Second, petFood dropped it's second release last week as well. This one is a new act we've signed from Monterrey, Mexico named Gil Montiel. It's a solid two track EP which I would describe as groovy tech-house with a bit of quirk and some nice vocal touches to boot. I am excited we have a good squad of acts signed to the label releasing some great original material and remixing each other as well. Plus we have loads of releases lined up!

Upcoming releases:

food003- Mary Velo - Coming Down w/ Stryke & Edu K remixes.

food004- Lazaro Casanova & Jay-You - Comandante w/ Oscar G Remix

Plus more releases from SHDWPLAY, Daltn & Diego De La Vega.

Speaking of petFood & SHDWPLAY...Shoddy Lynn of SHDWPLAY (petFood's first lady) recently completed the latest petCast for us. The petCast is a monthly petFood podcast we started two months ago. Jay-You did the first, I did the second and now Shoddy Lynn has done the third. I am very happy with her mix, it has such great tracks in it. AND keeping in the tradition of letting you guys preview upcoming petFood releases you can hear a solid remix the Miami youngsters, Daltn & Diego De La Vega did of SHDWPLAY's Hollywood. It's all on the petCast.

You can download the mp3 of Shoddy's petCast here.

But a better choice would be to subscribe to the petCast on iTunes. Since you will get an enhanced podcast with the tracklisting ;) Trust me you want to ID some of these tracks.

Subscribe to the petCast here.

Also as a last minute side note I will be playing Tropicasa in Miami July 15th. I know some people in Miami have asked when am I playing Miami (because I hardly do). Tropicasa is Oscar G's weekly Wednesday party where I would frequent just to catch him in a small room with great sound and cheap drinks. Oscar will be gone to Ibiza the week of July 15th so Ralph Falcon and I will be filling in for him!

Music:

The nice guys over at 20:20 Vision have sent me some new goodies to post to you guys (guilt-free) so don't worry you aren't breaking the law downloading these.

First we have a Johnny D remix of 2020Soundsystem's, Sliding Away. I've been playing this one out earlier in my sets as it has a real nice vibe to get people to start dancing without slapping them in the face with a banger.

Those who may want a quick background check on 2020Soundsystem it comprises of 20:20 label owner Ralph Lawson, Danny Ward, Fernando Pulichino, and Julian Sanza. They play live and by the looks of the names you have two Brits and two Argentines.

Out on 20:20 Vision.

2020Soundsystem - Sliding Away (Johnny D Remix)

Also as a bonus here is a splendid Ralph Lawson DJ set, courtesy of 20:20.

Ralph Lawson Live and Direct at 2020 HQ (04/29)

Geeneus - Yellowtail VIP

wow

incredible generous for Gee to give this massive tune away. Respect. I hear something about a Rinse 15th Birthday party soon at somewhere calld Matter ;)

GENEEUS - Yellowtail VIP (320)

JAM CITY Fact mix

Kiran Fact wants Jam City all to himself here.

JAM CITY - Fact Mix 93

1. B.Calloway - Swimming
2. L-Vis1990 - United Groove (kingdom remix)
3. DJ Gazzeto - Gazzeto Eskhaleni Zone 1
4. Bookworms - African Rhythm
5. DJ Gukwa - Terminator Returns (Jam City whirlpool edit)
6. Jam City - What I Think About You dub
7. Gremino - Shining
8. Jam City - Runnin Yr Mouth9. DJ Quest - Devils Bay
10. Endgames - Ecstacy (Jam City Refix)
11. Respite - Hundreds and Millions (Jam City edit feat. Natasha)
12. Jam City - Underpass Limiter

13. Surface - Falling in Love (Jam City Edit)

BOK BOK - Jan 2010 Mix

New decade, new dubs.

BOK BOK - Jan 2010 Mix

EDIT! alt download link:
http://www.archive.org/download/BokBok-Jan2010Mix/Jan2010Mix.mp3

01 - MR MAGEEKA - Diffrent Lekstrix [Numbers]
02 - APHRODISIAX - Unfinished Business
03 - EGYPTRIXX - The Only Way Up [Night Slugs]
04 - DVA - Natty [Hyperdub]
05 - BEEZY - Dejavoodoo (GEENEUS remix)
06 - MOSCA - Nike [Night Slugs]
07 - COOLY G - Digitally Higher
08 - GIRL UNIT - I.R.L [Night Slugs]
09 - BOK BOK - Citizens Dub ft Bubbz [Blunted Robots]
10 - BOK BOK - Hands Riddim (JAHDAN vocal)
11 - ENDGAMES - Ecstasy (JAM CITY Refix) [Night Slugs]
12 - BOK BOK - Ripe Banana VIP
13 - TERROR DANJAH - Sidechain [D.O.K Remix]
14 - MOSCA - Square One (BOK BOK Remix) [Night Slugs]
15 - UNTOLD - Bad Girls
16 - KINGDOM - Mind Reader [BOK BOK Dub] (Fool's Gold)
17 - 2562 - Love In Outer Space
18 - BAD AUTOPSY - MAG (Rare Cymbals Version)

NIGHT SLUGS Dubplates 2009

Compiled productions and remixes by Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990

NIGHT SLUGS Dubplates 2009 mix

01 - BOK BOK - Ripe Banana [Dress 2 Sweat]
02 - Buraka Som SIstema - Generale (L-VIS 1990 remix) [Fabric]
03 - Royal T - Beat Fighter (BOK BOK remix) [No Hats No Hoods]
04 - Hardhead - Toothbrush Country (L-VIS 1990 edit)
05 - BOK BOK - Citizens Of The City Dub
06 - L-VIS 1990 - Zahonda [Sound Pelegrino]
07 - Little Jinder - Youth Blood (BOK BOK remix) [Trouble & Bass]
08 - L-VIS 1990 - Compass [Sound Pelegrino]
09 - Untold - Stop What You're Doing (BOK BOK edit)
10 - BOK BOK & L-VIS 1990 - Wake Up Early [White]
11 - L-VIS 1990 - Hide [Dress 2 Sweat]
12 - Riton & Primary 1 - Who's There (L-VIS 1990 remix) [Phantasy]
13 - Egyptrixx- Just Say Really (BOK BOK remix) [Idiot House]
14 - Kingdom ft Shyvonne - Mind Reader (L-VIS 1990 remix) [Fools Gold]
15 - L-VIS 1990 - Changes
16 - Secret Agent Gel - Crew (BOK BOK dub) [Bass Tourist]
17 - Gucci Vump - Sha, Shtil! (L-VIS 1990 remix) [Sound Pelegrino]

Ayobaness (The Sound Of South African House)

Bigup Outhere Records for putting out a release of truly massive African house bangers. I've been looking for a good copy of Mujava's "Mugwanti / Sgwejegweje", otherwise known as Please Mugwanti, for what feels like years now! It's shocking to see how little of this stuff gets a proper release, so for that reason this one is even more welcome.

I first heard Kode9 play this and thought it was a Lil Silva refix of Masters At Work, because the drums are so hard and stripped down and the vocal is riffing on the theme of MAW's "Brazilian Beat":

I was wrong of course, but my assumtion says a lot about just how good and relevant this track sounds in Plastic People.

Outhere are giving away a low-bit copy of a tracks for the EP by another heavy hitter of South African house Aero Manyelo. We really love this guy, please go check him out on Afrodesia, where lots more very good African house is available too.

03 Aero Manyelo - Just In Time by OuthereRecords

BOK BOK'S BIRTHDAY YARDCAST

LETS GO!!!!

This Saturday I'm celebrating my birthday by inviting round some of my favourite DJs, and we'll be streaming live audio/visuals from the Night Slugs South East London bunker.

DJs playing will be Oneman, Braiden, Manara, Girl Unit, Jam City, Greena, myself and other guests passin thru.

Lock in and join the fun at www.ustream.tv/CHANNEL/BOK_BOK from 5pm GMT onwards

WHAT'S A YARDCAST?

Several weeks ago DJ Oneman started streaming live sets from his bedroom at www.ustream.tv/channel/yard-sessions. With little or no prior notice he would hit the stream button and jump in the mix, only after announcing it on Twitter of course. Oneman coined the term "yardsessions" for these broadcasts, and when I saw that I knew he was on to something.

I had to borrow the idea from him.

So - a yardcast is a spontaneous home/studio broadcast. It's is a phase-shift in braodcasting, what the emergence of interent radio was to FM stations.
But unlike the (relatively!) clockwork rotas of Rinse and Sub FM, the yardcast format is less like a radio show and more like a live event. It may be dissembodied, but what the 'event' of the yardcast loses in physicality it gains in universal accesiblity. We're not limited by budgets, venue curfews, commercial concerns or geographic location. Everyone can join in this party.
Unlike the institutional regidity of station broadcasts, a yardcast slots perfectly alongside tweets and status updates into the real-time continuous, ongoing stream of discourse.

That's the pompous, but nontheless important part over.
The rest is a big all-day party you're all invited to.

JAM CITY in the mix for Lower End Spasm

I post this mix with great pride!
Jam City's aesthetic is completely unique and so on point. He takes a stripped-down but psyehcedlic path through house, grime and juke, via synth-drone, afro-electro and warm vintage boogie-funk.

You won't have heard many of the tracks in this 30 minute epic before.

Listen out especially for Jam City's own productions and edits scattered throughout.

JAM CITY - mix for LOWER END SPASM

intro/keith sweat
quentin harris (viggs afrodesian mix)
dj sdoko - world on fire
jam city - funked out
dj sdoko - wesjomza feat mthoko
temza m'remb'l - eclipse
jam city - clocktower
dj twitty - sweet dance
jam city - in the park
kingdom - joshua juke
dj deeon - let me bang (jam city refix)
jam city - szabo
jam city - island
dam-funk - searchin' for funks future (jam city edit)

BRAIDEN - Journey Home

As well as close Night Slugs fam, Braiden is also one of our favourite London DJs.
For his contribution to our podcast series, Braiden has put together a specially themed mix that showcases some of his key influences - synth-heavy old-skool electro, boogie-funk and technicolor-saturated techno.
For many of the current crop of UK producers and DJs, Drexciya has been just as important as Tuff Jam, So Solid or DMZ - their music resonates with the vibes of Detroit as much as those of London. Braiden's mixtape is peppered with a few modern-day synth-n-bass bangers too, neatly setting up a nuum-friendly context for some of the older styles to be revisited.

A few words from the man himself:
"My approach to the mix was to put together a mixture of electro tracks, both old and more recent, along with some other favourite tracks which fit into this aesthetic.

I entitled it "journey home" based on the Drexciya track of the same name, but also because I have sentimental feelings towards this kind of synth-based electro as it was the first kind of dance music i got into when I was about 16. I have always found something very emotive in analog synth lines - maybe it was all the Commodore 64 games I played as a kid."

BRAIDEN - Journey Home Mix

Zackey Force Funk - The Split [2009]
Luke Eargoggle - The Swedish Code [2003]
The Other People Place - Let Me Be Me [2001]
Drexciya - 700 Million Light Years From Earth [2002]
Bangkok Impact - Junge Dame mit Freundliche Telefonstimme [Legowelt rmx] [2003]
Drexciya - Journey Home [1995]
Little Jinder - Youth Blood [Bok Bok remix] [2009]
Egyptian Lover - Freak A Holic [1986]
Underground Resistance - Electronic Warfare [1995]
Legowelt - Disco Bitch [1999]
Ikonika - Space Ugly [2010]
Anthony Rother - Luzifer [2006]
Bass Junkie VS The Dexorcist - Robot Movement [2006]
Nukubus - Second Moon [2003]
Rebound X - Rhythm & Gash [2006]
Underground Resistance - Final Frontier [1991]

RIP Dress 2 Sweat / Numbers power moves

OK I admit I'm biased. But ever since their first release of booty, bmore and club bass edits, Dress 2 Sweat has been one of my favourite labels. Earlier this month myself and L-Vis had the pleasure of dropping the final ever Dress 2 Sweat release in the form of the Night Slugs EP.
D2S isn't over however - it's across-the-board party aesthetic will last on as they amalgamate with sister labels Stuff Records and Wireblock to form Numbers Records, a move that will see them basically taking over Glasgow/ the world. All is explained at www.nmbrs.net

Our aforementioned 12" comes with a CD mixed by Jackmaster that showcased the label's 12-strong catalog, showcasing the label's early roots in bmore and booty edits, thru to hybrid ghetto house, bassline and finally our own material, whatever genre that is.
To celebrate the release, the end of an era and the start of a new one, here's the mix for free download, for anyone haven't reached the vinyl!

JACKMASTER 60 Minutes of Dress 2 Sweat

Rod Lee Let Me See What You Workin With Rustie Remix (DTS008)
Kazey + Bulldog Ballin (DTS010)
Rod Lee Oh Yeah (DTS011)
Kazey + Bulldog Big Truck (DTS004)
Kazey + Bulldog Big Truck Pt. II (DTS010)
DJ Tameil I Get Money (DTS003)
L-vis 1990 Playing With Knives (We almost released this)
Kazey + Bulldog Sweet Harmony (DTS004)
Bok Bok Ripe Banana (DTS012)
L-vis 1990 Hide (DTS012)
Dikulous You Know What To Doo (DTS001)
Kazey + Bulldog Snap Yo Balti (DTS004)
DJ Tameil Back That Thang Up (DTS003)
Kazey + Bulldog Fo Da Real Gs DTS010)
Tactic Cant Juke Without Me (DTS-XXX)
Rod Lee Understand (DTS002)
MOVES!!! Promise (We almost released this)
Bok Bok NNTF (DTS012)
Piddy Py Prickly Rose (DTS007)
Piddy Py Giggle Riddim (DTS007)
MOVES!!! All Skate VIP w/ DZ Remix (Original mix appears on DTS009)
Rustie Throw Some Ds (DTS001)
DJ Deeon Like We Do (DTS006)
DJ Deeon The Chase (Demo)
Pistol Pete Knuck If You Buck (DTS001)
Rustie Lean Wit It (DTS001)
DJ Deeon Put It In Yo Mouth (DTS006)

bonus:
PISTOL PETE's Knuck If You Buck refix from DTS001

2 mixes for this week

1.

UNTOLD - Fact mix 58

I haven't even heard this yet but it promises to be sick. Untold has been one of my favourite producers for the last few months and now many are starting to agree, including Crookers of all people, who charted Untold's stop-the-dance anthem Anaconda at number 1 on beatport. C-R-A-Z-Y times!

Stereotyp - Uepa (feat.Joyce Muniz) - Man Recordings
Untold - Just for You (Roska remix) - forthcoming Hotflush
Hot City - No More - forthcoming Infrasonics
Untold - Never went away - unreleased
Untold - I can't stop this feeling (Pangaea remix) - forthcoming Hemlock
Untold - No one likes a smartarse - unreleased
Untold - Gonna work out fine - unreleased
Untold - You didn't win the holiday - unreleased
Untold - Stop what you're doing - unreleased
DJ C - Jump Up and Bounce (ft. Ms. Thing) (LV remix) - unreleased
Littlefoot - Sell my soul - unreleased
Mount Kimbie - Esasub - unreleased
TRG - Siberian poker - unreleased
Ramadanman - Bleeper - unreleased
Ramadanman - No swing - unreleased
Joe - Perculate - unreleased
Untold - Flexible - unreleased
Shortstuff & Mickey Pearce - Tripped up - unreleased
LV - Crossfire - unreleased

2.

GRIEVOUS ANGEL - Crazylegs 002 mix

Crazy Legs' booking policy continues to impress me. I'm yet to attend one of their nights but judging by their booking policy and presentation, they're definitely on a wavelength - Bristol's answer to Night Slugs?
Anyway this is the 2nd of their mix series and it comes from longtime badman Grievous Angel. A lot of the GA productions Kode9 has been championing can be heard here, check it out.

0:00 Dem 2: Baby Youre So Sexy Vocal MixIt
3:50 Dru Hill: Freak Like Me El B Remix
7:00 Missy Elliott: Work It Grievous Angel Remix
11:30 Cooly G: Floating
13:30 Uncle Bakongo: Baga
16:10 David Byrne and Brian Eno: The Jezebel Spirit
19:11 Hard House Banton: Sirens
21:05 KenLou: The Bounce
25:16 Riko: Ice Rink Grievous Angels Drum Ritual Remix
29:06 Riko: Ice Rink Grievous Angel Remix
35:16 Roska: Climate Change
36:55 Cooly G: Dis Boy
41:30 Q Burns Abstract Message: Innocent King Britt Scuba Mix
46:02 Refuge: Frozen Grievous Angel Remix
49.48 Lady Saw & Cecille: Loser Grievous Angel Remix
54:40 Grievous Angel Ft. Rubi Dan: Move Down Low Funky Remix

NIGHT SLUGS 001

Ever since myself and L-Vis 1990 launched Night Slugs back in March 2008 we've been dedicated to cutting-edge club music, and this year that focus will be manifested in the new Night Slugs label.

I'm proud to announce our first release: the debut EP from soon-to-be-star and posterboy of the UK crossover nu-skool, MOSCA

(photography by Steve Braiden)

NS001, The Square One EP is out on the 25th of Jan 2010 at your usual mp3 stores with a limited 12" doing the rounds around the same time. The 8-track-deep digi EP features the title track, already a dubplate anthem of 2009 and a bastion of genre-destroying UK Club. The B-side is Mosca's "Nike", a 10-minute masterpiece: "A sense of epic grandeur befitting global house, shuddering dub echoes straight from Jamaica, Latino percussion and still undeniably UK" writes Dan Hancox in the Guardian.

Completing the package are the "Square One" remixes from Greena, Roska, Julio Bashmore, myself Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990.

To celebrate our launch we're pleased to give away Greena's amazing Square One remix!

>MOSCA - Square One (GREENA Remix)

Taking the broken house of the original, Greena twists Square One into a pumping, respiring percussive workout, permeated by synth tones that are in turns warming, jubilant and unsettling.

This is going to be a busy year with releases planned from Egyptrixx, Kingdom, Jam City, Greena, Girl Unit as well as myself and L-vis.

Enjoy and stay tuned!

Grindin Chart - July

Grindin blog network chart for July 2009:

01. Fast Life Yungstaz - 'Party Time (Surf Party)'
02. Lemonade - 'Big Weekend (L-VIS 1990 Remix)'
03. Joy Orbison - 'Hyph Mngo'
04. Egyptrixx - 'Just Say Really (Bok Bok Remix)'
05. Riton & Primary 1 - 'Who's There?'
06. Holy Ghost - 'I Will Come Back'
07. Mariah Carey - 'Obsessed'
08. Crystal Fighters - 'Xtatic Truth (Renaissance Man Remix)'
09. Rampage - 'Lovin You Is Easy'
10. Boy 8-Bit - 'Wolfen'
11. Silvio Ecomo & Chuckie - 'Moombah (Afrojack Remix)'
12. R1 Ryders - 'Rubberband'
13. MJ Cole ft Digga - 'Gotta Have It (MJ's Funky Dubb)'
14. Rye Rye Ft. MIA - 'Bang (Buraka Carnival Remix by Buraka Som Sistema)'
15. Momma's Boy - 'Give It Up'

United Groove - Kingdom Remix

A 2009 classic gets reinvented for 2010

Check out the full remix package here

- each version is a banger in its own right, but of course Kingdom's version is a big favourite around here, and now after months of rinsing it in sets we've been allowed to give it away for free - DON'T SLEEP!

L-VIS 1990 - United Groove (KINGDOM Remix)

crazy, crazy

@ Night Slugs x FACT last friday

night slugs 11 / radio with Kingdom

When Kingdom was in town for the Night Slugs summer party last month I was luclky enough to convince him to come DJ back 2 back with me on my Sub FM show.

There's no CDJs in Sushon studios (serato 4 lyf lol) but after a few retweets we were kindly accomodated by INVERTED AUDIO
We were late to the session and had to rush setting up, so one deck would only play Serato and the other only CDs

We were forced to play one track each, but this 1 for 1 thing ended up really pushing and pulling on this set in a cool way. There was a mad thunderstorm in the background btw with massive hailstones, it was june.

BOK BOK b2b2 KINGDOM - Night Slugs Show - Sub FM 27 . 06 . 09

01. Mini Kingz - Funk Me
02. Soultonic Soundsystem - Generals
03. Cooly G - Dis Boy Part 4
04. Cooly G - Craze Refix
05. Ghose On Tape - Predator Mode (Roska remix)
06. Fuzzy Logik - The Way You Move
07. Hardsoul ft Fierce Ruling Diva - Self Religion (Believe in Me) (Hardsoul Reconstruction)
08. Kingdom - Bakka
09. Doneo - Be Mine
10. Dre Skull - I Want You (Bok Bok Dub)
11. Cooly G - Digitally Higher
12. Footsteps - Baby Kinta
13. Lil Silva - Red Remix
14. Lil Silva - Different (Kingdom's Jazmine Sullivan Remix)
15. Mosca - Square One
16. DJ Corlando - Passa Passa (Kingdom Refix)
17. Brackles & Shortstuff - Sutorito Faita
18. Gremino - Scarce
19. Mark Pritchard and Om'mas Keith - Wind it Up
20. Terror Danjah - Zumpi Huntah (DOK Remix)
21. Zomby - No
22. Kingdom - Joshua Juke
23. Untold - Stop What You're Doing (Bok Bok edit)
24. Maluca - Culebra (prod. NGUZUNGUZU)
25. R1 Ryders - Karnifour
26. Kingdom - Mindreader ft. Shyvonne
27. Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo
28. Submerse - 2nite
29. Bok Bok - Ripe Banana
30. Baileee - Live Drums
31. Terror Danjah - Save The Last Dance ft Elrea
32. Xara - You Got Me
33. Pangea - Memories

*******************************

TONIGHT!!!!!

We're proud to invite one of the most forward-thinking house producers in the world Christian Martin, founding member of the unstoppable Dirty Bird soundsystem alongside the Claude Vonstroke.

We think Cooly G's cyborg deep and tech is the perfect match for Christian's subversive music
I'm thinking of this night as kind of a soundclash between US and UK wrong-but-right house.

Join us at East Village. We'll also be giving away the new Trouble & Bass compilation CD!

Rush Me

Xmas is here and I've already busted out my Star Wars ornaments for the tree, including a Yoda tree topper (with a light-up lightsaber). I guess I should call it a festivus tree. Everyone is in the business of talking about Woods but at Shot Callin' it's business as usual and that business is bringing you some quality dance music.

Here is a neat site someone brought to my attention. The site name should need no further explanation: sketchysantas.com

Music:

Daniel Steinberg is one of my favorite producers as of late. All his tracks have one focus in mind and that is having some fun on the dancefloor. He's been very consistent with his style of sampling vocals from old records and giving it a breath of fresh air. His latest EP Rush Me is no different and includes remixes from Format:B as well. Highly recommend you check out his other work too.

Out on Formatik.

Daniel Steinberg - Rush Me

kind of a big deal

most amazing mix by Kingdom promoting his appearance at some club somewhere ;)

Kingdom FABRICLIVE / Fool's Gold Promo Mix by fabric

so good

1. Choice Acid Eiffel
02. Cooly G Weekend Fly
03. Roska The Sheppard
04. Mosca Square One (Kingdom Edit ft. Willie Carter)
05. Kingdom Bust Broke
06. Shaun-D Spanish Fly (Kingdom Remix)
07. Mike Q I Am Legend
08. Kanji Kinetic Thrill Seeker (Kingdom Remix)
09. Dj Too Nanue
10. Bok Bok Citizens Dub ft. Bubbz
11. Untold Dont Know. Dont Care.
12. Bionics vs. Slimzee The Capsule
13. Kingdom You
14. Kingdom Mind Reader ft. Shyvonne (Todd Edwards Remix)
15. Kingdom Mind Reader ft. Shyvonne (Todd Edwards Dub)

SAVE PLASTIC PEOPLE

"THE POLICE ARE TRYING TO SHUT DOWN PLASTIC PEOPLE

There is a notice outside the door saying there are 2 reasons why the Police want to take the license away.

1/ PREVENTION OF PUBLIC NUISANCE
2/ PREVENTION OF CRIME ANTI DISORDER

Plastic People have until the 11th March to appeal."

KEEP PLASTIC PEOPLE ALIVE Facebook group

Yet another example of the well-documented prejudice against London's underground music scene. Several times at FWD I remember police visits, a van waiting outside just watching for something to go wrong. Do this outside any club in London and you will see far worse than at this friendly, beloved club, unparalleled for its incredible sound and intimate vibe. I have yet to visit a club quite like it in ANY country.
To lose Plastic People would truly be the end of an era. This cannot be allowed to happen! Please join the group and loudly express your support for a true London legend.

Jackmaster in the mix for Lower End Spasm

Blackdown writes about a new wave of DJs in his Pitchfork Column:
a small but innovative cluster of producer/DJs, from Ben UFO to Oneman, Brackles to Braiden, Alex Bok Bok to Grievous Angel, Shortstuff, Martin Kemp and Joy Orbison...

I move to add Jackmaster to that list - one of my favourite DJs and the curator of both the influential Wireblock and Dress 2 Sweat labels. Along with the Numbers and LuckyMe collectives Jackmaster has defined Glasgow as a glowing outpost of global gutter music. And like some of the DJs listed above, Jack's ear for cross-genre party bangers has been taking him deeper of late.

This mix is hard! Recorded live and executed to perfection. We're proud of this one, enjoy:

JACKMASTER - mix for Lower End Spasm

1. Khixbrrr - Fairies Helixir Remix (Forthcoming Northern General)
2. Karizma - Twyst This
3. Blackhouse Project - Come Dancin'
4. George Morel - Let's Groove
5. L-vis 1990 - Run (Forthcoming Dress 2 Sweat)
6. 24 Hour Experience - Together
7. Maroy - Basement Dimensions
8. Hot City - Setting Me Free
9. Pearson Sound - Wad (Forthcoming Hessle Audio)
10. Deadboy - U CHEATED (Demo)
11. Aardvarck - Nosestep
12. Todd Edwards - Open Your Eyes
13. Roska - Holograph
14. U.S.L. - Making Love
15. Dead Letter Drop
16. Zed Bias - Been Here Before
17. Manitoba - If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be A Fucking Airport
18. MJ Cole - Gotta Have It (MJ's Funky Dub)
19. Menta - Sound Of The Future (Edit)
20. Silkie & Mizz Beats - Purple Love
21. Joy Orbison - Hyph Mngo (Forthcoming Hot Flush)
22. Hyetal - Pixel Rainbow Sequence
23. Freeland - Do You (Joker Remix)
24. Joker & Ginz - Re-Up
25. Guido - You Do It Right
26. Gemmy - Word Perfect
27. Mark Pritchard & Om'mas Keith - Wind It Up (Forthcoming Hyperdub)
28. Aardvarck - ??///???/
29. Taz - Gold Tooth Grin (Forthcoming Glasgow)
30. Deadboy - Way That I Love U (Demo needs mastered)

Mos Dan's top Wiley

It's safe to say we're big Wiley fans, not just of his music but of his epic carreer and personality.

When Dan told me he was convinced to put together his Top 10 Wiley, I just shook my head at the sheer scale of the task.
We'll he's actually done it, over at FACT's blog!

damn

coming up this week!

NIGHT SLUGS CARNIVAL AFTERPARTY!!!!

London Orient: Kode9 Sinogrime Minimix

"Canary Wharf is like our Statue of Liberty," Roll Deep producer Target once said. "It pushes me on. It's like all the money is there and it's an inspiration to get your own."

London

Shanghai

Sinogrime is a sub-genre that barely ever existed, a momentary glitch in the supposedly predictable sonic geography of London dance music. Around 2002-3, with garage crumbling and the cement still drying on grime as a genre, a few producers in E3 suddenly lurched further east than they ever had before.

This is the sound of Shanghai towerblocks and the millennial promise of a new superpower, refracted through the scuffed windows of Crossways Estate in Bow. From the outset grime's sonic palette defined it as the most futurist of genres - a steel sword cutting cleanly through UK hip-hop's wooden edifice - but it rarely sounded as futurist as this.

I went to interview Kode9 for The Guardian recently (link here), and among other things we got talking about sinogrime Heres what he said:

Ive always been fascinated by these little squiggly synths, whether its been in jazz funk, or gangsta rap, or 80s synth pop and also grime. Thats what I love most about grime actually, that kind of hyper-coloured sound. I was never so into the aggression of grime I liked it in the MCs and the music, but it was actually how fucking beautiful melodically Target, Wiley, Terror Danjah, Ruff Sqwad and Jammer were the Chinese style instrumentals.

I did this mix a few years ago that was just Jammer and Wiley and Target - of just half an hour of these Chinese-style plinky-plonk sounds it was a bit sloppy, but it is fucking amazing music. Those guys were just on taking an aspect of hip-hop and blending it with really quite jarring, brash melodies.

For the first time, here is that mix:

Kode9 Sinogrime Minimix

No tracklist Im afraid all the tracks are Jammer/Wiley/Wookie/Wonder/Geeneus, but there were no track names on the Jammer whites. Well stick it on the Lower End Spasm podcast too when Bok Bok gets back from the Night Slugs tour of last century's superpower.

***************************

Further listening/further reading:

Sharky Major Diss Aint A Game (sendspace/youtube)

My favourite sinogrime track ever: a superb beat by Jammer, with the riff nicked from an obscure old-school Jet Li film - I know this from watching (whatever it was called) at 3am once.. I pretty much leapt out my chair when the credits rolled and this oh-so-familiar melody started playing. Sharky Majors crushingly poignant - and ironic - lyric, reflecting on the tension between headstrong ambition and harsh reality in the wild east, is one of the most memorable in grime:

I feel like I aint as good as people say I am
I know I can spit ten times better than I've ever done
Watch me rise with the morning sun

***********

Wiley Shanghai (sendspace/youtube)

I masochistically agreed to select and write about the ten Essential Wiley tracks for FACT recently. This extraordinary beat was without doubt the missing number 11, very hard to leave out.

***********

Blackdown on Chinas near(er) east, with some wonderful Soho pics, as well as commentary from Steve Barker.

***********

A post on Dissensus discussing various sinogrime vinyl, some released, some just dubs, from Simon78. Wait... Dizzee had an instrumental called 'Chinky Ting'?? If anyone can sort me out with an mp3 of Jammer and Mr Wong's 'Chinkrasta' I'd be very grateful for that, too.

***********

PS - I've been writing some less-musically-specific things on my personal blog recently (on mobile phones and treble cultcha, here), so keep that RSS-ed.

THIS SONG IS ALMOST PERFECT, I SWEAR

(image source)

Seabear - I Sing, I Swim

I don't want to play this song on repeat endlessly in an attempt to discover a hidden melody, a message, a sentiment, a feeling, a truth. I don't want to ruin this song for the sake of precise prose. This song is more about feeling anyway, and although feelings within or about songs can be described in words; its hard to pinpoint their exact nature. They were meant to be heard, or felt; not read about.

Theres a sadness in the song. Its not frivolous, or throwaway, despite the way the music plays out. Its rooted in the past, but it defines the present. (I miss you / Even when youre around.) It is a weight that can't be lifted, a feeling that's always there - even when it's not being felt. Like the sun, or the moon, or the stars. Just because they cant be seen, doesnt mean they arent there, constantly.

Its like the feeling of being alone, able to watch as the leaves fall from the trees, as the ocean nestles into the rocks, as the young pretty girl carries the old ladies bags across the street. The beautiful scenes play out in front of you, and instead of joy, youre filled with sadness that youre not a part of them. Like a smile without enthusiasm. This song sounds like tears youre keen to shrug off. Its not nothing, but its easier to pretend, isnt it?

Im not particularly prone to written hyperbole, so take this sincerely: this song is full of life, and its almost perfect. Its daydreamy, sad, beautiful, miserable, wistful, and truthful. Its a passing notion a way to make something right, thats quickly forgotten. Its a romantic idea that never blossoms into a romantic gesture. Its a confession, a love-letter, a postcard where the words arent quite right, no matter how hard you try. (The words of this song though, are pretty much perfect - enviably so.) [Buy]

Words: July 29th, 2007

YOU'RE THE LAST THING THAT I'D EVER WANT TO LOSE

We'll keep this brief since I still have more stuff to pack.

Reed KD - Seventeen

This is the song I think of when I think about the fact that everything I own has to be moved: "I was packed away in boxes". But I don't want to get lost - oh no, I'm coming home. But the line, "we'll never be seventeen", is so simple and so heartbreaking. Time doesn't stand still for anyone - everyone has to grow up at some stage. Thankfully, my time is not now. So while this song is small, short, simple, and sad, my heart is bursting with life.

Reed KD - Please Forgive Me

Mistakes are made, relationships fall apart and the world keeps on spinning.

A. A. Wallace - I Can Break Your Heart
A. A. Wallace - Godspeed You Black...

If I was looking for a replacement for the late Elliott Smith, I would probably pester this guy to continue making such sad anthems. The truthfulness of each song is gutting. You might say it's uncalled for, and maybe it is, but sometimes people beg for your opinion so much that eventually you forget your social grace, and you tell them, straight out, "It's not that I was reckless, I just didn't care".

These artists present two sides of the same coin - one is apologetic, romantic, and (tries to be) hopeful, whilst the other is honest, romantic, and miserable. I'm sure you can work out which is which. They are both honest in their own ways. And both have songs that deal with moving, packing, dreaming.

Don't think that these songs are any less amazing just because nothing much happens. It's the subtle details in life that change people, that change hearts. Like buying that Mickey Mouse notepad for your best (female) friend. She might not even say thanks, but in her heart she is smiling. If you ask her six months later when she knew she might be falling in love with you, it's that simple gesture that she'll recall. And when you're separated, and in a different country, it will be the train journeys you take alone, past valleys, greenery and beaches, that leave you sobbing uncontrollably. Our hearts are touched by the smallest things.

-----

How is your heart? I think mine is falling apart.

I SAW YOU WITH YOUR MAKE-UP RUNNING DOWN

Elliott Smith

All Cleaned Out

There is no beginning. You (the listener) are thrown face forward into the frame. Straight in with the melody and the there-before-you-realise chorus. The misery of (maybe) a mother, who goes through new-boyfriends like she goes through old Biro's and cheap-beer, curled up in a sheet of note-pad paper and thrown from a window; gliding as it catches the air and reflecting sunlight in the same way that a mirror reflects eye-wrinkles and fake-tan-streaks. [Info / Buy]

(image credit: Ann Ranlett)

Patrick Wolf

The Libertine

It could be the creaky instrumentation that starts an episode of Poirot; melodramatic, curious, hackneyed, adored. The gallop of hooves and the troubadour lyrics; despair in a light-of-calm. "The circus girl fell off her horse - now she's paralysed." Cold and unforgiving, yet passionate and inspired - so altogether unjust, unhappy, unsatisfied and so altogether alive. "I'm going to run the risk of being free." Evocative of the type of controversial wisdom that be gleaned from aging leather-bound books - mere pontification on the fact that "the shackles that bind us are those that keep our lives unified." And (perhaps) unfulfilled. [Buy]

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Patrick Wolf had some convinced he was retiring. But really he's just taking a break. And this is good news.

OUR SLEEP IS LIKE A MIX-TAPE: #3

A mix for patio-parties underneath shimmering sunshine. Electro, house, pop, etc - the kids in skinny jeans and skin-tight t-shirts (cap-sleeves! yeooo!) are listening to this music while they eat their lunch. A few guys with cardigans and scarves on are sitting on a bench, smoking a cigarette, and listening to this music. Some guys playing basketball - behind a school / beside a play-park - have got their sneakers on and when they rest they absorb the sunshine and the music. They love the beats. They love their dancing feet. They love to shimmy, sway, sashay across the court. The house-beats follow their footprints across the gravel.

Dancing Feet Need To Feel The Beat

Van She - Sex City (Nightmoves Remix) [Info]
Test-Icicles - What's Your Damage (Alan Braxe & Fred Falke Remix)
Superpitcher - Happiness (Lawrence Mix) [Info]
The Streets - It's Too Late (High Contrast Remix) [Info]
Radiohead - Street Spirit (Funkagenda Remix) [Info]
Professor Murder - Free Stress Test (Harkin & Wolf Remix)
New Order - Temptation (Secret Machines Remix) [Info]
Moby - Lift Me Up (Mylo Mix) [Info]
Midlake - Roscoe (Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve Remix) [Info]
The Knife - Heartbeats (Rex The Dog Remix) [Info]
Jos Gonzalez - Crosses (Stanton Warriors Remix) [Info]
Junior Boys - In The Morning (Hot Chip Remix) [Info]

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Click to download all tracks as a ZIP file.

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love, xo

CELEBRATING A LIFE: JEFF BUCKLEY

Jeff Buckley

I Know We Could Be So Happy Baby (If We Wanted To Be) (Demo)
Lover, You Should Have Come Over (Live Acoustic In Japan)
All Flowers In Time (with Elizabeth Fraser)
Forget Her (alternate version)
Grace (acoustic)
Untitled

The Boy With The Thorn In His Side (The Smiths Cover)
When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin Cover)
Be Your Husband (Nina Simone Cover)
Ulalume (Edgar Allen Poe Reading)

He was already dead when I first learned about his music -- about his adoring fans who can breathlessly recite his lyrics and song-titles, and hum his melodies as if they'd written them themselves. But Jeff Buckley isn't the music-geek's personal soul-mate -- even the casual music-listener has heard or heard of him. His cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah", recorded in 1994, emulated John Cale's and - later - the song became omnipresent, used in the sound-tracks of TV sitcoms and dramas, such as Scrubs, The West Wing, and The OC.

But this isn't about the prevalence of "Hallelujah" in TV and Cinema (to read about that, and the song's evolution, read this article). This isn't even really about the fact that 10 years ago today, Jeff Buckley went for a swim in the Wolf River Marina (Memphis, TN) from which he never returned alive. Because, tragic as that is, it doesn't say much about him, or his music. We can't ascertain how someone lived, or what they created in their lifetime, merely by knowing the circumstances of their death. (Although you can read a tribute detailing said circumstances here.) Really, this is just a celebration of the fact that Jeff Buckley lived long enough to record some unbelievable music.

Before he was signed, Jeff Buckley performed in the Sin- (at that time, a caf-style venue in New York's infamous Lower East Side), where he would play mostly covers, and improvise in a whimsical nature -- always encouraging audience participation. The Live at Sin- EP got released to promote Columbia's new artist to the public before Grace came out, which was then posthumously expanded to a sprawling 2CD and bonus DVD package that truly emphasised the almost flippant nature of Jeff Buckley's talent -- he could step up to a microphone with just a guitar and his voice and wow an audience into silence. Even after his death his music continues to hush, touch, change.

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It was through the release of Live A L'Olympia in 2001 that I first came into contact with his music: his guitar skills, his voice, his lyrics. My brother asked for the album as a Christmas present from our parents, and then he invited me into his room to hear it. And I was just... stunned. And when I read the liner-notes I was gutted -- why wasn't this amazing musician still alive? Why?! For a live album to be so emotional and playful and perfect -- it was and still is just incredible. [Buy]

But Grace, the album proper that I subsequently discovered, didn't have the same impact upon me -- the studio setting for me, appears to render some of the emotion sterile. Live, Jeff Buckley could be cathartic, amazing, overwhelming, but - to my ears at least - the studio setting removed some of these desirable elements and almost, in a sense, made the songs too pitch-perfect. In comparison to the studio albums of other artists though? It's still nothing short of incredible, and critics and fans agree (in 2006 Mojo named it the #1 Modern Rock Classic of all Time; in 2005 readers of Q magazine placed the album as #13 on their list of The Greatest Albums Of All Time.) [Buy]

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Brief Words On:

Sketches For My Sweetheart The Drunk: This release left the songs as they were, in their unfinished states, as 'sketches'. Remarkably, this album, so clearly unfinished, is incredibly enjoyable. [Buy]

Jeff Buckley's influence: Admired by Radiohead, Damien Rice, and Martin Grech... enough said.

Radiohead with regards to Jeff Buckley: The vocal for Fake Plastic Trees, perhaps my favourite Radiohead song, was recorded by Thom Yorke in two takes after seeing Jeff Buckley perform. After the vocals were laid down, Thom Yorke apparently broke down into tears.

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A gushing summary: Music bloggers in general are stereotyped as being obsessed with the new new NEW! with only the briefest backward glance at what's come before, but few new artists can hold a candle to Jeff Buckley in my eyes. An example of someone adept in all fields of musicianship -- his remarkable voice spanning four octaves (read more at the official Jeff Buckley FAQ), his guitar skills (which, unlike many, he only ever showed off if it was beneficial to the song -- few realise how incredibly skillful he was at guitar because of this), his interpreter's ability to transform the songs of others into his own (see the Sin- sessions for proof), his lyrics ("My kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder... all my riches for her smiles when I slept so soft against her") -- his whole craft was impeccable. Thus, despite today being the 10th anniversary of Jeff Buckley's death, his music continues to live on and touch the hearts and minds of others.

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Links:

Jeff Buckley Official Website / Jeff Buckley Official Store / Jeff Buckley Discography / Jeff Buckley Guitar Tabs / Jeff Buckley on Wikipedia / Grace on Wikipedia / A Beginners Guide To Jeff Buckley

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If you want to download more rarities, live versions, and songs written in tribute to Jeff Buckley, then go to I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS. There are a lot of great posts (all conveniently linked at the bottom).

I'M PICKING UP TIPS FROM HOT CHORDS

Still Flyin - The Hottchord is Struck

Hand-claps. It starts with the jingle-jangle of Simon & Garfunkel, falsetto vocals, some sax (is it sax?). And then it segues suddenly into a cheerleader chant, alphabet spelling, playgrounds and ballparks, ice cream cones. At times it feels like the instruments are tumbling over the drums, just about staying on their feet. But its meant to be ramshackle, its meant to be bursting with life. Its an all-inclusive Thompson Holiday package with the family - its a little bit cheap, its a little bit tacky, and its absolutely brilliant. [Buy]

I WAS JUST ABOUT TO WALK FIVE MILES IN A DAZE

Throw Me The Statue - About To Walk (Daytrotter Session)
Throw Me The Statue - Groundswell

All the best melodies on this album feel stolen - like he got out his old vinyl collection of Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, maybe even Genesis and then a week later recorded the melodies as he remembered them. So in a way it's all his own - it's how he recalls it. But in a way it's not even nearly his own - he's singing someone elses songs. And it's this familiarity that makes it instantly likable.

Lyrically hes kind of like Jacob Borshard, but less romantically self-involved. Throw Me The Statue is more like the court-jester than the miserable kid with a passion for sarcasm. Music concerned less with being serious, and more to do with the joyful things in life - like lollipops & toffee-apples. But it's not sugar coated, it's just naturally sweet. It's a small (more-or-less one-man) band imitation of a big band - handclaps, finger-clicks, harmonies - everything multi-tracked.

It's the kind of music you make when you sit in your bedroom with a laptop, some memories, and old instruments that used to belong to the school band. During the breaks, you probably play your GameBoy. And it shows. It's fun, and it's sincere. Just because it's dressed up in smiles doesn't mean it's any less moving. [Buy]

Words: June 24th, 2007

I GOT HOLES IN MY NEW JEANS FOR YOU

Chairlift - Bruises

A flickering neon sign in a dilapidated fairground town. Close to the waves, lapping against the beach. Bare feet touching soft sand. A gust of Atlantic air flittering through the dunes and rustling the grass. Beautiful sadness encapsulated in song. [Buy]

P.S. Yea, this is the song that was in the Apple ad. They have good taste: First Feist, then this!

OUR SLEEP IS LIKE A MIX-TAPE: #4

They were given note-pads and Bic biros. They were given spray-paint and public transport. They were given voices. They were given laptops and imagination. They were given face-paint and glow sticks. They were given voices. They were given a beat and feet to dance with. They were given sofas in night-clubs upon which they could sit, sleep or kiss. They were given hearts bursting with joy and life and love and wonder. They were given everything.

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If you want to dance, then dance. Just because it's still daylight and the streetlights haven't come on yet -- it doesn't matter. Soon, the sun will go down and the kids will come up. It doesn't matter if your face is sparkling with sweat, glitter or a smile. Maybe you're covered in Day-Glo colours, or maybe you're still half-asleep from the night before. The point is... it's time to kick-start your little heart. And remember: there's plenty of time for hugging afterwards.

Electro-Graffiti At Bus Shelters

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork
Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles Vs Klaxons
Kavinsky - Testarossa (SebastiAn Remix) [Info]
Solomun & Stimming - Feuervogel
Parts & Labor - Fractured Skies
Pantha Du Prince - Steiner im Flug
Justice - Waters of Nazareth

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Click to download all tracks as a ZIP file.

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[Info] = website of the remixer.
Listen in the order shown. Or don't.

I SHOULD HAVE KISSED YOU BY THE WATER

Bloc Party - I Still Remember (SebastiAn Remix) [Info]
Bloc Party - I Still Remember (Lull's Music Box & Tears Mix)
Bloc Party - I Still Remember (OrtzRoka Dub Remix) [Info]

Unlike SebastiAn's remix - which in the beginning has hues of Queen and Mika (and thus is on the brink of being almost too silly to be enjoyable*), - or Lull's 'Music Box & Tears' mix - which is so simplistically happy that its cheesiness is slightly off-putting, - OrtzRoka's dub remix is so mildly euphoric that it seems designer-made for late-night chill-out sessions. Preferably with a few close friends, resting upon hilltops, looking across the ocean at a golden sunset. The scenery itself would complement the floating, casual contentment of the tune. This song is perfect for those nights (you know, the one's where you're tired but happy - the one's that come after a few days of relentless partying) when you're so exhausted that the original version's unashamed happiness would be too much - but where the sentiment of gleeful remembrance (with a tinge of regret) is perfectly apt.

None of the remixes however, (with the possible exception of the OrtzRoka Dub - which, taken on its own terms, is fantastic), manage to conjure up the original glory of the original - if you want to hear that, go buy the album (it is well worth your hard-earned / student-loan-loaned cash). If you want to hear Bloc Party remixed SUPERBLY look no further than this tune:

Bloc Party - Helicopter (Allan Breakneck Mix)

*Don't get me wrong, I like Queen and used to be a massive fan when I was younger, but mixing Bloc Party with Queen over-/under- (?) tones just doesn't really work for me, personally. I will concede however, that whenever the beat kicks in the remix begins to get a lot better.

SOON.

Ill blog soon cause Kleerups album is amazing, the new My Latest Novel single is very different, and sad and beautiful, The Lowly Knights are apparently like Arcade Fire meets The Polyphonic Spree (theyre not), but what they are is joyful, triumphant, and full of LOVE. Furthermore, old Manchester Orchestra sounds like Jimmy Eat World, Juno by Tokyo Police club is full of beautiful misery, Frankmusik + Ellie Goulding = FANTASTIC, Santogold is like Jamaican pop heaven, The Joy Formidable is cheesy shouty pop angst gold, Marina and the Diamonds = a weirdo, brilliant, Kate Bush for the modern age, and Fosters is my new favourite beer. Chat soon.

Kisses.

THE QUIET MOMENTS MEANT MORE TO ME, SECRETLY

Prerequisite: Understand that any incoherence is (hopefully) to do with sleep-deprivation.

Johnny Boy

You Are The Generation That Bought More Shoes And You Get What You Deserve

Every time I hear the new Editors' single, Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors, my mind drifts and this is the song I think of. That drumbeat is so familiar. It's not the exact same - but when recalled through hazy memories and backward glances, it seems to be.
It almost feels wrong to feature this song as we step warily into Summer, when the song feels like its stuck in a permanent Winter - instruments played by frost-bitten hands, all exuberance and frustration, in front of kids with rosy-cheeks. A song of star-sparkles, countdowns and sleigh-rides; (seemingly) playful banter mixed with sincere sentiments.
But, in a way, it also feels right to feature this song. A reminder of Christmas* - a time of believing in something, be it Jesus or fairies or human kindness or the healing power of nature, etc. In these crazy, summer days filled with barbecues and drunken after-parties it's good to remember that sobriety can be just as pleasant. Just fill your living room with friends and watch ancient sit-com reruns on TV - perhaps after a nice Sunday dinner, or a swim in the lake. It's not that cold this time of year you know. [Info]

(image)

The National

Fake Empire

It's almost as if the spirit of Leonard Cohen is hanging from the chandelier, smoking a Regal Filter and breathing hot and heavy in your ear. But it's a tired, resigned Leonard Cohen - all romantic longing and nostalgic regret. And try as his band might to lift the tune - blowing upon embers to rekindle a fire - they're actually the ones making the song sadder; bitter reminders dressed up in jubilant brass and lively percussion. Once upon a time things were so precious - life was exciting, everything was beautiful. Now its only the memories of easier times that remain; but recalling those bygone moments almost keeps them alive. [Info/Buy]

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Said The Gramophone featured Fake Empire** just-the-other-day, and unwittingly nailed my opinion on The Twilight Sad's debut: it's perceptibly flawed - and I won't deny it - but it feels right that it's flawed. All truly beautiful things are flawed (we would probably be too suspicious of them otherwise) - yet it's the fact that they carry their flaws in such a way that we shrug them off, dismiss them, (eventually we might not even notice them). They wouldn't be the same without these minor imperfections - and we love (when we truly love) people, places, albums, et cetera, for what they are, not for what we want them to be. And my obsession with this song feels like more than just a casual fling.

*Even the clever title seems like a barbed rebellion against the consumerist nature that plagues Christmas. Sometimes it's ok to sit in and enjoy yourself; relaxed in a room full of casual smiles and easy conversation. At least that way the rent gets paid.
**I have no doubts about posting this song: it is a summer song, lilting and catching sunlight, smoke rings, sadness and the dearest of memories. Surprisingly, I'm not a fan - per se - of The National, but they do have their moments.

A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO: JEFF BUCKLEY

If, somehow, you are unaware of the brilliance of Jeff Buckley (one of few artists who truly hold a special place in my heart), then these songs below, are the ones that I urge you to find, and listen to. In parenthesis you will see where they can be found -- after you find them, it's up to you to let them into your heart, and to change your life.

FIVE ESSENTIAL TRACKS

Last Goodbye (Grace)
Lover, You Should've Come Over (Live A L'Olympia)
Hallelujah/I Know It's Over (Mystery White Boy)
What Will You Say (Mystery White Boy)
Morning Theft (Sketches)

Although, the new compilation album, So Real, is also a good start.

A VAGUE DISCUSSION OF CITY-LIFE LYRICS AND ANTI-WAR SENTIMENT IN MUSIC

Jamie T - Fox News

Your favourite sea-side holiday get-away was purchased yesterday by a company where even the lowliest press-officer is never seen wearing anything less than an Armani suit, fresh from the dry-cleaner. City life wears you out and though you love it (and in truth, it's all you've ever been truly used to) you've always craved the odd weekend away. And now that escape is gone.

To think of it another way, just think about an adorable Cavalier King Charles named Oscar. His coat is golden brown and only last week he was groomed - he looks beautiful. He had a stroke a few days ago and now he's either damaged his sight or his balance. Maybe even both. Whereas before he would tug on the leash, he now walks unsteadily beside you, like a drunk-driver pulled over by the police and asked to walk in a straight line. And he strays left and then right and the whole time he looks confused. Where once everything seemed exciting and new, now even the simplest things (like a shell on the beach, for instance) are baffling. His eager puppy-dog enthusiasm for life has seemingly, for the past few days, at least, changed into bored confusion and vague anger (with a hint of miserable indifference). And he's so thirsty! When walking along the concrete-streets he laps up dirty puddle water, and his owner feels awful for having to drag him away (it's one of the few times recently he's looked slightly happy).

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Maybe city-life isn't all it's cracked up to be. The endless entertainment, the lack of moral substance - a place "where boys fuck girls that they never will marry". So many acquaintances and so few real friends. And when you're out for the night "you must lust touch, 'cause you want so much". And despite the fact that you "smell love-struck", really you just "feel alone". It's not sexual physical contact that you want, just a reassuring hug from either sex. At least in a shitty village you recognise every face, and you probably go out of your way to acknowledge every other one.

The reason the line, "Do you ever feel like you want to go home?" resonates, is because of the implication that home has disappeared* - swallowed up by the capitalists and the corporate suits, catering to your every consumerist desire, and the media reducing night-life to a choice selection of stereotypes, each of which it now seems necessary to fulfil - all this resulting in your life being filled with vacuity where once there was substance (as opposed to substances).

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I watched Oscar walk along the narrow corridor of the caravan just there now. He banged his head against wall. Maybe it was frustration, or maybe he really can't see straight anymore, but at least, like Jamie T, he's trying to move forward.

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Side-notes: Notice that amidst the lyrical disillusionment with city-life, there is also evidence of Jamie T's anti-war beliefs - coupled with his frustration regarding the falseness of the "it's bullshit" media, ("well pigs fucking fly and it ain't about oil and fox news has always been fair and balanced"), and also, seemingly, a wandering diatribe against the fact that communication with others (via the telephone) is expensive.

(image source: The Guardian)

Lo-Fi-Fnk - The City (The Teenagers Remix) [Info]

In parallel with the aforementioned then, is this song. It starts out with proclamations of love for the city and its homeliness ("Boy it's great to be back home - the city - that's where we belong") but then the excitement matures into a mild frustration ("beginning feels like oh-so-great but soon it turns to just-ok"), which is tempered by an obvious affection for the city. It's worth noting that the song still ends with the recurring motif, "still it's great to back home / the city, that's where we belong". If you took the remixers name as being a deliberate part of the title, then perhaps the endless optimism can be explained. This is the perspective of teenagers, so despite all its faults, the city caters to their every need, and thus, is still home.

Interpol - NYC (Live - Black Sessions)

One of Interpol's main draws is their subtlety; their vague ambiguity that while not completely understandable, rarely fails to create a gloomy (though not over-bearing [like Editors]) grey-scale atmosphere. To try to explain or over-analyse the wandering lyrics (this time, appropriately, about city-life), would be to dismantle the charm. Download Interpol's 2004 Black Sessions here.

Hot Club de Paris - Everyeveryeverything

And if you need some light-hearted (but appropriate) relief after the moody misery, then who else to turn to but Hot Club de Paris? With a song that details the fast-paced Friday night frenzy, the frivolous tale of excess not only in lyrical form ("in the shadows of a Friday night, I walked into a brand new streetlight"), but also through the relentless, hectic musicality. The title, seemingly, sums up the constant desire that comes from city-dwelling, the insatiableness of our spirits (never enough alcohol, or friends, or dancing, or drugs - we want Every-Every-Everything!) Every night is a new beginning; a chance to shine just as bright as the nearest streetlight, the furthest star. A chance to drink up and meet new people ("I commanded those neon lights to... / To spell the new names that I learn").

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(image source: Britannica)

Jamie T - Here's Ya Getaway

Writing out the lyrics of one of the verses of this song seems like it would be more useful that redundant analysis, so that's what we'll do. Needless to say, the lyrics display more disillusionment with the city, anger at (presumably) Iraq, and perhaps even a vague nod in the direction of the homeless and poverty-stricken ("while you're asleep they're on the street"):

"In these cities, hard to see the stars overhead;
Can see the moon though - the streetlight turns it blood red .
The star symbolises the cuts we bled,
The mouth got fed, the winding alleys that we tread.
The moon, much bigger, representing the dead,
Who lie in the sewers under soldiers feet.
They stir as you march, while you're asleep they're on the street
Put your ears to the drain, you can hear them weep"

Los Campesinos! - We Throw Parties, You Throw Knives

Los Campesinos! reinforce the idea that frustration with city-life (and all that that entails) and anti-war sentiment go hand-in-hand. Although the detrimental effect of sexual promiscuity, ("when you play pass the parcel with human body parts / someone might get head, but someone will get hurt"), and the detrimental effect of smoking on the taste buds - and perhaps implicit criticism of showmanship - ("yeah, it's great that you can blow smoke-rings but you won't taste her lips if you do get to kiss her") are just a few of the other topics discussed in this whimsical anti-war song. Typically student-y, the song (so perhaps ironically - since irony is the buzzword of all student-types) thinks about war but is frivolous in its convictions - seemingly saying, "yeah, let's just party and forget about it". The title itself suggests a defense of this attitude, however, ultimately saying "ok, so maybe we like to be silly, but at least when we're silly we're harmless".

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Why are city songs so appealing? Maybe it's the constant conflict between the idealist and the realist - the power-struggle that always seems to take place in an urban-vs-suburban environment. A city-wide struggle which holds sway over so much. The desire for choice without the malignant-capitalist karma; A pro-drug view that wants no casualties (be it the downfall of morality, or the actual deaths of users).

Cities are notoriously diverse and contain people from all walks of life; people of different beliefs and ethnic backgrounds. So maybe it's the fact that despite wishing that we lived in a world where everyone was entitled to their own beliefs, (you read the Qur'an, and I read the Bible, but we're both human and it's important that we both have our faiths), we have to realise that, as right-wing as it seems, our different faiths put us at war with each other. And maybe if Blair didn't side with his fellow Christian, George Bush, then Britain would lose a friend, and in twenty years, China - likely, or definitely, the dominant power - would become America's ally, and Britain's empire would be further diminished**.

Aside from this, there's the fact that though most of us are pro-choice, support equal rights, same-sex marriages and adoption rights of gay couples, we're still, when it comes down to it, seemingly right-wing in our beliefs. People criticise Mike Skinner, and Jamie T for trying to speak to (and about) 'the youth of today' when really they're just a couple of well-brought up middle-class kids, but I say, and what? But then, I'm middle class too, so I would say that. This constant conflict (left/right, Daily Mail/Guardian, socialist/capitalist, anti-/war, etc) - and the realisation of the blindingly obvious fact that not every-fucking-thing in life is black-and-white, - is summed up aptly by Jamie T with the lyric, "peeps call us right-wing but we're pretty fucking liberal / I shit you not, 'cause we're all about the equal".

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Klaxons - Atlantis to Interzone (Hadouken! Remix) [Info]

Oh, and if you didn't know already, cities are full of drugs.

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Hot Club de Paris - Shipwreck (Jamie T & Ben Bones' Stormy Weather Mix) [Info]
Hot Club de Paris - Your Face Looks All Wrong (Lo-Fi-Fnk's Scouse House Mix) [Info]
Interpol - Untitled (Datassette Remix) [Info]

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*Similar to these titular lines by Bloc Party and Bright Eyes, respectively: "Where Is Home?", "We Are Nowhere And It's Now".
**This is Tony Blair's view anyway, and one of his justifications for the war. I learn a lot from newspaper supplements.
#Uncredited photos in this post are my own.
##A person with a pro-drug stance is not necessarily a drug-user.
###Oscar seems ok now. Not perfect, but getting there (I hope).
####My favourite sea-side holiday get-away has not really been taken over by a corporation. Thank goodness.

WHO DIDN'T HEAR THE NEWS?

Hi. Radiohead have an album out tomorrow. Tomorrow is, technically, only five minutes away now. As soon as the second goes past midnight everyone who's bought the album will be waiting for their activation codes. Exciting, huh? Join the club: order it. Quickly.

Be a part of the digital revolution or whatever this is.

Personally, I just want to hear "Nude" recorded, properly, for the first time. I'm excited. Why? Because, live it's enough to bring tears to your eyes.

TEACHING THE INDIE KIDS TO DANCE AGAIN (ELECTRO-STYLE)

These are more appropriate for drunken Friday night revelry, than rainy Monday evenings, but I'm sorry - it's all I've got for you.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Patrick Alavi Rerox Edit) [Info]

The typical student anthem remade so that it's still relevant at a time when it's become cool for indie-kids to branch out and listen to electro. A time when it's ok to go to an indie-disco where it's like, you know, an actual disco. Arty girls looking beautiful but going crazy on the dancefloor; the cardigan-wearing hipsters, notoriously known for shoe-gazing, joining in.

Rage Against The Machine - Killing In The Name (Mr Oizo Remix) [Info]
Rage Against The Machine / Mr Oizo - Killing In The Name (DJ Clumsy Remix) [Info]

The original still goes down a storm at indie-discos (or, specifically, the indie-disco that used to take place in Sandinos and shall soon be reinstated - if the rumours are true). Boy and girl both going crazy to the same tune, some jumping up and down, some moshing, some head-banging. Every time the electro version (neither of these, but similar) comes on in ABC2 (in Glasgow) there's a similar effect, but it's slightly more civilised. Perhaps odd, that last statement. Not really, though, when you consider the fact that we all just want to dance and hug each other.

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I'm currently in the process of finding something that excites me, that I like, that I can write about, that's not electro. These criteria are actually surprisingly hard to fulfil, lately.