I’ve never heard of VV Brown, or Hannah Holland, but apparently VV Brown is a new artist, so it’s good to know I’m not living in a hole. VV describes herself as a “do wop indie from outer space”
On remix duty - Hannah Holland, resident at the infamous Trailer Trash night in Shoreditch as well as running her own night Bastard Batty Bass. Hannah recently branched out into production, and for a first go, this his remix is solid. Watch out for the launch of Hannah’s new label Batty Bass, the first release ‘Shake It Up,’ delivered by Moody Boyz (aka Tony Thorpe).
I pulled up Bullet Catcher’s Apprentice, “Feathers“, and I instantly heard influences from Death In Vegas - Hands Around My Throat, and !!! - Is This Thing On - Rub n Tug remix. Listen for yourself . . .
The greatest thing about starting this blog was not only to hear music that we encountered on our own, but also to be introduced to it from a wide range of sources, often times from the very artists that we feature. When Etan spoke of remixing an upcoming artist that I was unfamiliar with, I checked in on things. Good thing I did because my ears have been stunned by the lo-fi, leftfield pop sounds of East Londoner Micachu.
Classically trained since the age of four in violin and viola, 21 year old Mica Levi aka Micachu, creates imaginative, experimental pop music and mixtapes comprised of grime, garage, tropical, R&B, hip hop, folk – basically whatever she tosses in the pot. But it’s Mica’s obsession with inventing her own sounds from scratch, like the notable American composer and instrument maker Harry Partch she so greatly admires, that sets this wunderkind apart.
Currently in her third year studying music composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, Mica was amongst four young composers to write new works for the London Philharmonic and in March, an original composition she wrote was performed at the Royal Festival Hall.
Micachu’s latest debut for Accidental, ‘Golden Phone‘, produced by the esteemed Mathew Herbert (released August 11th) is an addictive, whimsical, hand clapping good time. I’ve listened to it over and over and it still sounds refreshing and unique. As does Micachu’s must-have 33-track mixtape entitled ‘Filthy Friends‘ (out this past February), featuring the likes of Toddla T, Man Like Me, Ghost Poet, Kwes, Jack Penate, The Fields, Naked & the Boys, Suicidedogz, Golden Silvers and more, which had everybody talking.
Though I’ve yet to catch a live performance with her band, The Shapes (Mica - vocals, guitar, electronics and Hoover, Raisa Kahn - keys and Marc Pell - drums), they’ve been making huge waves abroad. Since Micachu is on The Windish Agency artist roster, I hope it isn’t long before we see Micachu and The Shapes heading for our shores!
‘Golden Phone‘, can be purchased via itunes, Rough Trade, Boomkat and all good digital platforms. Check out Micachu’s other project, Society of New Music and catch Micachu and The Shapes at Bestival – 5, 6, 7 September and at gigs listed on their Myspace calendar. And look out for an album coming sometime this fall!
This Sunday marked the first ever Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, hosted by Street Attack, Famous Friends, andImpose Magazine. Covering local Brooklyn artists for some time now, Impose Magazine has come to be an important fixture in the Brooklyn community, and a trustworthy source for pithy coverage of the musical oasis that can be the Brooklyn neighborhood. Street Attack and Famous Friends, the primary hosts for this year’s BEMF, are an innovative and resourceful duo that pull all stops. So when the poster went up for BEMF recently, it should be no surprise that the list of sponsors ranged from Miller Lite to the Izze Beverage Co. Even less of a surprise though was the quality of electronic artists and DJs they culled to headline their very first electronic music festival.
Arriving in the late afternoon, just as the sun was letting up on a crowd of Sparks ignited Brooklynites, I felt what was a strong community of music supporters, friends artists, and the usual blog-league members making sure Ableton mixtapes sounded just as good live. Luckily for those drunk enough by the time Cobra Krames went on, it didn’t matter, as his blend of Blatimore Club and party mash-ups were perfectly crowd pleasing and genre-bending. Stringing together Top 40 Rap and Pop hits with his flavor of B-more stomp, I was surprised not to hear a Journey mash-up amongst his arsenal.
Following Cobra was The Glass, one of the live acts present that day. With their blend of slightly sweet electro-pop, they sung the kind of late-night drunken ballads you might associate with a group of Daft Punk loyalists, suffering from a night of blissed out synths. Unfortunately for The Glass, they spent too much time at the Sparks tent and not enough time at the Izze tent, and relied too heavily on their friends to hype their boozed-down set. Luckily Finger on the Pulse, DJ and producer of The Glass supplied a quick-set of Armand Van Helden remixes to give us a good taste in our mouths beforehand.
For BEMF attendees that day, Purple Crush was clearly a significant draw, and I too was excited to see fellow Islander (Bainbridge Island, Washington) Isla Cheadle and her beatman Jared Selter get freaky on stage in Neon and Nikes. Definitely a highlight of the evening, Isla brought the party, bar none, and got little girls to shake their money makers in feminine glory. Pairing slightly maligned synth-pop and chugging Madonna-disco, Isla rapped, sang, and hyped with a natural frontman femininity that won over the headier skeptics like myself. With tunes like “Fuck the DJ” and “Marry Me,” Purple Crush’s first album “Blog Party” is a must-grab in a sea of uninspired Justice-fallout.
After Purple Crush and after a French-house heavy set from Treasure Fingers, who by virtue of market forces or purely bass-blown ear drums, has been invited to join the ranks of the Fools Gold family, a tour de force in dance music’s finest. One third of Evol Intent, perhaps the State’s best and last contribution to Drum n’ Bass, Treasure Fingers had the presence of your classic UK DJ/producer: techy, cerebral, and an invisible hand on the feet of the crowd. And Treasure Fingers could have just pressed play and returned to the beer garden because his flawless set of ethereal electro had some long-time fans and a drunk-happy crowd brought to their knees that Summer evening at The Yard.
Best and last for me was Todosantos, the Venezuelan trio of young hearts, making the only progressive music that was played that day. Drawing on their love for the music of their hometown (Cumbia, Soca, Reggaeton), as well as the reverberations from abroad (Speed Garage, Baile Funk, Miami Bass, Bassline), Todosantos represents what M.I.A. could only start, and what people like Pharaoh (Todosantos producer), Mariana (Todosantos video editor), and their lead singer (?) are calling “Tukky Bass.” On the wave of their hit song and EP “Acid Girlzzz,” Todosantos brought on the warm-darkness of the night with a rip roaring set of colorful video editing from Mariana and a fiery collection of bass heaviness from Pharaoh. A part from their sing-along set of quick one-liners and hollers, they actually seemed in love with what they were doing.
With a diverse collection of musicians and extremely-well hosted party in a beautiful space, Impose’s first Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival has no doubt set the tone for an upcoming year of exciting music from the electronic sounds of the world. More than ever we’re seeing the synthesis of all things musical, and Impose, much like other music-forward artists and critics, see this synthesis as the great calling to unite under Summer sun, fueled by warm, thick beats and the nutrients of corporate money, an increasingly smart trick to support the arts. And stay posted with Impose Magazine as they post pictures of buckwild hipsters gettin’ down in the sun.
One of the catchiest songs you’ll hear this summer is “Cross the Dancefloor“, a really fresh track with a bit of funk and elements of filter house. It’s so infectious and feel good, that the dance floor is immediately filled whenever the song is played. The producer behind the track is Treasure Fingers, a former Atlantan that recently moved to Brooklyn.
While some may know Treasure Fingers through hard step/drum & bass act, Evol Intent, most people are completely unaware of his history. And even though there is a huge trend of drum & bass producers turned electro blog house producers, Treasure Fingers is completely different. Offering music that is more fresh and feel good and roller rink ready then pump your fist, stage dive, and wear neon.
“Cross the Dancefloor” and other productions were so ear-catching that Fools Gold scooped up Treasure Fingers for a 12″. Updating and remastering the track to be even better than before and getting superstar producers Laidback Luke, Lifelike, and Curses! to lend remixes to the release. Then they packaged it up and made it beautiful and ready to purchase through beatport, turntable lab, and itunes.
To celebrate the release, I met up with Treasure Fingers and we did an interview and he also provided us with one of the remixes of the 12″ single.
sirhan: so, you are in evol intent, why did you decide to start treasure fingers?
treasure fingers: i had always done some house/funk style production stuff on the side and just never pushed it. i played some of it for jordan (of Snowden) one day and he really pushed me to get it out there. The first treasure fingers remix I did was for Snowden’s “Anti Anti”.
sirhan: how do you feel about the way its going now?
treasure fingers: I love it, it just took off and everything started falling into place.
sirhan: you still tour with evol intent?
treasure fingers: yeah, it’s a little sparse with bookings right now because we are all working on other projects at the moment but we’ll have a couple new releases out later this year though and we just released a full length album in march.
sirhan: so you just released, “cross the dance floor” tell me a little bit about it and how did you get such awesome remixes?
treasure fingers: That track actually started out as just a funky instrumental house type tune, then one night I decided to put some vocals on it, then got the idea to have my girlfriend sing a part to play off mine. I meant to write out full verses and put into a pop song structure, but after I showed the rough draft version to Preston/Kiss Atlanta, he wanted to blog it as is, so I mixed it down and let it go as more of a club track. Fool’s Gold sorted out all of the remixes. Once I signed it to them, they hit me up one day and was like.. ‘hey what do you think about these guys to do remixes?’
I’m a fan of all those guys so I was pretty excited. Chromeo also did an amazing remix. It’s going to be featured on a Fool’s Gold CD.
sirhan: so whats the next thing you’re doing?
treasure fingers: I’ve done a bunch of remixes over the past couple months that should all be getting released soon. I’ve got 2 more that I’m wrapping up over the next week, then I’ve got an australian tour. When I get back from that, I plan on working on some original material again.
sirhan: so this is a typical question but who are some of your influences and who should kids go diggin for?
treasure fingers: lots of the 80s funk/disco era stuff. midnight star, shalamar, zapp & roger, dazz, carl carlton. I was really influenced by the 90s french house stuff as well.
sirhan: any particular records by those producers?
treasure fingers: carl carlton - swing that sexy thing / dance with you, most people just know ’she’s a bad mama jama’ by him, but he’s got so much dope stuff!
sirhan: what about new stuff?
treasure fingers: love a lot of the new lifelike stuff, symbolone, that really synthy euro sound, and miami horror also.
sirhan: so you’ve been to tons of places whats you best place so far?
treasure fingers: i think the best / craziest parties ive played have been in ATL or LA. I love traveling though, every city has it’s own charm. I think sometimes, the small towns that you don’t expect much from turn out to be amazing.
sirhan: so, any good stories from your travels?
treasure fingers: i’ve never had anything super crazy. there’s always something going wrong though. last time I was in LA, my door lock had broke after I had left for the gig and no one could fix it and I had an early flight the next morning. they ended up giving me another room, then breaking the door down at the last minute the next morning so I could get my stuff out… I’m not a heavy drinker so I don’t have any crazy club stories.
sirhan: music obiviously takes a lot of time whats your other passions?
treasure fingers: I used to paint/draw a lot. I’d like to get back to that when I get the time. that’s probably the closest thing to a passion, other stuff I do in free time is just for relaxation/fun. xbox360, movies, friends, whatever.
sirhan: so lets close off here any advice to budding producers or closing words?
treasure fingers: It’s kind of contradicting, but find a really good producer and copy them until you can get your engineering and mixdowns really tight, then switch it up and try to do something completely original and different. Most producers lack in one or the other, so I think the key is having something that sounds really fresh and original, that also sounds great sonically.
Closing words: go buy “Cross the Dancefloor” & bug your local promoter until they book me.
Nick Catchdubs was nice enough to give us his new mix AND an interview. He is one of my favorite New Yorkers and his label with A-Trak, Fools Gold (maybe you have possibly heard of it?) is killing it right now.
4AM: How and when did you meet A-Trak?
Nick Catchdubs:Roxy used to do Friday night parties on Bowery - I want to say the club was BLVD? Dust La Rock, who would later go on to be the Fool’s Gold graphic designer, did the flyers, it looked like the back of a dollar bill with a Debbie Deb quote about “fog machines and laser rays” on the top. One night, A-Trak and I DJed together, we got booked to do shows in San Francisco and LA soon after, and over the course of hanging out we realized we had a lot in common with music, humor, and haberdashery. From then we just stayed friends, sending mp3s back and forth and talking shit.
4AM: How did you and Trizzy eventually come up with the Fools Gold idea?
NC: He ran the Audio Research label in Montreal for almost a decade with his brother Dave, and realized it had such a strong history as an underground/indie hip-hop label that his new, more electronic-influenced stuff wouldn’t fit. He decided to do a new label and asked me to start it with him. I had already helped out with the launch of Mad Decent (I designed the logo and some of the original Bonde Do Role art, and was brainstorming a lot with Diplo in the early days) and this was an opportunity to get more deeply involved with putting out new, original music. We came up with the name and concept, and then just went from there putting out records.
4AM: Did you have any idea it would take off like it has?
NC: I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t always part of the plan!
4AM: How many hours a day would you say you listen to music?
NC: I’m going THROUGH music constantly - mostly just to check out all the new songs that came out that day, find stuff to play when DJing, or give people a once-over on MySpace. But as far as actually sitting down to fully digest albums and mixes, I only get to do that when I’m traveling or in the car. But I do try to schedule chores around the house around particular radio shows - taking a half hour to do the dishes during DJ Enuff or Mr Cee’s Old School At Noon.
4AM: Best gig ever?
NC: Hmmm - there’s been a bunch of really good ones. “End Times” with Caps N Jones a year or two ago (Switch was randomly there and introduced himself at the end of the night, I was geeked) and the recent Wale “Mixtape About Nothing” release party are two local ones that come to mind right away. Whenever I play with Diplo it’s always fun - just this Sunday we did the Mad Fools party in Central Park and the afterparty at Santos Party House, and over the past year we rocked New Year’s Eve in San Francisco, the New Yorker Festival (old folks get loose!) and a Mad Decent party at Studio B that was the first NYC Blaqstarr show. They were all great.
4AM: Worst gig ever?
NC: Not gonna hurt anyone’s feelings by naming the corporate event in question…
4AM: Most glamourous star studded models and bottles gig ever?
NC: Do “hipster celebrities” count? Lets keep that bag of snakes closed, I’m gonna go with this private Rihanna show at Highline Ballroom that ended up being really fun and unpretentious. I was worried about having to corny it up but I mostly played dancehall.
4AM: Best request ever?
NC: A girl asked for Outkast “Bombs Over Bagdhad” during a set of fast tracks. Yes, of course I can do that!
4AM: Worst request ever?
NC: Bee Gees.
4AM: First record ever bought?
NC: The first records I bought with my own money were Guns N Roses Use Your Illusion 1 and 2, but the first record I ever picked out in a store was the Garbage Pail Kids soundtrack. I couldn’t tell you any songs that were on it, I just loved the Garbage Pail Kids. Who doesn’t?
4AM: Last record you bought?
NC: The Syclops I’ve Got My Eye On You CD. The last mp3 was Lee Jones “Aria” on Beatport.
4AM: First DJ mix that made you say “this is what I want to do” to yourself?
NC: I was collecting records and listening to DJs on the radio all my life, but it wasn’t until the summer I graduated college that I realized it was where I wanted to go with music (which is pretty late in the scheme of things - I had been playing in bands and things like that up to that point). There were a few mixes I heard all around the same time that made the lightbulb go off - Spinbad’s ’80s tapes, Mark Ronson’s promo mix for Digiwaxx for his Here Comes The Fuzz album, and most blatantly, Hollertronix’s Never Scared. They were each presenting music that I liked in new combinations - I figured it would be fun to do that on my own.
4AM: Describe the perfect weekend
NC: Friday night getting real paid, Saturday night going to someone else’s party as a private citizen (but still drinking for free), Sunday walking around (no rain), catching a movie and a good meal.
4AM: Favorite place in NYC to DJ?
NC: My apartment. Sorry, city, but you are going through a “transitional period” right now.
4AM: Favorite DJs/producers right now that are not on Fools Gold?
4AM: What song have you played out so bad that you never want to hear it again?
NC: There’s always a time and place for Calabria horns. ALWAYS.
4AM: Best live show you have ever seen?
NC:Portishead sounded amazing at Coachella but the show had no atmosphere. For me, the best shows are always the ones where the artists defy nature and technical difficulties to pull through, that “oh shit!” factor is unbeatable. Feist played at the Fader SXSW tent in 2005 and the wind nearly knocked her over but she just got more and more psyched by it, almost possessed. Peedi Crakk played at the Fader CMJ space two years ago after getting lost in Chinatown, pulling up to the spot minutes before curfew, and still killing it.
4AM: You used to be the editor of Fader correct?
NC: You like that segue right? I was an associate editor there for three years, before leaving to DJ and work on Fool’s Gold full-time last July.
4AM: What was the important thing you learned from working there?
NC: I had no magazine or music industry experience whatsoever when I started - I wasn’t even trying to be a writer, I was just asked to do some stories and interviews, they liked my style, and the job sprouted from there. It was total school for me. I got to travel for the first time in my life and see different artists operate in their home environments. I witnessed records go from creation to label to PR to magazines to stores (and got to learn from other people’s mistakes for free!)
4AM: What should we look out for in the Nick Catchdubs future?
NC: I just finished a mixtape for Timbaland’s new artist Izza Kizza , and an all-Fool’s Gold mix for a 2xCD compilation we’re doing with Scion. I’m really slow on the production side, but I’m working on remixes for El Guincho (out on Mad Decent) and U-God from Wu Tang Clan’s new solo single. I did a remix for MIA’s “Bamboo Banger” that is supposed to (finally) come out as well on XL. I’m working on some original music too, so I can actually put out a record of my own on my label!
4AM: What shoud we look out for in the Fools Gold future?
NC: Tons of records - Kavinsky, Treasure Fingers, Sammy Bananas, Four Color Zack and Pretty Titty, Jokers of The Scene, Nacho Lovers, Trackademicks, Bag Raiders, Congorock, Crookers, LA Riots, Malente, Kid Sister’s full album, that Scion comp, and some surprises of course…
4AM: Favorite Simpsons episode?
NC: Just one? That’s un-possible! I love them all. 22 Short Films about Springfield is my favorite now, but it always changes. Itchy And Scratchy And Poochie is up there too.
01. Pase Rock “Get Money Kids”
02. 50 Cent “I Get Money (Catch On 45)”
03. Trap House “Step Into”
04. Bad Yard Club “In De Ghetto (GrandTheft Remix)”
05. Dukeyman “Shine”
06. DJ Sega “Everybody Handz Up”
07. Machines Don’t Care “Juggs”
08. Mr Vegas “Round Of Applause”
09. Moby “I Love To Move In Here (Crookers Bass In Here Mix)”
10. Nacho Lovers “Acid Life”
11. Jamie Anderson and Content “Body Jackin”
12. DJ Big Red “Jakybodi”
13. DJ Will Roc “Replay Again”
14. Loco Dice “Pimp Jackson Is Talking Now!!!”
15. Lil Bo Tweak “K Rizzle”
16. 2 Bad Mice “Hold It Down”
17. Bassbin Twins “Woppa”
18. Loefah “It’s Yours”
19. Big Tuck “Not A Stain On Me”
20. Busta Rhymes “I Got Bass”
NC: I didn’t want to add to the pile of “new music” mixes with interchangeable tracklists - some of this is brand new, some of it isn’t out yet, some of it is “recent vintage” (or old as hell but new to me), but it all has a nice swag to it. Retro? Not retro? Most of my current favorites have similar elements (throwback house/rave samples, fast raps, dancehall vocals, breakbeats, sometimes all in the same song) so I figured, why not put a bunch together for a picture of where my head is at this summer? I hope you enjoy the listen, I had fun connecting the dots.
Pase Rock “Get Money Kids” 50 Cent “I Get Money (Catch On 45)”
“Get Money Kids” is far and away my favorite song of the past few months, it’s like Pase and Eli sat down at the computer and said “Man, the Juice soundtrack really needs more hip-house…” I usually mix it live into some sped-up Serato loops of 50 and Milk Dee to keep the $$$ theme alive.
Trap House “Step Into”
Way too many WUBBA WUBBA WUBBA basslines lately, but this one still manages to stand out - a crowd-pleaser that breaks the formula juuust enough. Thanks, Australia.
Bad Yard Club “In De Ghetto” (GrandTheft Remix)
On the school bus everyone knew chants from club songs like “Beat that bitch with a bat…” and “It’s time for the percolator…” from the older kids, but no one really knew it as “house music.” It wasn’t until a party in 6th or 7th grade when this girl played “Witch Doktor” and “In De Ghetto” on cassingle that I realized a whole separate thing was going on. Sammy Bananas hit me a few weeks ago with this new mix of “In De Ghetto” by DJ GrandTheft of the Eh! Team, it chops up the original without getting too flagrant.
Dukeyman “Shine”
Shyne finally gets out this year. You know he converted to Judaism in prison? L’chaim!
DJ Sega “Everybody Handz Up”
As we continue on with the Bad Boy flips, this track is a MONSTER. I think it is gonna be on the “DJ Sega Saves Hip-Hop” EP that’s coming soon.
Machines Don’t Care “Juggs”
Lots of goodies on the MDC album, but this one is a particular favorite. Best dancehall song on the subject since Vybz Kartel “Breast Specialist”?!?
Mr Vegas “Round Of Applause” Moby “I Love To Move In Here (Crookers Bass In Here Mix)”
The Vegas song really just a vocal and some handclaps, so it’s a lot of fun to loop other shit up on top, and Crookers made it easy with their open drum intro (PS - excellent remix package on the new Moby single!) I cut the Grandmaster Caz verse with cue points but that’s not because he isn’t awesome - a few years ago Ayres and I hung out with the legend himself at the Heineken “Amsterjam” festival on Randall’s Island, where Caz was MCing the mash-up tent, also starring Diplo, DJ P, Princess Superstar and Matt and Fancy from Fannypack. Viva 2005! I think I bought Fantastic Four “Thing Hands” at Target when we got back to Brooklyn that day.
Nacho Lovers “Acid Life”
Obviously I’m biased, but this is one amazing-ass record. Something old, something new…lots more from Toronto’s premier techno scholars on Fool’s Gold very soon.
Jamie Anderson and Content “Body Jackin”
DJ Big Red “Jakybodi”
I didn’t know about this remake until A-Trak started playing it on the last label tour. It’s been in my rotation ever since, with the DJ Big Red track batting clean-up.
DJ Will Roc “Replay Again”
Dance music took so heavily from Baltimore club over the past few years, and now the veterans are going off in new directions of their own. It’s inspiring to see a label like Unruly reinvent themselves - the recent King Tutt and Chavy Boys EPs and this hypnotic, electronic Will Roc track are some of their best.
Loco Dice “Pimp Jackson Is Talking Now!!!”
I know absolutely nothing about Loco Dice, but this has been a late-night sureshot of mine, it bumps like a less zany Detroit Grand Pubahs. “We in Brooklyn baby, this is how we get down!”
Lil Bo Tweak “K Rizzle”
2 Bad Mice “Hold It Down”
Trevor Loveys and Co’s stuff as Lil Bo Tweak manages to feel incredibly current while referencing jams of yesteryear with all the samples and even the name (Lil Mo Yin Yang, anyone?). Conversely, the 2 Bad Mice came out in 1991 and sounds like it could have been made this morning.
Bassbin Twins “Woppa”
Loefah “It’s Yours”
I wish more dubstep felt like these two instead of zzzzzzzzzz.
Big Tuck “Not A Stain On Me”
Had to drop straight out of the Loefah with this. The beat is just a Beastie Boys loop, but goddamn! Another recent favorite that never really broke in NYC. Dallas rappers’ haircuts are too crazy for us.
Busta Rhymes “I Got Bass”
This isn’t a half-assed “A Millie” - Bangladesh is doing some neat shit with the Chuck D sample chorus and oddly-timed edits, and Busta’s flow is off the wall. “This shit be soundin like a thousand mosquitos buzzin/ Like hmm hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm…”
Sortez vos Walkman étanches! French blog Streetkiss asked Trash Menagerie to pick a track that represented the summer along with 12 other blogs. We were happy to participate and chose Barcelona’s Sidechains - “Waiting So Long” as our summer tune! Local Hero of TM featured Sidechains back in February and again in April with “Waiting So Long.” We felt it was only natural that is was our summer pick. To view the rest of the results and to listen to the individual tracks, head to the Streetkiss blog!!!! Enjoy!!
Streetkiss – “The rule is simple: 12 Blogs, 12 Tracks to plunge into the summer with music! Put out your waterproof players. For this third issue of the World Blogs Best Playlist, as usual, we have contacted 12 music blogs that we appreciate. We asked them to select their best track to listen during the summer. After a first successful experience with “The Early 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, and a second with “The Love Spring 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, let’s make a way for this third issue, quite simply called “The Summertime and the Living is Easy 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist“.
“Le principe est simple: 12 Blogs, 12 morceaux pour plonger dans l’été en musique! Sortez vos Walkman étanches. Pour cette troisième édition des World Blogs Best Playlist nous avons, comme à l’accoutumée, contacté 13 blogs musicaux que nous apprécions. Nous leur avons demandé de sélectionner leur meilleur morceau à écouter pendant l’été. Après une première expérience concluante avec “The Early 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, et une seconde avec the “The Love Spring 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist”, place à cette troisième sélection que nous avons tout simplement appelée “The Summertime and the Living is Easy 2008 World Blogs Best Playlist“.
Local Hero of Trash Menagerie on Sidechains “Waiting So Long” – “It’s been a mainstay closer for many of my sets lately. It conveys a warm and soothing feeling while still being full of energy and bounce, very similar to that feeling you get when summer swings into place. In reference to summer, I interpret the lyrics addressing the warmth of summer that we in Chicago and New York always end up “Waiting So Long” for through our horrible winters, not to mention that this tune is very representative of the new revival housey sound that will be dominating the clubs all summer. It’s one part feel-good tune, one part banger, and all about being outside, warm again and rocking out.”
Many people have been endlessly asking me, “What about the Portishead remix album? What about the Portishead remix album? When is it going to be done?” Well it is finally done and ready for consumption. For those who dont know, The Noise/Floor Crew, started by Lady Foursquare, Angel Alanis (my partner in War Games) and myself, has been in the process of remixing the entirety of Portishead’s “Third” since about a month before it came out.
It began as one critically acclaimed remix of “Machine Gun” that was begging for more drums and snowballed into an all out reinterpretation of Portishead’s minimal masterpiece. Most are by NFC but we enlisted a couple of other producers, namely Flufftronix, 12th Planet, ASiH and A. Black, to round out the album. A few tracks were left in a somewhat recognizable state but most were torn to shreds and reassembled into an almost unrecognizable form. The individual tracks cover a broad range of styles from house to electro to minimal to maximal that all came together to make one hell of an album.
Is it better than the original? Am I allowed to ask that given my involvement? I guess it depends what you’re into, but our take certainly brings it out of the lofty art-rock realm and without dumbing it down. Anyways, I’ll quit talking it up and let you be the judge. As this is not a sanctioned remix album, I’m curious to see what Portishead will say about this since, in the past, they’ve been so staunchly against remixes of their own music. Below is a link to the entire album in a tidy .zip along with a lengthy (tl;dr) description of who Noise/Floor Crew really is. I thought I’d also give it to you track by track as well but I’d recommend listening to it as a whole album. And be sure to go to somewhere besides itunes (damn the man) and buy Portishead’s album as well.
*ALL POSTS WILL FOLLOW THIS ONE UNTIL AFTER THE PARTY!
June has arrived and we’ve got loads of exciting things in store for the devoted!!!! If you’re in the city of Chicago on Thursday, 26th June, get hyped as Trash Menagerie and friends take over Debonair Social Club for “TAXIDERMY“, the first Trash Menagerie party!!!!!
“TAXIDERMY” is an 18+ bash, so now that the kids are outta school, we’re ready to get ROWDY!! And with this stellar line-up, MAYHEM is sure to ensue!!! We’re also celebrating DEREK SPECS and DJ ANNALYZE’s birthday, so get ready for some party favors to add to the excitement, along with some sick visuals by KILLCHNL!!! Hosted by LOVESTAR of TRASH MENAGERIE, PAULY WALNUTS + NICK OF RED THREAT!!
ACID GIRLS– LA
It’s LA’s OG Bloghouse heroes’ 1st appearance in Chicago and they are liable to put together an eclectic, awe-inspiring set worthy of their taste-making reputation. They’ve been spotted remixing some of our favorites including Shit Disco, Hearts Revolution, Dizzee Rascal and most recently, Health. They’ve also got an upcoming EP of original tracks on iheartcomix early this summer that is spectacular and will solidify their place on top of the blogosphere. On a personal note, they are a pair of great guys that know how to party. They’ll definitely make our first one memorable!!
WAR GAMES– (Local Hero & Angel Alanis) – Chicago
TM’s very own Local Hero has recently teamed up with Chicago House Legend Angel Alanis to create some of the biggest tunes to come out of Chicago in years. We’ve posted a couple oftracks from them and their Noise/FlooR Crew and the response has been overwhelming. Their recent Dizzee Rascal remix has been blowing the doors off of clubs and their upcoming remix of HeartsRevolution’s Switchblade is liable to catapult them into the spotlight any moment now. We are lucky enough to be able to host their very first appearance live as War Games where these two veteran Djs can show us what the future of Chicago will be about!
HARVARD BASS– LA
Many knew him as Sleazy V, oft spotted playing massive sets all over the west coast and now, under his new moniker, he’s making some stupendously jackin house music. At a mere 21 years of age, he’s poised to lead the next wave of great American Djs.
SIRHAN– Chicago
One Chicagos talented up-n-coming producers and Djs and a recent addition to the TM writers roster. With a laid back style and a party rocking collection he’s the perfect choice to kick of the night.
Scan the vast interweb and you just may come across some serious appetite whetting sounds, worthy of mega artist Felix da Housecat to proclaim “I love that fuckinBlackChromeeeeee! I’m gonna play that shit 2nite at the Ed Banger party!” and Elite Force to chime in with “This is a brilliant track - proper chunky, rolling tech-funk nastiness. Are you gonna spill on who did it?”
“Who did it?” is the question of many these days. Seems like everyone is gettin all ‘Fake Blood‘ on us. Well this much we know, “Black Chrome” is the first single from LA-based Circuit Freq. Don’t expect them to reveal their identities – at least not yet. With a past that lists major credits that include platinum albums, remixes, major tours, as well as involvement in some influential projects, the two musicians seem perfectly content remaining a mystery. That said, I’ve done some research since receiving the track and their info and I’m pretty sure I’ve got them figured out… (sly grin)
“Black Chrome” is one of those jarring, tricked out electro tunes that brings you back to those warehouse party days when you’d hear a track that you’d bang on and on about. Well prepare to be destroyed when you hear the upcoming remixes of “Black Chrome” by Acid Jacks, Charlie Fanclub, Vandal and Electrixx!! I’ve got a thing for Charlie Fanclub’s music, so I’m eager to hear his version, which I imagine to be pounding!!
So what’s in the pipeline for Circuit Freq? Their main focus is amassing more material, remixing/collaborating, and developing their sound. Their new track “Push Button Reject” is in the mastering queue and they’re currently scouting out remixers, so get on it!! Their third track “No Headphones”, is in production and they’ve got an EP release planned for summer 2008! If you’re anxious to catch them on tour, CF has this to say, “We haven’t approached putting together a live show as yet, but when we do we’ll bring our experience in production & touring to the table. We’re looking into innovative ways of human-machine interface control that would push our live performance farther.”
So yeah, the question I asked the other day, are you ready to leave blog house just yet?? It keeps calling us back for more.
Meet Lars and Duncan. Like most twenty-somethings with a dream, these two came together in the 24-hour party capital of Berlin, exploring and making music come alive in the quintessential heart of Europe.
Lars Moston was born near the city, with German and British parents. He has impeccable English. As well as DJing weekly in Berlin’s finest clubs, Lars produces under a few collaborations: one half of Moston & Malente and one third of The Killergroove Formula. His style ranges from loud banging techno to unabashedly kicking electro.
Duncan Whiteley, who goes by many names, was born near Manchester and spent a lot of time recently living and falling in love with Berlin. By day, he’s busy managing a well-known record label, by night he’s DJing (most recently with RZA & Cut La Roc) and pursuing his own, more avant-garde electronic music under this moniker, leaving his real name quite alone. Scary, fearless music with a penchant for the darker sensibilities.
Together, they’ve kicked around a few tracks and the results are rather interesting to say the least.
The boys peel off the distortion from the Raveonettes “Dead Sound” until you hear only the lyrics. Take away the scratchy pedals and the humming-bird insistent drum machine, and you’re left with a sweet song. Not what I’d normally expect, but it’s better than the original!
Going for a deeper vein, the guys dangerously fool around with Finnish grindcore Huoratron’s “$$Troopers” and the outcome is more what I expect from these two: squelchy arcade game blips and heavy beats produced with a common love of twisted, fucked-up dance music.
It’s early days for this production duo but I’d say the early signs are good ones and I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the tracks I know they have hiding underneath the Chinese carpet in Lars’ living room.
Upon hearing London-based DJ/remixer/producer Neil Parnell’s alter ego, TRONIK YOUTH, I was in some serious awe. The music he creates embodies all the right elements that are sure to please the discerning ear. Or I’m just a sucker for spacey sounds and Spe
