Lol

Hallo hallo! This week in Thailand, all policemen are required to wear these hilarious face masks to "reduce the stress from drivers when they see the police." Can you believe it? "Some 200 police booths [will] also distribute holy water, chewing gum and mints." Why can't they do that in Canada? Read more in this article from the International Herald Tribune.

Speaking of things that make me smile, there's a new mix of Datarock's Computer Camp Love that's been floating around. Actually, I'm not a big fan--maybe because I love the original so much. The lyrics crack me up, but you can't really hear them in the Villians remix. Here's both versions and you can compare for yourself.

Datarock - Computer Camp Love
Datarock - Computer Camp Love (Villians Remix)



Datarock, sportin' the coordinated sweatsuits.

Other songs that might make you laugh...although I can't promise anymore than that

My Robot Friend - Why Won't You Call Me Back?
Porno Mathematics - Zelda Bitches (This song makes no sense at all)
Dj Lobster Dust - It's Fun to Smoke Dust (Queen v. Pastor Gary Greenwald v. Midfield General)
Does It Offend You Yeah - Weird Science (The puking sound is crude, yet classic lol)
Goto 80 - Error Energy
Gameboy;Gamegirl - Sweaty Wet/Dirty Damp ("My ladies are like, woah what is wrong with your glands?")
Snob Scrilla - Mr Officer
Trippple Nippples - RIP Meat
Jermaine Stewart - We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes

Finally, this video is completely awesome (although entirely ridiculous). What's with the purple velvet robe? And those weird fingernail things?



love

neonguns

Beepbeat

Hallo hallo! This is a mini post, so it'll be brief.

Check out this awesome mix from BeepBeat. Go read the original post too (just click on the BeepBeat link). The mix description verges on poetic!

BeepBeat MixCast Vol. 005 - Nuclear Winter

1/2. Deadmau5 Vs. Boys Noize - Oh! Ghosts! (Beep Iams Mashup)
3. Mr. Oizo - Positif
4. Pete Tong & Dave Spoon - Gas Face
5. Hatiras f. MC Flipside - Autograph
6. Baltimoroder - Cat
7. Noisia - Seven Stitches
8. Fake Blood - Mars
9. Sebastian - Momy
10. CLP - Ready Or Not (DJ Sega & Diplo Remix)
11.Bingo Players - Get Up (Diplo Remix)
12. Pryda - Rakfunk
13. Evil Nine - They Live! (Rogerseventytwo Remix)
14. Laidback Luke & A-Trak - Shake It Down
15. Deadmau5 - The Rewared is More Cheese
16. Machines Don’t Care - Afro Jacker
17. The Hours - See The Light (Calvin Harris Remix)
18. Tiga - Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax Version)

love

neonguns

Shadow-Dancing Away Your NYE

Hallo hallo! Since nye is so close at hand I thought I'd post some heavy stuff to play once your party's in full swing. The UK duo Shadow Dancer, signed to Boys Noize Records, are not only prolific but pretty good too. I recently picked up their new unreleased remix of Shine Shine so here it is (plus a few other tracks that have been floating around my computer for awhile).

Boys Noize - Shine Shine (Shadow Dancer Unreleased Mix)
Me My Head - White Lights (Shadow Dancer Remix)
Shadow Dancer - Soap
Suicide Club - Sous Acides Club (Shadow Dancer Remix)
The Faint - The Geeks Were Right (Shadow Dancer Vocal Mix)
Shadow Dancer - Poke
Shadow Dancer - Are You Now?
Shadow Dancer - Daytime Drinking
Shadow Dancer - Cowbois

Shadow Dancer might be peeved I just posted a bunch of their stuff--I don't think they like bloggers too much :*( For more info, read this interview from Baked Not Fried and go buy their new release, Soap, on Beatport.

If you're in Montreal for NYE you should go to I Love Neon with Chromeo, Tommie Sunshine, Kap Bambino, Jordan Dare and NROTB. Yes, I know Chromeo's played out, but it will still be fun. I went to see Simian Mobile Disco at Coda last spring. Chromeo was in town for a gig and decided to show up at Coda to see SMD too. I was standing at the back of the club to cool off and randomly they came over and stood right next to me (OMG!!!!). Yeah...that's my lame story...I stood next to Chromeo. Either way, go to I Love Neon. Nextron and I went to last year's party at SAT and it was super fun!

To make up for my terrible story, here are a few more bumpin' songs for your party playlist:

Tiga - Mind Dimension 2 (Soulwax version)
Cicada - Metropolis (The Twelves B-live Rio Mix)
Leif - Black Magic
Just A Band - Burn it Out (THIS/is remix)
Goshi Goshi - The Lock Shot
Dizee Raskal - Dance Wiv Me (Aston Shuffle Mix - Kissy Klub Version)
Cold Blank - Marshmallow Man (Ghostbusters anyone?)

And of course, this is essential too (Royksopp is back!)

Royksopp - Happy Birthday

Bonus: Awesome video! Dance Area ft Austin Boston - AA/247



love

neonguns

Cornelius

Ugh. Late nights during exams are not so much the good. Oh wait, actually they're totally worth it.

This is for the dude with the mask at Foamo

CORNELIUS from borntofilm on Vimeo.

If only I had a mask, I could be a superstar DJ too. Also, why aren't shows here like that? I do really have to go to Europe to see good electro with people who know something about what they're hearing? Stuff like this:

I'm A Rope (Yuksek Remix) - Tommy Sparks

or kinda funky disco-esque tunes like this new Cut Copy remix:

Far Away (Damn Arms Remix) - Cut Copy

are hard to come by here. Maybe I should move to New York. Or Toronto...only for the wider music scene. Ideally people here would get their collective musical shit together and stop wiling out on crappy tunes, promoting a negative Montreal electro/house reputation...

Until then,
Enjoy

FOAMO @ Coda

Hey hey everyone looks like we're gettin lucky this season, first with Designer Drugs last weekend, FOAMO tomorrow (Friday) at Coda and Surkin on December 13th. The Montreal Mirror interviewed Foamo this week, check it out, got some nice background info on the dude.

Hot damn these are gonna be awesome shows. But please, leave the scarves at home.

Hold Me Down (FOAMO Remix) - Primary 1

Cross The Dancefloor (Designer Drugs Remix) - Treasure Fingers

Ghetto Obsession (Straaatch Rmx) - Surkin

See ya there!

Examcrunch, a new electro cereal from NslL!

When Calvin Harris came to Montreal, I didn't go. I didn't go because I thought he would just perform live and not do anything I haven't already heard on his album.

Oh but what a fool I realize I was after hearing his essential mix, which is apparently what he played at his Canadian shows. Download and tracklist here. Its an amazing mix, blending heavy electro house, disco, and prog house. The first song is all it took to hook me, highly recommended.

Bearries is a group outta Chicago dropping both heavy grinding beats and simple, almost experimental, electronic jams. Good both for dancing and zoning out.

Explorer One - Bearries

Jaws - Bearries

And finally, Yuksek came out with an awesome podcast recently, which is apparently a mixtape for Fabric promoting a recent show. In any case you gotta have it!

YUKSEK - Fabric podcast 200908

The individual tracks and the mix as a whole are well worthy of the repeat button.

Enjoy.

DMCA or something

Well apparently the man deleted my last post for some copyright thing. C'mon, really, property rights laws? Doesn't everyone know that they're just a figment of the liberal media? heh

Aaaaanyway a friend of mine fooled me into watching this just as I will dupe you into loving it:

Pretty dumb but whatever.

Synth-punk?

Another new band for you all, Late Of The Pier a 'glam-techno' synth-punk new-age conglomeration from England (as they usually are). Their album 'Fantasy Black Channel' is quite original in a retro way, using some sounds and progressions reminiscent of the Talking Heads and Frank Zappa. But as with most bands these days, they tend to escape accurate description. In any case here's what you want:

Focker - Late Of The Pier

Bathroom Gurgle - Late Of The Pier

And here's a something more of our usual fare:

Bathroom Gurgle (Tronik Youth Remix) - Late Of The Pier

Louis Vuitton (Database Remix) - Larry Tee

go run around outside while its still nice

Nights Out

for some reason this post got deleted. here it is again in all its glory



This group Metronomy released their album 'Nights Out' about a month ago to rave blogosphere acclaim. The name rang a bell, but I just put them off as another British electronic-pop group...Until I actually heard their music that is, and realized that I had seen them at Montreal's Meg festival in August and had a great time.



I highly recommend that you actually buy 'Nights Out' cuz its a brilliant album. Here's a little teaser, one of my favorites:

Heartbreaker - Metronomy

Breakbot, one of our favorite producers, remixed 'A Thing for Me' from 'Nights Out' with his usual piano and funky bass sound and made it better than the original, imho:

A Thing For Me (Breakbot's B-LIVE Miami Mix) - Metronomy

And for something quite different but definitely worth mentioning, Van She has released another banger, this time remixing Maximum Joy from Shinichi Osawa's 'The One'

Maximum Joy (Van She Remix) - Shinichi Osawa

You gotta love it

enjoy

Too drunk to go out

While I recognize D.I.M. as a great DJ, as of late he hasn't been on the top of my list especially after his lackluster performance here in MTL some months ago. However, it seems that he has released some new tracks with a kind of sound and style quite different than what we are used to hearing from him (especially in 'Out of the Blue'). Check 'em out:

Sunglasses At Night (D.I.M. Remix) - Tiga & Zyntherius

Out of the Blue (D.I.M. Remix) - Darmstadt

Another group seemingly making a 'comeback' of sorts and one of my favorites, Van She Tech, has remixed Utah Saints to great success, bringing us a great upbeat track:

Something Good (Van She Tech Remix) - UTAH SAINTS

As usual, enjoy.

Broken foot music

for the record, this is the third time on the same leg.

Got two new-ish tunes for y'all, one by the ever-great Acid Girls, demonstrating their penchant for what one could call 'dark disco'

The Don (Acid Girls Grey Disco Remix) - Sisters Of Transistors

and a new track from the much-loved Computer Club along with his fellow southerner Le Castle Vania.

The Messiah - Le Castle Vania + Computer Club


Here's a funny video we found around on the interwebs (edit: video changed to something actually funny



quite entertaining. Its by one of the dudes who brought us Dan Deacon's visuals, JIMMY JOE ROCHE. Maybe more on these crazy guys later.

enjoy, keep your headphones pumped.

Workin' for the weekend

Here's a little mini-post to get you pumped for what looks to be a rainy weekend. Thank you, giant hurricane and SUVs.
Some of these tunes are from Crookers Essential Mix, which I highly recommend if you don't have it already.

Il Cattivo Plus THUNDER - Crookers

Let Me Back Up (Crookers Tetsujin Remix)- Don Rimini

Fuckingham Palace (Modeselektor Remix) - Alter Ego

Hey, and here's a little prog-house to balance things out. Check out Deadmau5, he also has a great Essential Mix.

Cherry Twist (Deadmau5 Remix) - The Crystal Method

Merrymaking At My Place (Deadmau5 Remix) - Calvin Harris

Hi Friend - Deadmau5 ft. Flipside

enjoy.

Things to viddy

Here at NslL we like to provide a wide range of media. To follow up the previous post, here are some videos that have caught my eye on the interwebs.

First we have the video for Ocelot's remix of Robyn's Be Mine, featured last time.

great song, gets me pumped every time.

I saw over at Iheartcomix an internet tv channel by DEMONBABIES that features old cartoons, movie previews, shows, mini-docs and original works. There's a lot of really weird stuff on there, and its fit for hours of entertainment.

www.mogulus.com/demonbabies

Tune in and enjoy

heavy gritty dance tunes

Designer Drugs in Montreal were amazing, and they are playing two shows in New York soon (check their myspace for info). Its gonna be great and I hope to see you there. I'd like share a new remix of theirs, the vocals are fun and go well with the grinding electro bass sound that D.D. do so well.

Heaven - Hail Social (Designer Drugs remix)



Next we got a preview of Ocelot who will probably be the subject of a more extensive later post. Suffice to say that they are perhaps the best remixers of 2008, and have the amazing but hard to find 'Our Time'. All of their songs are not only a breath of fresh air in a somewhat stagnating electro scene, but also incorporate varied electronic genres in their music. You must absolutely have theses songs:

Ask the DJ - Mr. Hudson (Ocelot express 4 hour mix) Great lyrics on this one.

Be Mine - Robyn (Ocelot Mthrfckrs Remix) The video is pretty weird.

enjoy and keep on dancin

Menace and Falke

Kris Menace, responsible for the great remix of Mer du Japon, featured in this weeks essential mix. He was responsible for the first hour of this essential mix. The second hour was up to Fred Falke. 

Falke combined the smooth and enjoyable french touch beats with some of the classics such as Pink Floyd and Metallica. 

Check out the tracklist at bbc's website

Download Kris Menace & Fred Falke's Essential Mix

Next week we'll witness the sounds of Steve Aoki, the L.A producer founder of Dim Mak records. Dim Mak records holds groups such as Klaxon and Bloc Party, and has been responsible for MSTRKRFT and Bloody Beetroots. 

Time to Disco

Interestingly enough, Erol Alkan (who seems to have grown a beard recently) has put out a disco set, Disco 3000. Its quite fun, so go ahead and check it out.

Also, dig Digitalism's Kitsune Tabloid mix. Its really, really good.
Tracklist:
01. Mawkish - Baba
02. Muscles - Sweaty (Shazam Rmx)
03. Zongamin - Tunnel Music
04. Hercules & Love Affair - Raise Me Up
05. Holy Ghost ! - Hold On
06. Zombie Nation - Filter Jerks
07. The Human League - The Things That Dreams Are Made
08. Shadowdancer - Cowbois / with Spank Rock - Put Tha
09. Digitalism - The Pulse (Der Die Das Rmx )
10. Midnight Juggernauts - Ending Of An Era
11. The Jonzon Crew - Space Cow Boy
12. I Sream Ice Ccream - Closing Time Closing In
13. Siriusmo - Diskoding
14. Calvin Harris - Colours
15. The Presets - Yippiyo Ya
16. Hey Today! - If I Was Wonderman
17. Hot Chip - Shake A Fist
18. The Kills - Cheap And Cheerful
19. The B 52 - Funplex (CSS Extended remix)
20. Proxy - Dance in Dark
21. Decalicious - La Faviere 76 ( Larz Chapter remix)
22. In Flagranti - Business Acumen
23. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Hey Today
24. WhoMadeWho - The Plot
25. Digitalism Echoes ( Digitalisms Underwater Sonar)

Part 1
Part 2

enjoy

Expired rodent in da house

Many thanks to G for that awesome Alex Metric set. Here to follow up I have the latest Essential Mix from the boys at BBC Radio 1: Deadmau5.

This guy has literally exploded into the scene, turning out new remixes and touring constantly. Although not solely the hard electro genre that we usually feature here, Deadmau5's style is nonetheless varied, enjoyable, and certainly unique. Many of the tracks and transitions remind me of the later Balance mixes, which nicely accentuates and complements the heavier songs. The last third is not as good as the first two, with some cheesy tracks you'll have to put up with. But the rest is worth it.

Here's the tracklisting:
Deadmau5 - Complications (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Sometimes Complicated (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Bye Friend (Mau5trap)
Sydney Blu - Senses Of The Mind
Deadmau5 Vs Jelo The Reward Is More Cheese (Summer Festival 08 Version) (Rising Trax)
Deadmau5 - Hi Friend (Mau5trap)
BSOD – Milton (White Label)
Supermayer - 2 Of Us (Deadmau5 Edit) (Kompakt)
Nathan Fake - The Sky Was Pink (Deadmau5 Edit) (Border Community)
Matt Rock - What You Feel (Deadmau5 Remix) (Hardplace)
Deadmau5 - Desynchronised (Mau5trap)
John Dahlback - Pyramid (Original) (Cr2)
Deadmau5 - Faxing Berlin (Piano Version) (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Faxing Berlin (Mau5trap) + Morgan Page - The Longest Road (Accapella)
Deadmau5 & Kaskade - I Remember (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Arguru (Songbird/Blackhole)
Deadmai5 - Alone With You (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Brazil (Second Edit) (Mau5trap)
Deadmau5 - Clockwork (Songbird/Blackhole)
Deadmau5 – Jaded (Mau5trap)

My only real complaint with this mix is that its mostly his own music...which seems to indicate a certain level of shameless self-promotion.
Nevertheless, the mix is still amazing and well worth having. So go, go forth and download!

Peace and enjoy

New Metric + Crazy Squirrel

Finally Alex Metric has released a new mix. The last one I had heard was released in september 07. After so long it is good to hear the bleepy and choppy sounds of Alex Metric. The UK Dj who has been palying at Fabric and considered one of the breakthroughs of 2007 has given us a great mix. Check out the tracklist:

Treasure Fingers - Cross the dancefloor - Fools gold
Alex Gopher - Aurora (riot In Belgium Mix) - Kitsune
Bobmo - To the Bobmobile - Institubes
Boys Noize - Oh (A Trak Mix) - BNR
SebastiAn - Army - Ed Banger
Evil 9 - They Live - Rogerseventytwo Mix - Marine Parade
Alex Metric - Caller - Marine Parade
Bart B More - I Love you
The Subs - Papillon - Shinichi osawa Mix
Yuksek - It Comes
Adam Freeland - Hate - Marine Parade
Splittr - All Alone (Alex Metric Mix) - Eye Industries
Alex Gopher vs. primal Scream (Alex Metric Live mashup)
Infadels - Free Things For Poor People (Alex Metric Mix) - Wall Of Sound

Alex Metric June Mix

In addition, check out this story from Germany. I read it and laughed out loud. I found it pretty funny to picture elderly Germans running after a squirrel.

Crazy Squirrel

Enjoy!

New Twelves tracks, DesignerDrugs tour

We're all massive fans of The Twelve's here at NslL, waiting for the day when they play in North America.  They have yet to perform outside of Brazil, let alone South America, but they inevitably will.  Here's a new track of theirs, not the best quality as it's a myspace rip, but worth adding to the collection.  

Humanitarianism (Twelve's remix) - Zeigeist

So aside from posting my current favourite tracks, mixes, videos, etc., I want to use this blog as a forum to distribute my own music.  I'm currently working on a few tracks that aren't quite finished yet but I do have a mashup that I've made available for download below.  It's a mix of Erol Alkan's remix of the Klaxon's Golden Skans, an extended light and spacey track laid over Felix Cartal's L'amour.  The result a blazing vocal mashup that's heavy and driving all the way through.  Please comment with your thoughts on the track.  

L'amour de Skans (an Essex mashup) - Erol Alkan / Felix Cartal

DesignerDrugs were featured in a mix I posted a week ago on the blog.  They do a good job at remixing pop tracks, adding thick, heavy basslines over the original vocals, consistently delivering quality club tracks.  I've posted a handful of tracks in an effort to promote their North American tour.  I'll be at the show in NYC so I hope to see you there.  

Countdown MSTR extended (DesignerDrugs remix) - Jupiter One

Moving Forward, Moving Forward (DesignerDrugs remix) - Protokoll

Drugs in my Body (DesignerDrugs) - Thieves Like Us

July 18 - Boys and Girls Club @ Boondocks, Houston, Texas
July 19 - Tres Chic:XXX-MAS in JULY @ Orchid Night Club, Austin, Texas
July 25 - Ruff Club @ The Annex, NYC, New York
July 26 - LIVE FOREVER @ Barbary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 31 - Republic, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Aug. 2 - Location TBA, Seattle, Washington
Aug. 9 - Coda Club, Montreal, Canada
Aug. 29 - Discotech @ The Majestic w/ OCD Automatic & The Glamour, Madison, Wisconsin
Aug. 30 - LIVE FOREVER @ Barbary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Sept. 1 - Crush, Orlando, Florida
Sept. 4 - Family Affair, Tallahassee, Florida
Sept. 5 - PULP, Tampa, Florida
Sept. 6 - Neon Liger, Gainesville, Florida

Hint - Portakabin Fever

I think it is finally time for my humble contribution to this flourishing project of ours. This time I am posting something which should be a crowd pleaser - another Ninja Tune favourite, Hint. Hailing from Sussex, England and signed to the label relatively recently, Hint's debut Portakabin Fever has something to offer to a listener searching for Bonobo's brand of chillout, intelligent afterparty music. In fact, Last.fm tells me Hint has toured with Bonobo and Minotaur Shock (another great producer whose work I'm hoping to post soon), which for me was reason enough to check his music out. Somewhat airy, and always with a good variety of melody and rhythm, Portakabin Fever is oh-so-good on a Sunday morning. Try it yourself.


Hint - Portakabin Fever (rapidshare)

Stress

So I'm sure everyone knows and is sick of that Justice song Stress. But the video is pretty good, at least it got me all riled up and pissed off at today's urban youth, at least in France:

However the main point of posting this was to lead into the remake:

JUSTICE - STRESS ( JUSTESSE NO STRESS / THOMAS VDB VERSION )
by Lesairsavif

enjoy and have a laugh

OD

This is going to be a jam packed post...Let's begin with an an interview with Alex Gopher featured on Brav in the Mix. (I believe he actually is a subscriber to our humble blog so please do check out his) FYI the interview is in french, but I hope some people will appreciate it as it's a revealing look into the artist's life and the development of the french music scene over the years. 

I'd like to follow up Nestor's post containing a Duke Dumont track with two more.  Duke Dumont is a young producer from the U.K. who exploded onto the scene after winning a production contest in 2006, declared as one of the best unsigned producers of the year.  In 2007, he released an EP that was widely lauded by the likes of Simian Mobile Disco and Erol Alkan amongst others.  

The first remix I've posted was featured on the Acid Girl's Neon Noise Mixtape, albeit briefly. A unique use of a sample and staccato chord stabs culminate a bouncy club production.  The second remix/reconstruction is in stark contrast to the first; its dark and melodic, even ambient at times; a real class production from Duke Dumont that remains entertaining over the 8+ minutes of play.  

The Deacon (Duke Dumont 'Live from Brooklyn' mix) - Idiotproof

Two Doors Down (Duke Dumont Reconstruction) - The Mystery Jets

D.I.M. really hasn't been properly featured on the blog yet, and its high time he has.  Signed to Boys Noize records, in my opinion the most talented artist on the label, D.I.M. makes blazing, grinding, big bass electro and has forged a precise and instantly recognizable sound and form. This track deviates a bit in its phrasing but still typifies the D.I.M. sound.  I'll post an older, massively popular remix of The Preset's track My People.  Anyone who saw Les Petits Pilous and the Montreal Nu Ravers at SAT a few months ago will remember this song without a doubt.    

Always Something Missing (D.I.M. remix) - Sono

My People (D.I.M. remix) - The Presets

So finally I mentioned doing a new mix for the blog and here it is.  Its ten minutes of relatively recent tracks that have not been posted on the blog.  The tracklist is below, I hope you enjoy it. 

NslL July Mix 

There's No Justice - Cécile

Diamonds in the Dark (Erol Alkan remix Version 3.0)

Ironical Sexism (Grum remix)  - Revolte

Numb (Kris Menace remix) - Heartache

Je Prends les Gens Pour Qu'ils Sont (DesignerDrugs remix) - Flou

Strangers (Yuksek remix) - Van She 

Vacation Music

So this is where I've been for the last two weeks...

and here are two tracks that I just couldn't stop listening to all the while I was there...

You Can't Always Get What You Want (2008 Soulwax Remix) - The Rolling Stones

We Begin - Bufi

This Soulwax remix is fantastic.  Not much else more to say about these guys except that a film is to be released about the two brothers from Ghent in late August, I'll post the trailer below.

As for Bufi, he's from Mexico City and thats all I really know about him.  The track is a bit dark yet melodic and features some clever english vocals that do well to tie the piece together.  

Introducing

Before I used to think that all of the Kissy Sell Out stuff was rubbish.
Obviously I hadn’t heard enough. I just stumbled into a set by him and the resident djs of a club called Moda, it’s a garage in the UK. This is an introducing essential mix, showing us the new music on the scene. I personally enjoyed the kissy sell out hour more than that of Jaymo and Andy George.

Jaymo/Andy George + Kissy Sell Out EM

One really good song in this mix is 72 Virgins by Shitdisco remixed by the Bloody Beetroots

Enjoy!

Crook-Crook-Crookers!

As usual this is a little late by blogosphere standards, but the Crookers Essential Mix (download available at the bottom of the tracklist) is not to be missed out on. They played a sick show last sunday at club 1234 here in Montreal, and although the crowd was boorish, repetitive and stale and the photographers were just reinforcing bland stereotypes the music was good enough to make up for it. Its the music, not the scene, which matters and endures.
Anyway here are some individual tracks from their Essential Mix, which is basically what they played here and I imagine in all the clubs on their tour.
Day n Nite - Kid Cudi (Crookers remix)

Here is the original, still pretty good
Floating - Jape (DIM remix) this one gets good at about 2:45
Get Hype - Math Head a nice n heavy beat on this one
Hoy! - Duke Dumont a kinda Dervish themed tune, quite fun. Makes me wanna spin around
And one Crookers original, not on their EM, but played at the show We Are Prostitutes - Crookers

Enjoy and peace out

Hello, Mr. Watson

Patrick Watson is a prolific Montreal musician who has toured with Feist, The Cinematic Orchestra, Amon Tobin, and James Brown. His 2006 album, Close to Paradise, is most generally classified as alt/indie, but perhaps is best described as experimental rock (others say he is a mix of cabaret rock and classical). Watson has been compared to artists such as Rufus Wainwright and Pink Floyd. I highly recommend his work, check out his myspace and these songs from Close to Paradise:
Man Under the Sea
Drifters is probably the best song on the album
Luscious Life
Giver
Daydreamer

Enjoy
-NB

Well Funky Brazilian Beats

Here's the new remix by the Rio duo The Twelves, Hurricane Jane by the Black Kids.  If you're a fan of Fred Falke you'll absolutely love these guys.   They make funky, groovy electronic music, epitomizing down tempo, "late night" dance tracks.  A lot of their music is available for free download off their myspace but here's an original that isn't, I Feel Fine, probably my favourite original Twelve's composition.  I'll also post below a video of a live session recorded for a Brazilian television station.  They have a unique live show; performing original pieces, doing on the fly remixes, and mixing in the traditional sense.  This video features their remix of New Young Pony Club's Get Lucky and a class unreleased remix of Radiohead's There, There.  Enjoy. 

Seeing as I've been watching a lot of the Mighty Boosh lately, I had to post a clip from one of their earlier episodes.  For those of you unfamiliar with the program, it's a cult classic in the UK, featuring Noel Fielding and the ruddy genius Julian Barratt (the one with the mustache).  Each episode is practically a fairy tale; a bizarre adventure featuring two ex-zoo keepers, shamans, a talking gorilla who moonlights as a DJ, and many more outlandish characters.  You can find full episodes on the internet so if you're as sick as I am with north american television, look no further, watch the Boosh.  

Big Ups

I just wanted to big up whoever posted a recommendation of our blog on craigslist, it's greatly appreciated as we're trying to up the traffic, get more music and whatever else we find of interest out there. It's been a good week, the Dutch are tearing up the euro cup, I got out of work early on Tuesday as the AC was broken; simple pleasures I suppose. Anyways, on to the music.

This post is really about Alex Gopher, a french producer who started out as a member in Orange; a french band also including Air and Etienne de Crécy. After the group dissolved, he broke out on his own, started a label and produced a widely popular 2001 album You, My Baby, And I.  In 2006 he released a self titled album of original material, harkening back to the style of Orange; pop rock tracks infused with the occasional electronic synth.  More recently he has been producing electro tracks, originals and remixes, that are marked most notably by his deep, distorted basslines.  Here's a wicked example, a remix of Fischerspooner's The Best Revenge and a more mild but equally as pleasing remix of Dada Life's Your Favourite Flu.  

I think i'll do a bit of a mini mix this weekend of some of the more recent music I've been listening to. Here's the last mix I made for a Mexican radio station.  It's more electro house than electro but I'm sure you will enjoy it none-the-less. Tracklist is below. Cheers.

Fischerspooner - Danse en France (DIM remix)
heartsrevolution - CYOA (Brodinski remix)
Chromeo - Fancy Footwork (Surkin remix)
Primary 1 - Hold Me Down (Foamo remix)
Beastie Boys - Open Letter to NYC (Chew Fu remix)
Crookers - Love to Edit
New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky (The Twelves remix)

First Vietnamese War

Just a follow up to Nestor's post.  This is the first song I heard by the Black Angels, The First Vietnamese War.  

New Rock

So here's something completely different: the prog/psy-rock band The Black Angels from Austin, Texas take two rock styles I love, the psychedelic madness of the 60's and the 'drone' of the Velvet Underground and Brian Jonestown Massacre and combine them in a very good way, dark and grimy like the VU, twisty and screeching like Hendrix or Pink Floyd.
Dig it:
-Doves really brings back the good ol' gritty classic rock memories.
-Mission District has a great build up and a cool riff
-18 Years really reminds me of Velvet Underground
-Deer-Ree-Shee has a nice Sitar touch, almost like the Beatles or Brian Jonestown
-Damn all these songs are awesome; You in Color shines as an emerald in a bag of diamonds
You'll just have to get their album 'Directions To See A Ghost for the rest, of which a 16 minute drone-a-thon is among the best.

Back to some usual fare, electro does not only exist in a purely 'electronic-genre' form. As we have seen in Aaron's previous post, there exists electro-rock which, in my opinion, can often be better for various reasons. Mainly that while some songs may be simpler, they have actual lyrics of verses and choruses, and involve musical techniques and forms that are more from rock than electronic music.


When I saw the Australian The Presets here in Montreal the other week I realized the above to be true. They are more like techno/psych-electro rock than I expected (having only heard of them from D.I.M. remixes) and man do they know how to put on an AWESOME show; especially given that they were sick and had traveled all over North America. The live drum kit was a nice change from grinding mind-numbing drum machines, and the vocals were well performed and had some interesting multilayered distortion. But most markedly the energy of both the performers and the crowd was what made the show: the people were more pumped up than at many straight-up electro sets, noticeably older, more stylish and less total neon noob. They were more there for the music, not the scene.
Anyway here's what you want from the album 'Apocalypso', which is actually worth purchasing (ha!). It should be noted that they are so much cooler live, and I must insist on you seeing them if you can.
-Aeons is a really pretty instrumental that The Presets used to segway between songs live
-Together has some of those distorted vocals I mentioned above, and is a great dance tune
-I wish I could play Yippyo-Ay to the many lovely ladies out there in Montreal, a certain C****** in particular.
-This song, Kicking and Screaming, has probably the best digialized distorted vocals of the album which was amazing to see live. Very catchy too.

Oh yea and here's a fun little song, found in the Computer Set mix but its good by itself: Paradis (Udachi Remix) by Lismore

Enjoy, spread the word and peace out

Côte Ouest

I just downloaded the Minitel Rose ep, The French Machine, last night; west coast french electro. They appear to be cultivating a fairly unique style; an interesting rock/electro hybrid. The EP features 7 tracks, all different from the next, filled with original vocals, familiar yet catchy chord progressions, sparkling synth melodies, choppy basslines, distorted electric guitars, church organs...I could go on but suffice it to say Minitel Rose create an accessible pop / club, but not exclusively club, sound. I've posted my favourite track off the Ep, Better Days (part II) and their official west coast theme song, Valerie Côte Ouest. Enjoy.

Here's a little bonus, a new Fred Falke remix of The Energies entitled Running Again.

Prole mix

So I'm off to my first day of work today, training and what have you. I don't think I've been up this early in months. Ugh. Here's a sick mix that is helping me wake up and with the notion that I'm gonna actually have to do all the things that come with working at a real job: waking up, going to work, putting in more than 3 hours a day of labor time. Whatever.
I'll post some newer stuff I've been listening to later on; the new Presets album and the Black Angels. Maybe some Patrick Watson too. Stay tuned. Until then,

Guns n' Bombs amazing Transmusicales Mix. It has that song with the refrain 'Is that your myspace man' which for some reason I identify with.

Enjoy.

Fem, Fire, Tre, To, Én, Null

Reprise, a Norwegian film directed by Joachim Trier, has garned a lot of attention as of late after its U.S. release May 16th.  A friend of mine who spent extensive time in Norway, where the film is set and its actors, writers, director etc. all hail from, recommended it, describing it as one of the best contemporary films he has seen in years...and I have to agree. I leave a proper review to the New York Times but i'll say this; the film centers on the disparity between ideals and reality, a pertinent motif for not only myself but my generation. The values and visions of society that we develop in our youth are promising and fill us with hope and drive to self actualize, yet when we are finally sprung into the real world, our preconceptions can be easily shattered.  Some of us adapt while others are utterly crushed when forced to accept the often sad truth of the nature of the world created for us.  It will become our live's work to reconcile our idyllic notions with the brutal reality of modern culture.  Reprise expertly addresses this fundamental coming of age process, moving the viewer to experience a myriad of emotions.  It's a fantastically entertaining and insightful film that surely will resonate with your own life and experiences.  Reprise is widely available for download if you can't find a local theater showing it.  I've posted the trailer below.  

Here's a class remix of Le Tigre's Deception by DFA, the original track is played during the first half of the trailer.

In the club

So here's a new class track that offers the perfect respite in a banging electro set.  I've seen a few DJs this year that grind out heavy sets, only to drop a few melodic, poppy gems, which the crowd goes nuts for.  I heard a new contender this morning by the Sidechains, hailing from Barcelona.  This group tends to be hit or miss but this track, Dance While You Can, is fantastic.  It's nothing revolutionary but they make all the right choices in their production to create an accessible and in every sense of the word danceable sound.  I'll post a few more in the similar vein for your listening pleasure.  Enjoy.

Surkin - White Knight Two

DJ Dig - Paramount (Rogerseventytwo remix)

(I took the photo last year while in Barcelona.  It's a close up shot of a mosaic in parc Guell)

Hard and Heavy Computer Music

Hey y'all, sup?
Note the southern inflection, in honor of the sick group Computer Club out of Birmingham, Alabama. An amalgam of Gigantor and Evol Intent, both drum n' bass masters, Computer Club mixes disco, electro and their originals and remixes to great success; they even somehow manage to blend Nine Inch Nails and Boys Noize.

Let's start with some originals:

Bizarre Love Triangle, a remix of the New Wave hit back in the day, has been stuck on repeat for a while.
Laptop Levitation definitely has an 80's feel to it, with the chorus chanting and such.
Load Rocket is just wicked hard and heavy

and check out their hour of glory:

www.zshare.net/audio/125220720ca4d081

Tracklist:
01. (Intro) - "Welcome To The Computer Club Meeting"
02. Midnight Juggernauts - "Shadows (Knightlife Remix)"
03. Prince - "Erotic City (Computer Club Edit)"
04. Wired All Wrong - "Elevatin' (Computer Club Remix)"
05. Computer Club - "Laptop Levitation"
06. Buddy Akai - "Cut Me Up (Villains Remix)"
07. Les Rhythmes Digitales - "Sometimes (Computer Club's Front Room Reflip)"
08. Micky Slim Vs. Deadmau5 Vs. House of Pain - "Jump Around"
09. Computer Club - "Load Rocket"
10. Boys Noize - "My Head (Para One Remix)"
11. Nine Inch Nails - "That's What I get (Computer Club's President Emeritus Remix)"
12. Sebastian - "Dog"
13. Mr. Oizo - "Flat Beat (Computer Club's Fat Eric Remix)"
14. Kill The Noise - "Hey You (Robbie Monticello Remix)"
15. Rrrump - "Twerk It"
16. Computer Club - "Flat Response"
17. Ocelot - "This Is Our Time (Treasure Fingers Remix)"
18. Kill The Noise - "Pull my Strings"
19. Hail Social - "No Paradise (Hot Pink Delorean Remix)"
20. Fantastadon - "Skampa"
21. Computer Club - "Bizarre Love Triangle"
22. Lismore - "Paradis (Udachi Remix)"
23. Young MC - "Bust A Move (Don Rimini Ravekid Remix)"

Hooligan Disco, Episode 1

I just came across this video today. It's the inaugural 45 minute episode from a mini series Para One is editing together from footage of the Institubes North America tour from about 8 months ago. I saw the tour when it came through Montréal and it was easily the best electro night I've been to all year. Surkin is in this video more than anyone else, but it also includes Curses!, DJ Orgasmic and a few cameos from the director. The video originates from Vimeo so please do check out their site.


Hooligan Disco (w/ English subtitles) from Institubes on Vimeo.

Falke pt. 2

I'm glad Nestor dedicated a post entirely to Fred Falke. Since i've returned to New York not a day has gone by where I haven't listened to these two tracks:

I'm Good, I'm Gone (Fred Falke remix) - Lykke Li

Golden Cage (Fred Falke remix) - Whitest Boy Alive

Blissful, euphonious; just a few words that come to mind. Check out the live mix as well.

Triple J set

Head here for an interview with Fred Falke and learn more about his live/DJ hybrid performances.

Hell A

Of all the emergent electro scenes in the United States; New York, Philadelphia, Houston... Los Angeles reigns king. Groups like Guns 'n' Bombs and heartsrevolution are blowing up, mainly through the diffusive power of the blogosphere. The one group that doesn't receive much attention however is Acid Girls; a production / DJ duo from SoCal who left the states back in late 2007 to record some tracks and repatriated themselves only a few months ago. There are rumors of a forthcoming summer album but ultimately this group is elusive. Everything they release is class. Here are a few tracks, a mix of the old and the new. Head over to HypeMachine or iheartcomix, L.A. based blog, record label, party throwers, etc. to hear more.

Prism Effect [It's Not the Size that Counts Acid Girls Edit] - heartsrevolution (oldie but a goodie)
Sirens [Acid Girls Can Hear it Too Remix] - Dizze Rascal (new remix, HQ mp3 folks)
Palms [Extended Dub mix] (myspace rip, not the best quality but a must have)
Tender Loving Care (ditto)
Neon Noise Mixtape (20 minute mix, download it, don't think twice. Head over to iheartcomix for a tracklist)

Video Interview

Le Contact Francais

Yea so electro is all great and cool and everything, but often one yearns for something new...after all, its hard (at least for me) to listen to hardcore dance music without wanting to burst out dancing, and sometimes it is not entirely appropriate to do so. To remedy this we have now gotten into 'French touch', a modern and better kind of house music, specifically the work of Fred Falke who is mega beast at bass and synth and all those wonderful happy instruments he uses. In addition to composing originals with his cousin Alan Braxe, Falke has some really good remixes, overdubbing his own bass lines making songs generally more upbeat and, yes, more dance-oriented I suppose. In any case, here are some the best of what I've got from them:

Intro, which is a huge club hit by Falke and Braxe;
Love Theme, has Falke's awesome bass line pumpin' through it and a funky breakdown near the end;
Burn it All Down, Falke's remix of the VHS Or Beta tune;
Hot Chip's Colors remixed again by Falke;
Black History Month a remix by Falke and Braxe;
Don't even know what to say about this one, Rubicon;
and Falke's original, Sanctuary
peace, enjoy and keep the volume up!

top 10 (very subjectively) modern female vocals

As some of you may know, I tend to listen to a lot of music with female vocals. I enjoy the female voice in music, and I like to find beautiful and interesting incarnations of it. Since new good music is hard to come by for me lately (probably because I'm too lazy to look), let's look at the old favourites and - why not? - rank them from best to better to still very good. And mind as well put some mp3's here and there, for your enjoyment.

(Preface: this is modern music. Billie Holiday not included.)

#1. Tamar-kali (Easy Star All-Stars)
I saw Easy Star in Montreal, and Tamar-kali's voice was the most beautiful sound ever to hit my eardrums, probably in my entire life. Rich, powerful, graceful like a black puma (are there white pumas?) preparing to kill its prey. I rest my case.
Listen: Easy Star All-Stars - Climbing Up The Walls (zshare)

#2 Jo Swan (San Ilya)
The sultriest, richest and most versatile voice ever to be found in electronic music (although San Ilya is hard to classify), Jo hits highest to lowest in half a second without any visible effort. A pleasure to listen.
Listen: Ilya - Quattra Neon (zshare)

#3 Joanne Pelletier (Jorane)
Jorane's voice is best described as angelic. When you listen to it sometimes you wonder whether it actually exists or you're just dreaming it. Accompanied by cello (also played by Jorane) it sounds... well, like the sky. Sometimes it's sunny, sometimes there are drifting clouds, sometimes there's rain and sometimes there's storm.
Listen: Jorane - Rose Velours (zshare)

#4 Beth Gibbons (Portishead)
You don't know what sorrow is until you hear Beth Gibbons' ghostly, lamenting, beautifully set voice accompanied either by Portishead's moody trip-hop or by Rustin' Man's downtempo. It's a classic. Enough said.
Listen: Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man - Tom The Model (zshare)

#5 Ane Brun
Very dreamy vocals, velvet-y overtones, very versatile and moody, a very complex smoky voice. The music is great for rainy days, give it a listen when you're feeling... say, nostalgic.
Listen: Ane Brun - Balloon Ranger (zshare)

#6 Carla Bruni
Moving into the realm of more one-dimensional, yet still incredibly sexy and smoky voices, Carla Bruni is a lead. A model, a singer, a president's wife... Carla knows her stuff. Don't miss out on this one.
Listen: Carla Bruni - L'excessive (zshare)

#7 Bajka (Bonobo)
Sultry, understated and sweet, Bajka's voice is on the lower end of the spectrum, and was an excellent choice for Bonobo's latest tunes on his album, Days To Come.
Listen: Bonobo - Nightlite (zshare)

#8 Leslie Feist
iPod commercials nevertheless, Feist is still cool. Strong, pleasant voice singing catchy tunes. No explanation needed, really.

#9 Lhasa de Sela
Soulful and emotional, Lhasa's voice really grips. Really nothing much to say, just listen.
Listen: Lhasa - De Cara A La Pared (zshare)

#10 Zemfira Ramazanova (Zemfira)
Previously featured on this blog. Strong, powerful, emotional, in-your-face voice. Hard to come by & highly recommended.

These are my personal favourites and you must keep in mind that I can't listen to ALL music in the world, so the scope is somewhat limited. Otherwise, enjoy

tunes to study to

Hey guys
I know its been a while, no one has posted for some reason or another. In any case here are some songs I'm currently obsessed with. The first is a remix of a Röyksopp song and is nice to listen to when you're trying to get things done...or in any circumstance as its just a good song: Remind Me (if you haven't used megaupload before, just enter the three letters and wait a few seconds on the next page for the download). The original is nice too.
Next is some kinda feel-good electro-house something, Fred Falke's remix of Golden Cage, I've been listening to it a little too much. But it keeps the spirits up. The original by The Whitest Boy Alive is here.
And if you're awake late at night doing whatever it is you do, check this out: Moan by Trentemøller, nice for 3am zone-outs.
I've kinda given up on various essays I've been writing, I hope you have better stamina and determination in whatever it is that occupies you. I'm just waiting for Mexico.
As usual I would love to hear what you're listening to (provided its good), so drop me a line or a comment with some recommendations.
peace

For Your Amusement

three videos that will make you smile on the inside

1.) datarock's "computer camp love"


if you were a fan, you may be interested in these tracks...
datarock - computer camp love
datarock - i used to dance with my daddy (metal on metal remake)
datarock - i used to dance with my daddy (para one remix)




jumpsuit + bmx = ultimate cool


2.) the whip, "sister siam"


for further enjoyment:
the whip - sister siam (bitchee bitchee ya ya ya remix)
the black ghosts - anyway you choose to give it (the whip remix)


3.) midfield general, "midfielding" (w/noel fielding)



if you want some more melodic midfield, check these out...
robots in disguise - the sex has made me stupid (stupid sex midfield general remix)
midfield general - disco sirens (boy 8 bit short vocal mix)

and if you like to smoke dust, this may give you the giggles
dj lobsterdust - its fun to smoke dust (queen v. pastor gary greenwald v. midfield general)

x0x neonguns x0x

p.s. bonus tracks!!!
neon knights - problems in the playground (worth a listen, but lacks polish)
neon knights - hoods up for justice (be patient with this one, my favorite part starts around 4:55)
apparat - arcadia
boys noize - shine, shine (apparat remix)

Essential Mixing

Its been a while, I know. That is why I am here to tell you about the most complete electronic music collection online: BBC's Essential MIx. Since 1993, BBC has put out over 900 sets, of different Djs. This means that there is at least 2000 hours of music. Plus, the set are easily found online.
It is hosted by Pete Tong who is one of the driving forces behind English electronic music. Who also compiled the first essential Mix in 1993.
I tried to find this set, and surprisingly it was online. I heard the first 20 minutes, and its pretty good. It is 15 years old! If you guys like going back to the classics, you can check it out.
Pete Tong @ Essential Mix BBC Radio 30-10-1993

I like lists. So here we go. Here are some DJs that have mixed Essentially:
Sasha, John Digweed, Laurent Garnier, Moby, Carl Cox, Massive Attack, DJ Krush, Portishead, Daft Punk, Kraftwerk, The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Felix da Housecat, Basement Jaxx, and Air. And believe me the list goes on. Those are only the big names I could find from before the year 2000!

I found a BEAST site. It has Essential Mix form 1993-2005. So if you guys get curious and decide to explore the dangerous world of electronic music, thats your online database.
Those Germans sure got it. Click for Essential mix Collection

So that was in the past. What is new? Adam Freeland.Resident DJ of Fabric. Grammy nominee. BEAST.
His set is amazing. Just check out the tracklist.
1. Billy Nayer - Ship Alarm - BSG
2. Siriusmo - Girls Rock - Bungalow
3. Unkle – Restless (loop) - Surrender All
4. Evil Nine – They Live - Marine Parade
5. Rogerseventytwo – Imagination - Tiger Trax
6. Grinderman - No Pussy Blues (Adam Freeland edit)
7. Adam Freeland – Glowstix - Marine Parade
8. Boys Noize - Lets Buy Happiness - Boys Noize
9. Autolux – Blanket (Adam Freeland remix) - Full Time Hobby
10. Junkie XL - Cities In Dust (Glimmers remix) - Artwerk
11. Hot Chip - Ready For The Floor (Soulwax remix) - EMI
12. Shadow Dancer - End Hit - Boys Noize
13. Alan Braxe – Addicted - Vulture
14. UNKLE – Restless - Surrender All
15. Blake Baxter and Mark Romboy - House Ya (bootleg)
16. Alex Metric – Pins - Marine Parade
17. Crookers - Love To Edit - Crack Crack
18. Bloody Beetroots – Butter - Crack Crack
19. Shadow - Right Thing (Z-Trip get the party off mix in 3 parts) - Island
20. Freeland – Do Ya - Marine Parade
21. Map Of Africa - Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys - Whatever We Want
22. Black Strobe - Shining Brightstar (Phones remix) - Playlouder / Beggars France)
23. Sebasien Tellier - Sexual Sportswear (SebastiAn remix) - Record Makers
24. Breakbot – Happy Rabbit - Moshi Moshi
25. Tepr - Midniut Jacuzzi (Data remix) - Wall of Sound
26. Soulwax – Krack (Nite version) - Play It Again Sam
27. Midnight Juggernaughts - Road to Discovery - Siberia
28. Adam Freeland – Hate - Marine Parade
29. Freeland - How To Fake Your Life - Marine Parade
30. Splitter - All Alone (Alex Metric remix) - Eye Industries
31. Can – Mothersky - United Artists
32. Swayzak - Smile and Receive (Apparat remix) - K7!
33. Simple Minds - Theme For Great Cities - Sanctuary
34. Caribou – Niobe (Adam Freeland edit)

Freeland EM part 1

Part 2

Hope you love it!

Austria contributes: Parov Stelar - Shine

Those of you who like to relax in style, prepare to hear great news - Parov Stelar came up with a new album, longer and better than anything he's produced before. An elegant mix of nu-jazz, breakbeat, downtempo and perhaps a pinch of lounge - but don't be scared, it is quite far from elevator music. Quite on the contrary, the tunes on Shine (2007) manage to engage, just enough to put you in a good, relaxed mood. His Myspace page perhaps will say this better than I:

"The freedom of jazz combined with the groove of house and breakbeat describes the character of Parov Stelar. The main theme is clearly defined, high quality music engaged in functionality."

Indeed, it is all about very well-produced intelligent grooves than will leave even the most fastidious listeners pleased. While it starts off a bit lounge-esque, the first two compositions employ very lush vocals, and so were forgiven by me for their sometimes tiring escapades. The album really kicks in around the area of "Your Fire", quite a catchy tune with some piano thrown in for a good measure. It all gets better from there, with impossibly stylish "Lost In Amsterdam", very reminiscent of Bonobo's lightly jazzy electronic downtempo. "Love" (both parts of the song) set a mood-lifting groovy and upbeat atmosphere, separated by a couple of tunes, most notably "Charleston Butterfly" which could very well be the most elegant and groovy effort on the record, and "Autumn Beasts", a somewhat darker and more sinister streak in a mostly light atmosphere of the album.

Overall, Shine is a clever, refined statement that will leave you asking for more of Marcus Füreder's work. Don't miss out:

Download here.

Tracklist:
1. Come Closer (feat. Kristina Lindberg)
2. Good Bye Emily (feat. Gabriella Hanninen)
3. Shine (feat. Lilja Bloom)
4. Tango Muerte
5. Your Fire (feat. Luke)
6. Lost In Amsterdam
7. Little Lion
8. Love (Part 1)
9. Charleston Butterfly (feat. Gabriella Hanninen)
10. Autumn Beasts
11. On My Way Now (Love Part 2)
12. Crushed Island
13. War Inside
14. Happy End
15. Homesick (Bonustrack)

Made in the UK: A Band Called Quinn

Hello friends, it is Friday again and that means it is time to relax, have a beer and check out some indie tunes. This week’s project comes from the UK, and virtually nothing could be easier on your ears than A Band Called Quinn. I don’t care much for the name, but purchasing their latest album, Sun Moon Stars (2007) from iTunes was ten bucks worth spending.

Louise Quinn and Bal Cooke have been making music together for about five years already, or so their Last.fm page says. The same page attests to the fact that they are so far underground the number of their listeners does not even reach 200 (for comparison, Feist can boast about her 400,000 Last.fm fanbase). In fact, they are so underground, I found out about them from a Russian podcast I subscribe to. A pity, considering that this lively indie-pop is quite fit for the radio. It took me a couple of listens to figure out what sort of music this is. Though their influences (listed on their Myspace page, hotlinked above) range from Björk to The Velvet Underground, I was reminded mostly of Feist circa Let It Die and Aimee Mann circa Lost In Space, mixed with Husky Rescue. But let’s get to the album itself.

“The Glitter Song” as well as “Fluff Girl” could be indie renditions of Goldfrapp, with the vocals a couple of octaves lower. Although calling it sensational would be perhaps too much, Louise Quinn’s voice is surprisingly versatile, hitting high notes in unbelievably elegant “Unsung Feeling,” which I thought to be the best song on the album – a clever mixture of guitar with some electronic bleeps and the vocals floating in and out at all the right times. After the first couple of songs, the album enters its slurry part, blatantly treading on My Bloody Valentine’s shoegazing ground in aptly named “Babywheniseeyoureyes” and hailing Aimee Mann with “All The Dead End Jobs”. After this break, comes “D.I.Y.” – the song used by the band for the album promotion owing to its almost painful catchy quality (“why don’t you do it yourself/D.I.Y., baby, do it yourself” will get you dancing, one way or another). “D.I.Y.” may be another one of a few good songs on this record, if a bit misleading about the rest of them – the album is generally calming, and oddly heartwarming, perhaps a bit underplayed and by no means taking itself too seriously. While far from professional productions by the bands of the same caliber, Sun Moon Stars still manages to be likeable, even as background music (and after a couple of listens, maybe something you’ll even burden your mp3 player with). Overall, the word that best describes A Band Called Quinn’s effort is charming. See for yourself if you like it:

Download here, or RapidShare it and remember:
“Nobody’s gonna do it for you,
No-bo-dy’s gonna do it for you”

Cheers & till next time.

"D.I.Y." video here:

Thank You Bristol! Montreal?

Various genious fragments of popular culture have arisen from the beatiful city of Bristol. 

Bristolians such as Portishead and Massive Attack, have been on the mainstream since the 90s. As some of the founders of trip hop they have travelled the world promulgating their music. Trip Hop, is a style of down-tempo music that combines hip hop with acid jazz, electronica and dub. 

Trip Hop in Montreal? well Amon Tobin is a Beast. He is Brazilian, but he has lived in Montreal since he was young. 

We also have to thank Bristol for 'guerilla artist' Banksy. His often satirical grafitti, have been seen through his artwork in various British cities, including the internationally renounced tags in Palestine.

Recently he has been involved in a prank on Paris Hilton. So he bought a bunch of copies of her CD, he photoshopped her photographs to make her look naked. He put his own mixes back inside. AND he put a bunch of nasty things. After he was done, he hit the streets and put all the CDs back in the stores. Take that BITCH! 

Montreal does not feature such prominent artists. But there actually are some really cool graffitis. Like around St. Louis Square, and on Duluth. Also Down on St Catherine near to St. Laurent. 

Finally, Bristol has given us Chris Morris. His in your face and sometimes controversial themes make him a satirical genius. Starting in the Radio, he had several shows, including Blue Jam and other music shows. In Blue Jam, Morris usually plays slow relaxing music and talks about painkillers, and how he has to lay on the cement waiting for the codeine to kick in. He also had a sketch about a baby inside a mans body. He mentioned having his 'privates' changed by that of a baby. Its pretty dark. But it keeps me entretained. 

He then moved on to the tele. With The Day Today and BrassEye he consolidated a unique and intense comedy. Its histerical.

Plus, the documentary of the revamping of an Office, in The Day Today, beats the American and British Office. He has also been seen in the IT Crowd, and Produced Nathan Barley. Curiously, British Band Stereolab's song 'Nothing To Do With Me' from their 2001 album 'Sound Dust' featured various lines from Chris Morris sketches as lyrics. 

Montreal does feature a very diverse and prominent comedic acts. The Just For Laughs Festival is the biggest in the world and happens every July. It has featured artists such as Rowan Atkinson, Bill Hicks, Jon Steward, Jerry Seinfeld, John Cleese, Flight of the Conchords and Jerry Springer. Some thing we should all see some day.