drwex: (VNV)
As often happens when I get really busy I don't have a lot of time to organize or research the music marked I've for blogging. Here's what I have...

https://soundcloud.com/westwoodrecordings/fort-knox-five-funk-4-peace
Fort Knox Five return to their roots with a deep funk track featuring Mustafa Akbar (of Nappy Riddem). Listening to this brings me back to early Parliament days, particular the vocals. The underlying electronics are a bit more modern, with scratch bits and hints of Middle Eastern music mixed in, but that waiting guitar is just spot on.

https://soundcloud.com/davidstarfire/beats-antique-vesper-star-david-starfire-remix
This is David Starfire's remix of "Vesper Star" by Beats Antique (original here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxvNMDO8e48). The track comes off their 2016 album Shadowbox and has what I think of as the 'classic' BA style - sparse, minor key, crunk-influenced Middle Eastern sounds. The remix is a little bit faster, and a little more textured. I think both are good and it's worth highlighting that although the album containing this remix is nominally free, you can also buy it and your money will go to support music education for underserved students.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM2Xb23U46w
The Fluffy Clouds remix (by The Orb) of Pink Floyd's "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". I'm sure I've heard this before but I don't seem to have blogged it. I also don't remember what caused me to bookmark it some weeks back - probably a side discussion somewhere. The original is a tribute that the remaining members did for Syd Barrett and it's an emotional track. The Orb remix is very much "in the style of" but lightens things up a little.

https://soundcloud.com/dubvisionmusic/dubvision-x-afrojack-back-to
I've been really enjoying Afrojack's sets - I have another one marked to blog - but I haven't really talked about his individual work. Let me correct that here and now as this is hands-down the best anthem I've heard this year. A collaboration with DubVision (https://www.dubvisionmusic.com/) an Amsterdam-based producer, this track is solid EDM bouncy stuff, with the kind of uptempo melodies and encouraging lyrics that make it a perfect antidote to my gray moods and Boston's dreary weather.

https://soundcloud.com/motiofficial/was-it-love
Moti's "Was It Love" is in the same upbeat positive anthem vibe as the previous track. It's interesting to hear the two back-to-back as both are aimed at the same audience and using the same musical techniques. Moti's track relies much more heavily on the (male in this case) vocals and has a bit rougher production edge to it.

https://soundcloud.com/biggigantic/friends-feat-ashe
Big Gigantic is someone I've listened to off and on. Their stuff is often listenable but I don't seem to have picked out anything to blog. Let's change that with "Friends", which I particularly like. It's a nice click-snap track with a phat but muted horn section and orchestration that reminds me a bit of 1940s/50s big band sounds. The track is fronted by Ashe (https://www.ashe-music.com/) whose own style seems to be similarly smooth and a little more jazzy. The combination works - I like this collaboration better than I've liked either of their solo efforts that I've heard so far.
drwex: (Troll)
The last one only took four days of stolen slices of time and left me with lots of open tabs. Most of these are YouTube, which is what happens when I'm trying to track down sources or following leads off SoundCloud, whose internal search engine leaves a lot to be desired if what you want is the official version of something. Anyway, bonus points if you can figure out the link from last week's post to this set of tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8YfJjnQ2sc
To save you brain cycles I'll tell you up front that this one came from a Beats Antique mailing list and isn't related, except thematically. It's B.A's remix of Major Lazer's "Be Together". Fronted by Wild Belle (http://www.wildbelle.com/), the original track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1g4Uoqhhc8) is a slow, sensuous 1940s-style love-and-longing track with just a touch of modern electronic sensibilities. If you've been playing along at home you may recall that I reviewed an earlier version of this remix back in June. This version is updated and better polished. For fun listen to just the first 15 seconds of the original and then the first 15 seconds of this remix back to back - it's instructive to see the different styles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQGFeRI0qbg
This... is a new thing for me. A cover of Beyonce's "Single Ladies" by Postmodern Jukebox in the style of Bob Fosse's vision of Chicago. Yeah, it's about that weird and/or cool depending on your point of view. The cover is good, true to the era/style that the book and play were set in, and the music follows along. The dancers, such as they are, are the big disappointment. They more "pose" than "dance" and form a somewhat interesting accompaniment, but I was hoping for more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlwwpWaYf_U
I think this one is also from DJ Purple (so there's your link back) and it's surprising to me that it's an old DJ Schmolli track I've not heard before or at least not blogged. I've been thinking about "Jump Around" for a while so it was a surprising coincidence to hear it coming out of someone else's speakers. The mash itself isn't spectacular so much as "yep that works" and "yep, that's fun!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrNTOo4KH8c
Ellie Goulding doing "Beating Heart". As a song done for a movie (Divergent) soundtrack it's heavy on the production values and the auto-tune, but I continue to think it's a good track and want to hear her doing it live. The best I could find on short notice was this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngoIDaxhFHs - a performance she did on the Today show. Skip to about 1:29. So I have to ask - is anyone else old enough to think "Stevie Nicks" when they see her?

https://soundcloud.com/tosses/tosses-under-mi-senzi-free-download
Tosses (previously half of Tosses & Varvez) throws together some hot reggae rhythms and fun samples in a bouncy electro-funky mash. File this under "I like what I like" and what I like includes frequent helpings of reggae sounds.

And now I have fewer tabs for the next post, but there are still more. And bonus this post only took about a day to assemble.
drwex: (Troll)
As I write this, SoundCloud has changed its logo to a cloud on a rainbow background. I grin every time I glance over at it. Here, have some tracks to dance with, a set that begins and ends in beauty. ETA: I've been told that some of these may be "private" tracks, which means that even with the URL you'll need to be logged into SoundCloud to hear them. Since I leave myself logged in all the time I don't notice; if this is a problem for anyone please let me know.

https://soundcloud.com/beatsantique/major-lazer-be-together-feat-wild-belle-beats-antique-remix
I play this again and again because it's so beautiful and so unlike what I expect. It's Beats Antique remixing Major Lazer/Wild Belle's "Be Together". B.A. has a 'sound' that I expect and so does M.L. And this isn't either of those things. It's trance-y and it makes me want to grab a partner and dance.

https://soundcloud.com/djenergy-5-1/major-lazer-dj-snake-lean-on
Following the Major Lazer thread I found this - a DJEnergy bootleg of Lazer/DJ Snake/M0 doing "Lean On" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqeW9_5kURI). I really like the original - the strong snap rhythms and floating vocals - and the bootleg presents a sped-up version with added house dance tropes. I just wish they'd done a little more careful job with the vocals. The speed-up doesn't do M0's voice a lot of favors.

https://soundcloud.com/hirshee/the-police-message-in-a-bottle-hirshee-remix-free-download
I think I found this via Mashup Radio - it's a Canadian DJ who goes by Hirshee giving the Police classic "Message in a Bottle" a very modern treatment. It's dirty house dancing music mixed with a large helping of nostalgia.

https://soundcloud.com/the-mashup-wyvern/tove-lo-vs-vonikk-blazing-body-edm-mashup
Another Tove Lo mash-up, this time an A|B against Vonikk's 2013 electro-house stomper "Blaze" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHKz3r-jGMc). The DJ goes as The Mashup Wyvern - yes, really. The Blaze track is hard and heavy, so it has to be toned down quite a bit and moved into the background so it doesn't overwhelm Tove Lo's vocals. It's an interesting idea but not a combination I would inherently have picked. However, finding "Blaze" makes it all worthwhile.

https://soundcloud.com/mashupgermany/tanz-mal-samba
Mashup Germany builds what can only be called a "samba style" mash. It's got nine tracks, several of which are well-known dance tunes themselves, but the core is a German samba track that's adapted to club rhythms. Gotta love those moves and fast-paced vocals.

https://soundcloud.com/color-station/baile-leaves-feat-felicia-douglass
Normally I'd go out on a Mashup German track, but this one is so different it deserves the encore spot. This is so-called "slow house", which is almost downtempo, not quite minor-key dominated. It's definitely the sort of thing you end a set with, letting people wind down and filter off the floor. I found this by following a set of links from Class Actress, so it's no surprise that Felicia Douglass - the featured vocalist here - has a similar-sounding voice. Baile builds a more complex soundscape around the voice than I'm used to, with complex tempos and timing changes throughout.
drwex: (VNV)
Been a while since I did a music post. There are a few open tabs - mostly different kinds of house tracks - but the real reason for doing this post now is the last item on the list. Yes, I'm making you wait, or encouraging you to jump ahead, as you wish.

https://soundcloud.com/housemusic/audio-bastardz-lets-git-ill
Audio Bastardz serve up a thumping electro-house track.with hip-hop vocals over high-energy dance rhythms. It's been a while since I was motivated to blog a straight-up house tune but this banger caught my ears at the right time.

https://soundcloud.com/the-homognic-chaos/epic-california-centuries-mashup-by-the-homogenic-chaosmp3
The Homogenic Chaos (yes, that's what he calls himself) offers up a California-themed mash. I can't count the number of tracks in this short mix but all have some connection to the state of CA, either by lyric, song theme, or identification of the artist with the state. It's an interesting conceit and a fun mash.

https://soundcloud.com/deejaytrademark/through-the-storm-alesso-x-tritonal-x-bastille-x-mako
Another new name - deejaytrademark from Chicago - offers up a very smooth four-way mash. I like this particularly because it's built around "Anchor" from Tritonal (https://soundcloud.com/tritonalmusic/anchor) a nice prog-house/vocal track from last fall that gets sampled a lot but not really well used in most of the mashes I've heard so far. This track uses a lot of the Anchor vocals and mixes them up and down through the other three tracks. It ends up with a really uplifting feel.

https://soundcloud.com/demslackers/elastic-heart-dem-slackers-bootleg
Dem Slackers contribute something they call a "tropical house" dance track version of Sia's "Elastic Heart". THe original is much more electro-pop and sparser. Dem Slackers have filled in the spaces and though the track still respects Sia's vocals it doesn't ride solely on them.

https://soundcloud.com/beatsantique/we-swarm-the-glitch-mob-beats
After I posted the Beats Antique cover last time, MizA sent me a list of related tracks that included this gem. It's B.A. remixing The Glitch Mob's "We Swarm" which is from their debut album. It's interesting to listen to it now and hear again how the Mob's style has evolved. Meanwhile, this track has those luscious horn sounds and dance beats that I love from Beats Antique. Two great tastes that taste great together.

https://soundcloud.com/mashupgermany/mashup-germany-promo-mix-2015-reboot-summer
If there was anyone among you who still doesn't know why I think Mashup Germany is the best, most underrated mashup artist playing today, give this a list. This is nothing less than a 100-minute flying, swirling mixing mash set. Like any set it has stronger and weaker moments but I'm amazed Mashup Germany is able to keep the transitions and mixes going for that long. I can't imagine trying to do something like this in real time and I wonder how long it takes him to plan it out. It's utterly brilliant.
drwex: (VNV)
I've had some music things stacked up for a while, none of which were quite coherent enough to make a post. But I really want to improve my mood, so here I lay these bits and baubles.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agA7ITuJn6k&feature=youtu.be
I was just going to link to yet another of the new Abney Park tracks. As I mentioned last time, the band's musical wanderings have landed them in a place where I'm starting to like their dark energy again. This track (The Casbah) has some fun dancing going on in it - there's definite tango bits and I love the violin parts. The video comes with its own outtakes/gag reel which is pretty funny to watch.

So I'm playing this in the computer room, and Pygment says, "Wait I know that!" Sure, I say, it's a pretty common tango... no, wait, it's something specific. I forget the precise back-and-forth, but she eventually digs up that it's "Hernando's Hideaway." Give it a listen, I'll wait.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC05YwDUmVg

Now I totally want to write to Captain Robert and ask if this was deliberate on their part or just coincidence.

https://soundcloud.com/beatsantique/bassnectar-so-butterfly-beats-antique-remix-ft-sorne
This is Bassnectar's remix of a Beats Antique tune and I link it not just because of its beauty but because I think it illustrates the problem I was talking about in my review of their show last fall. To wit, I think B.A. are still writing interesting music but they've been letting the stage show overshadow that. I was first attracted to them by the sounds that flowed into my headphones (via Pandora, iirc) and this Bassnectar remix is a lot like that - I just want the sounds to flow and yes, I can totally imagine Zoe Jakes dancing to this and it would be just exactly what I want.

https://soundcloud.com/fugged/wham-bam-hot-hands-darius-vs-ying-yang-vs-yung-wun
"Fugged" is a self-professed amateur who has produced a sort of interesting turbo-funk-laced mix that I'm enjoying. This three-way mash is bouncy and energetic and it's also pretty with lovely vocals intermixed into the hip-hop rhyming. It kind of slips in places - feels like it could use a polish pass from an experienced producer - but it's fun enough to be worth tagging.

https://soundcloud.com/djschmollimusic/american-uptown-funk
Very little can beat James Brown funk so here have DJ Schmolli doing a phat dance-tastic mashup of the master (Ow!) with Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars. There's also an extended mix you can grab if this is your sort of thing. Which if it isn't you can probably stop reading this entry right here, because...

https://soundcloud.com/ghettofunk/howla-b-side-sleazy-teacher
https://soundcloud.com/glitchhop/howla-silent-river-ft-jesse-royal
Here's a funky double-shot from Howla. The first track, done with B-Side, is pretty bangin' ghetto funk. It's heavy on the fuzz and high BPM but hey the whole point here is to pick you up out of the dumps and get you dancing. I don't care if I look like an idiot on the dance floor so long as it's stuff like this that's playing.

The second track is listed as "glitch hop" which is true but it's also very funky in its core beats. By the drop at 0:40 you could easily think you were listing to an electro-funk track with some nice reggae lyrical stylings overlaid on it. It's hot and dirty and dammit, this is what moves me.
drwex: (Troll)
A group of us made the trek to House of Blues this week to see a four-part show headlined by Beats Antique. The two opening acts were OK but forgettable. The reasons I was there were Shpongle and Beats Antique.

I realize that I've been listening to Shpongle since 1998 when their first album came out and this is the first time I've seen Postford live. He did not disappoint, putting together a tight 45-minute set that opened with an "Are You Shpongled?" favorite and wove older and newer material together. I'm not as fond of the newer sounds as I am of the original world-influence psytrance that he more or less pioneered but it's still highly danceable, interestingly mixed, and worthwhile. I feel like some kind of faux hipster for saying "Well, I really liked him better back when..." but there it is.

And that brings me to Beats Antique. This is the fourth time I've seen them and I have been increasingly disappointed with each new show. Beats Antique built its initial reputation on two things: Zoe Jakes' incredible dance and traditional Middle Eastern-influenced bellydance music, and the infusion of electronica and crunk rhythms into the music. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about or don't think this is possible, go listen to this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ql4HcdLyYac )

Jakes has the moves and the body to sport a variety of amazing costumes, from a tight latex cat suit to a 1920s-era inspired ballgown. Part of the fun of a B.A. show is watching what she'll wear and how she'll make the costume part of the act. Right, so this is hipster me talking about all the older stuff I liked - what was wrong this time?

Starting with the previous tour, Beats Antique decided to put on more of a stage show. They released (effectively) a dual album "A Thousand Faces" that drew heavily on Cambellian mythic organization - the title is obviously derived from The Hero With A Thousand Faces and the show involved a lot of props and production. The music was... OK, but the show was kind of hit and miss. I felt like a lot of the stage props and effects overshadowed the band and frankly wasn't that interesting. I've seen this story before and there wasn't enough novel in their retelling of it to make up for missing what I like about Beats Antique-that-was.

This time around, they're doing something they call "Creature Carnival" and introducing music with much more overt circus styling. They've also reprised a couple of the Thousand Faces pieces, which kinda sorta fit with the new theme but also kinda sorta don't and the whole ends up being jarring and not particularly fun. There's an attempt to get the audience involved, with masks and creature dances and such but even in a fairly open and friendly venue like House of Blues it felt forced and flat. I enjoyed about 1/3 of the new stuff and the rest just didn't do anything for me. Also, they really need to cut it out with the strobes and bright lights in the audiences' eyes.

I suspect this kind of thing will go over well at outdoor festivals and Burning Man but as a club show it's now drifted over to the "do not want" side of the line.
drwex: (Troll)
Had to leave work early on Friday to pick the kids up from camp. Thus, music today. Two fantastic long-form listens and a couple favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxgxWRKuFRk
Beats Antique are going on tour again. (This fall in Boston with Shpongle at House of Blues - I have my tickets, do you?) This is the first single from what I expect will be their new album and it's classic Beats. Strong percussive Middle Eastern-influenced dance sounds with a good dash of crunk thrown in for variety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrdFMYlB-kQ
Mashup Germany did this excellent complex mash about a year ago but I just found it. This one feels largely like a "Men at Work" mash even though the vocals are primarily P. Diddy/Skylar Gray's "Coming Home" (with a nice appearance from Sting). It's low-bpm and relaxed - feels like an end-of-summer thing to me.

https://soundcloud.com/katermukke/1-rey-kjavik-dirty-doering
https://soundcloud.com/katermukke/2-rey-kjavik-dirty-doering
Two very similar remixes by Rey & Kjavic of Katermukke tracks. Both are heavy electronica, with a slinky twang throughout. I like the "Black Cat" one better because the sound really reminds me of a black cat prowling. Yes, really, this is how my brain works.

https://soundcloud.com/bootie-dragon-con-mashups
OK, time to get your SERIOUS NERDGASM on. Here is a set of nerd-themed, nerd-inspired, geek-tastic remixes from DJ BC's Dragoncon set. It includes favorites DJs from Mars, Deadmau5, DJ Schmolli, G3RST, and Party Ben. Ben's "Dr Who on Holiday" is hilarious fun but for sheer nerdy goodness "We No Speak Cantina" from G3RST takes the prize. I also have to mention "Haunted Bela" by DJ Fnord because I love "Bella Lugosi's Dead" so much.

https://soundcloud.com/source-addiction/sets/djs-from-mars-bootzilla-2014
Saving the best for last, here is Bootzilla Volume Two from DJs from Mars. Nineteen tracks of absolutely fantastic electronic dance fun from the Martians and friends. I'm on my fourth listen through of this and I can't pick one favorite. The lead track is an AC/DC mashup that rocks SO HARD and it keeps on giving from there. I suspect people will like various tracks based on the source material; for example, I love the "Depeche Doors for Fears" (track 4) because I'm a big "Personal Jesus" lover - I've always thought that was a song about phone sex. Anyway, let it play and tell me what rocks your world.
drwex: (VNV)
But then again, I don't get to have extended interviews with Beats Antique and premier their new music video.

http://www.earmilk.com/2014/04/22/from-stage-diving-to-imax-dubstep-see-the-life-behind-a-quirky-trio-called-beats-antique-interview-video-premiere/

The Earmilk interviewer seems remarkably unfamiliar with their music and their editor absolutely ought to be slapped for printing "Robbie Shankar". You know, the guy who taught the Beatles Indian styles of music. Yeah, they printed that.

But at least you can see their new video and read what B.M. have to say.
drwex: (pogo)
Through the miracle of the kid-sitting gods we've managed to make it out to three different events in the space of the past couple weeks. Herewith, thoughts.
Tribute evening with Amanda Palmer, Neil Gaiman, and many friends )
And then there was Jethro Tull )
Then there was Beats Antique )
drwex: (pogo)
I have some updatey things to post, but first closing out a group of music tabs on a rainy Friday. Hope some of this gets you dancing. Several are old links that only recently drifted into my hearing and then there's one new awesome thing at the end.

https://soundcloud.com/featurecast/featurecast-my-thing
When I posted a Featurecast link back in January I also started poking around the things he'd uploaded to Soundcloud and this one - despite being a year old - stood out. It's funky and danceable built mostly around the Isley Brothers classic (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMimqfJVedE) but sped up and spiced with breakbeats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXFBXSPk6JI
https://www.myspace.com/fioramusic
One of the things Armin Van Buuren is best at is finding different voices. You rarely hear an established name fronting his tracks but you should pay attention to who he picks. This one caught my ear - she just doesn't have a typical voice. The singer goes by Fiora - that second link is her site - and if you go there you can see why. She's a classically trained vocalist. Sure, the track has good production values behind it, but her voice has a strength and clarity that stand out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO5X9ZUzqXM
I'm trying to remember where I first ran across Betoko (https://www.myspace.com/betoko). This track is far and away my favorite of his though it's almost a year old now. Betoko is Mexican by heritage but clearly London styled. This is some deep electro-house, a style he seems not to hit on his other posted samples.

https://soundcloud.com/djschmolli/dj-schmolli-suit-tie-any-way
DJ Schmolli has been posting some sweet tracks lately. This one is mostly an A|B mix of the 1970's soul act People's Choice and (yes, really) Justin Timberlake. Fortunately for us all the soul wins out and the track feels like a modern update of the classic "Do It Any Way You Wanna" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTKGbTGaMJY).

https://soundcloud.com/thebluewalrus/florence-and-the-machine-no
I stumbled on this a while back looking up some other track. Turns out this track is like the first 10 hits if you search on 'Spector Ryan Gosling'. It's a remix of Florence's powerful "No Light, No Light". The question with any remix is whether the remix adds something or shows the track in a new way and here I'm... unsure. Gosling has done a lot of stretching and warping starting around 2:40 that I just don't think works. The rest of the remix is pretty good, but probably not better than the original track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kzt5dzyy-Q
Speaking of remixes, you can't turn around without tripping over a remix or cover of Daft Punk's new single "Get Lucky". It hasn't quite reached Gaga or Gotye levels, but give it time. I don't much like the original nor most covers, but then there's this guy, a picker named Charles Butler who's doing the entire song on banjo. That's kind of amusing.

Why do I know about this cover? I know because this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zAEBE2DQbI
That, dear hearts, is Beats Antique's cover of Charles Butler's cover of "Get Lucky". And it is an awesome thing. It's got Beats Antique's patented crunk rhythms under Butler's banjos and it makes me smile every time I play it.
drwex: (pogo)
I've had most of this hanging around for a while, but doing these posts requires a lot of link-following and that's hard to do when on a crappy wireless and then LJ was DDOSed which makes posting tricky and I hate losing mid-post and blahblahexcusesexcuses OK enough, just listen to this. Bonus: a story at the end!

http://djsteveboy.com/groovelectric.html
DJ Steveboy's last mix of 2012 was an extremely solid deep house mix, with several tracks showing the new/old funk influences that first got me listening to Steveboy's sounds. His output last year was somewhat inconsistent and I didn't link to mixes that I thought had weak sections. This one is an hour of great background/dance/get-stuff-done mixing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDiNSyJRDhY
Beats Antique put out the video last month for their latest single, "Skeleton Key". The vid is a delightful, if slightly creepy, stop-animation cross of steampunk and Dark Crystal. The song is pretty much in their traditional instrumental vein, though with somewhat more orchestration and a richer mix than you tend to expect them to have.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6q0dsG8fTHY&feature=youtu.be
http://soundcloud.com/mashupgermany/mashup-germany-top-of-the
Lots of people linked to the first one, which is DJ Earworm's traditional year-end mash-up. Frankly I'm underwhelmed. I get that he's limiting himself to the Billboard top 25 list but the whole thing feels technically proficient yet uninspired. You can hear around 0:55 he's sort of built to the peak and then it kind of limps along from there.

I vastly prefer the second link, which is Mashup Germany's year-end mega-mix. It's 33 tracks (!) and it's a much better effort. It builds slowly up to about 1:22 and then you get several treats of sliced, sped-up, and interlaced bits that you're likely to recognize if you listened to pop music in the past year and then there are little ear-teasers that leave you going "wait, what?"

http://soundcloud.com/nickraymondg/krewella-killin-it-mutrix-1
Another new-to-me find picked off the SoundCloud dashboard this chop-step remix by Thissongissick of Krewella's "Killin' It" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9-1WD-rBA) is awesome. The original is kind of frenetic and seems unable to decide whether it's hip-hop or dubstep. The remix is like "f all that; throw some electronica in there, smooth this out, and scratch the vocals all up". It's totally stomp-dancin' good.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/11/frail-limb-purity-bare-naked-ladies-v-porter-robinson.html
You really don't see a lot of BNL mash-ups, so this one stood out from the start. Frail Limb Purity pushes it almost over the edge but if you can make it to 1:45 the mix really takes off. It helps if you like the underlying tracks (which I do) and feel like getting up and dancing (which kind of gets me odd looks at work, but who cares).

----- Story time -----

People think I know a lot of music, but mostly I listen to a lot and look up things when I am curious about them. Sometimes, though, I forget to be curious. For over two decades I've been listening to TGU - Trans-Global Underground - and you should, too. They were one of the first to do world fusion, and they've been wild and fun and experimental and different every time. It was through TGU that I found Natacha Atlas and Fun-Da-Mental, among other things.

For a long time one of my (our) favorite tunes of theirs has been "Nile Delta Disco" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XnEP-mzv90&feature=youtube_gdata) which is a fantastic mix of jazz, swing, and African-inspired beats under some psychedelic vocals. It begins with the invocation "Hipsters, flipsters, and finger-poppin' daddies..." which amused me but I didn't think much about at the time. After all, the song's main refrain includes the line "Egyptian pharoahs fell from the sky/ fell from the sky and played the blues" and it assures us that "...the River Nile is like a disco." So, y'know.

Scroll forward to the long weekend just past in which I'm catching up on my back reading and I come across this piece on Boingboing: http://boingboing.net/2012/12/24/lord-buckley-meets-groucho-mar.html

That is Groucho Marx so you should not be drinking anything while watching it. I love all things Groucho, so I'm merrily listening along when HOLY CRAP WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?!?
Go on, listen to it, I'll wait.

Of course, I then have to search out Lord Buckley on the Web and be ashamed that I've managed to be ignorant of this corner of high American weirdness for so long. I tried to make up for it in a small way by adding this reference to his page on Wikipedia. And now I know a bit more about music and music history and how influences can travel than I did before. Maybe you do, too.

If you made it this far here's a little reward: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfgdjfgtJw4
This is Natacha Atlas and TGU doing what they did best together - song and sound and drums and oh the beauty of her voice.
drwex: (Default)
Normally my mid-week is too packed to do music posts but today things are off-again, on-again with no predictability, so here we go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQUOs7-RX_w
First up, Beats Antique has uploaded all (or at least most) of their new "Elektrafone" album to YouTube as individual tracks so you can pick or choose what you like. You can buy the whole thing (and you should) by following the link from any of the videos. I picked this one, "The Porch", as it's got a somewhat different sound than their typical. It's much more of a jazz/gypsy fusion with modern electronica influences.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/gossip-perfect-world-attar-remix.html
I'm sure you're utterly shocked that I'm linking to yet another "Perfect World" remix. I am not much for top-pop tracks (see below) so usually the stuff that's getting heavily remixed is things I don't know, don't like, or don't care about. This time ATTARI (http://www.facebook.com/AttariMusic and yes it's spelled that way) gives us a nice electro remix, with a decent helping of disco laid in. The mix is a little odd in that about 3:30 in it sort of fades out in a way that makes you think it's going to end, but then picks up again for another two minutes. What's up with that?

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/illegal-sunday-dj-earworm-fly-capital-fm-summertime-ball-mashup.html
Every year for the last few, DJ Earworm has created mega-mashes for the Capital FM summer concert, using the artists who perform at their Summertime Ball. It's an interesting slice of what's hot on the top-40/pop stations and usually a loud party banger. This year Earworm has done something different: the track is much more mellow and though it has a standard party kick throughout the drum is muted and there is much more emphasis on soulful and R&B sounds. I can't tell if that's a reflection of who the artists are - I only recognize about half the names - or a deliberate attempt not just to redo the same track over and over.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/illegal-sunday-qubic-carmina-luna-songs-of-the-moon.html
Speaking of different, this here is something you don't get often: a movie-music mash-up. Qubic (http://qubicmx.blogspot.ca/#axzz1xgu1wh4y) is in the middle of an ambitious project called "Behind the Silver Screen" that is looking at classical and pop music used in films. On playing this one you're immediately going to be reminded of Fifth Element, as it's largely built on Lucia Di Lammermoor, the operatic piece used in the 5th Element "rock opera" scene. It also uses O Fortuna (from Carmina Burana) which has been used approximately everywhere, as well as Jean Michel Jarre, the French electronica pioneer who has 20-something movie scores to his name (IMDB says 23).

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/06/art-vs-science-magic-fountain.html
Art vs Science (http://www.facebook.com/artvsscience) is an Australian dance-rock trio that sounds to me a lot like a 21st-century Public Image Limited. Listen to the semi-sung, semi-shouted lyrics of "Magic Mountain" and see if you hear what I hear. This is fun and bouncy stuff. The other track is a Denzal Park remix of "With Thoughts" that is not bad, especially if you pretend the first 30 seconds doesn't exist, but I still like the original (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnXDhshAj3Q) better. The original has more complex melodic themes that the remix strips down in favor of simple dance beats.

http://mayajanecoles.com/news/
There aren't a lot of well-known female remixers. Maya Jane Coles has a good rep in the UK (she gets BBC airplay, for example) but isn't much known over here. Maybe this track, a remix of Florence and The Machine’s “Spectrum” will change that. It's got a lot of the sweet beauty and vocal intensity of the original, but with the unmistakeable dance-club kick that starts about 1:00 in. If you want to hear more of what Coles can do, she has over 500 tracks up on Soundcloud (http://soundcloud.com/search?q%5Bfulltext%5D=Maya+Jane+Coles) most of which have the same house/deep house sound as you hear in this one.
drwex: (Default)
I've somehow managed to go two whole weeks without posting music links. At least half of that was due to an OS install that wiped out my supply of open temporary tabs. Here's what I have for you: some new favorites by known names, a couple great tunes to get you ready for summer, and I'll end with a new-to-me voice that is worth your time, I promise.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-NPpaLgJHw
http://beatsantique.bandcamp.com/
Beats Antique's latest is finally public on the YouTubes. They sent out a private link to this on their email list some weeks ago. The new production is a gorgeous, lush 6 minutes of their signature sound: phat horns (buffed to four guys now), crunk rhythms, and slinky dance-influenced melodic trills. The video is also worth watching, as a tribal dance/story bit Zoe Jakes put together that is kind of West Side Story meets Mad Max. The second link will get you a free download of a 12-track remix (though it seems busted just this moment).

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/05/gossip-move-in-the-right-direction.html
Yay! Next Gossip single is out! "Move in the Right Direction" continues the lighter/pop feel of "Perfect World" and yes it's a little Summer-esque disco-style, too. I forgive them. You really should watch the video if only to see Beth Ditto having a great time and goofing with the camera. Her happiness is really infectious.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcbjo8dq_PA&feature=youtube_gdata
It's easy to forget that one of rock's true original styles is rockabilly. If you forgot that, go listen to this. Make the Girl Dance (http://www.myspace.com/makethegirldance) an energetic pop-electronica duo blend that twangy guitar and fast-drums sound with modern stylings into this track that just begs to be played in the car with the top down.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGghkjpNCQ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=arARN1U2fCI&NR=1
Calvin Harris's "Feel So Close" is a summer-sweet bit of electronic joy. Its simple piano and voice bits are not the sort of thing you'd expect to get remixed. Thus I was surprised to come across the second link, a Benny Benassi remix from about a year ago. Benassi, as you'd expect, pushes the tune more in the direction of a dance hit but doesn't lose the original vibe, including leaving space for the signature piano/voice combo that gives the original its best flavor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSANu-oAHHQ&feature=relmfu
Ultra Music is the American indie label that is currently home to the aforementioned Make the Girl Dance and Benny Benassi and, to my surprise, Deadmau5. Thus I stumbled across this remix, which is deadmau5 featuring Chris James, doing "The Veldt". This is still Deadmau5's signature style - raw, slightly fuzzed electronica - but it's slowed down and lightened up, with trance-y filler bits. Definitely the kind of thing to be played out in the dark on a summer's eve.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U90ds1hifsI
Jessca Hoop (http://www.jescahoop.com/) has apparently been recording for five years and somehow I've failed to hear her. This is my loss and if you don't click that link it'll be yours. She's a hot-voiced, intense folk-rock female (I know, not my typical thing) and this track, "Tulip", shows off both her lyricism and some definite tribal influences, as well as Irish/Celtic musical harmonies (listen around the 3:25-3:30 mark if you don't know what I mean).
drwex: (VNV)
In something of a rarity we managed to get out and see two shows in two weeks. Herewith some thoughts...
Laurie Anderson )
Beats Antique )

I would be remiss if I didn't once again thank the friends who kid-sat for us so that we could make these evenings happen. We are deeply indebted.
drwex: (Default)
Between LJ being down and my music circle on Google+ I haven't posted music in a while. When I first made the circle it was a direct copy of entries here, but I've found over the weeks that I like dropping links one at a time into G+ and that I'll often post there things that don't quite make the cut. Stuff posted here tends to have more thought put into it and to be the stuff I think is really good. If you know my real name and aren't already in my G+ music circle feel free to add me/request and I'll put you on the filter. I'm not making a strenuous effort to keep the two streams identical; apologies in advance if I miss or duplicate things. And now back to our show...

First up, two tracks from well-established pros. Much as I like finding new music and talking about new artists who have piqued my interest I also want to spend time with old favorites and people whose talents have proven out over the years.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Moby/track/The_Broken_Places_Extended_Version
It's probably the case that Moby has done more to integrate electronic music with mainstream listening tastes than anyone else. Which is not to say that he is mainstream, but he's been incredibly popular and successful and his compositions often have standard song structures that makes it easy to drop them in traditional radio broadcast formats. And although he is a remixer extraordinaire he's also much more meticulous about securing usage rights than most remixers, which makes him a safer playlist bet. Also? He's really fucking good. He tends toward the thoughtful and soulful more than the hip-hop or dance-floor and this stream is no exception. It contains remixes and original tracks from "Wait for Me" and all are high quality with his usual sensibilities in vocal sampling and smooth electro sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIdSl_qpsnY
http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Grace_Jones/track/Williams_Blood_Aeroplane_Remix_Radio_Edit
Grace Jones has been sadly absent from my listening for a while. Partly that's by choice, as I am less fond of her drift toward French chanteuse style than I was of her earlier strong rhythmic pieces. Of late she's been popping up now and then and I'm finding I like the new stuff, which seems to have some of that original energy. Watching the live video of the original it certainly looks like she hasn't lost anything of the magnetic presence and her voice is still fine. The Aeroplane remix is a little gentler and plays up the harmonies more than the beats but that's OK, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SA_kvN3pVk&feature=player_embedded
The last time we visited with Beats Antique they were doing steampunk tabla. This... is not that. It's some intense and deeply creepy awesomeness that draws on French surrealist filmmaking and does beautiful things with it. The music track, "Revival", has some of the hints of crunk I found in their other work, but it's mostly electro and a driving bass. (h/t [livejournal.com profile] inahandbasket for this one)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLutCAb8PXA&feature=player_embedded
I'm trying to remember who linked to this one as workout music. It's a high-BPM all-electro drum-n-bass track from a few years ago. I'm not a huge d-n-b fan but this breaks up the monotony with some interesting staccato pacing. Definitely one of those things you'd have on in the background rather than intense listening. There's scant info on these guys online; other than finding out that TGM stands for The Green Man I wasn't able to locate a homepage or similar.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/08/buraka-som-sistema-restless-karetus-remix.html
Keeping us on the high-energy tip are Karetus (http://www.facebook.com/Karetus) a dark DJ duo that APC says hail from Portugal. The mix has an unfortunate dose of high-pitched electro I could do without, but otherwise is darkly energetic and worth a listen. The original, from Buraka Som Sistema (http://www.myspace.com/burakasomsistema) has some nice layering and multi-tracked vocals that I liked. The original is looser and jazzier - Karetus have tightened it up considerably.

Finally, props to anyone who gets the reference in the Subject of this post. If not...
spoiler herein )
Remember, everything is a song cue.
drwex: (Default)
Another mostly unclassifiable batch. Very different moods/sounds in here. Maybe you'll find something for you.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/UNKLE/track/The_Answer_Trentemoller_Remix
UNKLE (http://www.unkle.com/) are a bit hard to classify. They're more pop than trip, and much more trip/acid than your typical top-40s pop duo. I like them in part because they manage to do minor-key things without coming off as nasal or whiny and they're not your usual male emo popsters either.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Oh_Land/track/White_Nights_Max_Tundra_Remix
Oh Land (http://myspace.com/ohlandmusic) is an electropop vocalist with a penchant for staccato remixes. She's sometimes compared to Bjork, but she's much less weird/whiny and much more approachable. Again, you sort of have to be in the mood for smooth vocals with chop/cut remixing for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRYaEmxRck&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0v7Q5WcZY&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ94U8KFay0&feature=related
How is it possible I've never heard Beats Antique? Also, how is it possible that no one has put middle eastern and crunk together in my presence before? That alone is brilliant. It's also possible that someday I will get tired of staring at Zoe Jakes, but that day is not today. Uh, right, where was I? Oh, yes. Beats Antique is an amalgam of steampunk, traditional tabla, and modern electric tribal. Unlike Abney Park they're not overtly dressing the steampunk part, but the sounds and videos steal liberally from that stream. They're also more DJ/mixer focused. I'd love to hear a cleaner recording of them than I can find online; also, sadly, they don't seem to tour this far east. (h/t to DJ Purple)

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/03/sirens-opium-apathy-lp.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aejj6ch_-w&feature=related
Another thing that should have appeared on my radar long ago is the Sirens. They are three women (from Newcastle in the UK) who have a firm grip on both the disco sound and the glittery glam look. It is, as APC says, sugarcoated dance pop. It's not the sort of thing I listen to every day, but when I want some, these three are a hundred yards ahead of some of the more popular disco chicks (*coughkatyperrybleh*) that you hear more often. Maybe it's because they have more obvious R&B roots? I dunno.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/03/pozsi-basic-analog-cuvee.html
A brain-breaker. Let's take traditional Hungarian folk melodies and mash them with reggaton dubs, crank the BPM way up, and scratch a bit. DJ Poszi is one weird chap. Yeah, I got nothin'.
drwex: (Default)
Another mostly unclassifiable batch. Very different moods/sounds in here. Maybe you'll find something for you.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/UNKLE/track/The_Answer_Trentemoller_Remix
UNKLE (http://www.unkle.com/) are a bit hard to classify. They're more pop than trip, and much more trip/acid than your typical top-40s pop duo. I like them in part because they manage to do minor-key things without coming off as nasal or whiny and they're not your usual male emo popsters either.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Oh_Land/track/White_Nights_Max_Tundra_Remix
Oh Land (http://myspace.com/ohlandmusic) is an electropop vocalist with a penchant for staccato remixes. She's sometimes compared to Bjork, but she's much less weird/whiny and much more approachable. Again, you sort of have to be in the mood for smooth vocals with chop/cut remixing for this one.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRYaEmxRck&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm0v7Q5WcZY&feature=player_detailpage
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ94U8KFay0&feature=related
How is it possible I've never heard Beats Antique? Also, how is it possible that no one has put middle eastern and crunk together in my presence before? That alone is brilliant. It's also possible that someday I will get tired of staring at Zoe Jakes, but that day is not today. Uh, right, where was I? Oh, yes. Beats Antique is an amalgam of steampunk, traditional tabla, and modern electric tribal. Unlike Abney Park they're not overtly dressing the steampunk part, but the sounds and videos steal liberally from that stream. They're also more DJ/mixer focused. I'd love to hear a cleaner recording of them than I can find online; also, sadly, they don't seem to tour this far east. (h/t to DJ Purple)

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/03/sirens-opium-apathy-lp.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Aejj6ch_-w&feature=related
Another thing that should have appeared on my radar long ago is the Sirens. They are three women (from Newcastle in the UK) who have a firm grip on both the disco sound and the glittery glam look. It is, as APC says, sugarcoated dance pop. It's not the sort of thing I listen to every day, but when I want some, these three are a hundred yards ahead of some of the more popular disco chicks (*coughkatyperrybleh*) that you hear more often. Maybe it's because they have more obvious R&B roots? I dunno.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/03/pozsi-basic-analog-cuvee.html
A brain-breaker. Let's take traditional Hungarian folk melodies and mash them with reggaton dubs, crank the BPM way up, and scratch a bit. DJ Poszi is one weird chap. Yeah, I got nothin'.

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