The fight for diverse and conscious voices

Right, I'm in the mood for something loud, so here you go.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=396&Itemid=36
Clivester is back after a long absence with what is probably the best "Pumped Up Kicks" mix of 2011. It's a four-way banger using a couple of Clivester's favorite tunes. It's darkly energetic and benefits from being played loud.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/12/illegal-sunday-e-jitz-def-con-wan.html
PWEI is another of my guilty pleasures. They were fun and goofy and they don't get much play these days. Here's a loving cover of their popular "Def Con One" track by Dunproofin and vocalist Richie Delux. The cover is different and updated, but still has the original spirit.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/12/yazoo-don%C2%B4t-go-rey-kjavik-edit.html
Rey and Kjavik are a new duo out of Iceland. This is the free download of their first EP, a sweet five-track sampler with a couple covers, a couple chill tracks, and a nice bass thread throughout.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/12/jess-mills-pixelated-people-a-forest.html
A delicious double-shot of Jess Mills. Haven't heard anything from her since May/June and that's a shame. Still silky, still smooth, still delightful. And sadly still a little too overproduced for my liking. The Cure cover is less so and I think it shows off her skills better.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/12/illegal-sunday-the-reborn-identity-gone-to-heaven.html
Since we started with a multi-mash I figured I'd end with one. This is a five-track mix that is notable for using sources like Jamiroquai and The Pixies that don't appear often in mashes. Kudos to Reborn Identity for trying something different, even if the result doesn't knock my socks off.

The joy of having the last meeting of the day canceled is that I can try to close out a few more music tabs and share with you the most ROCKING mix to hit my headphones in a while.

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/linkin-park-vs.-carl-orff---the-catalyst-vs.-carmina-burana-djs-from-mars-remix.mp3
Rather than make you wait I'm just going to start off with the best and hope you aren't disappointed. So, go load that up, listen and if it doesn't move you then I do not know what to say. DJs from Mars remain my new heroes as this mix does things that should be impossible and gods does it rock.

First of all, Carmina Burana is overdone. You'll find classicists who hate it - it's bombastic and it mixes (dare I say mashes up) orchestral and choral styles in ways that set some people's teeth on edge. It has also been used by rockers from Ray Manzarek to lesser lights. But the way it's blended here with Linkin Park's "The Caralyst" turns bombast to thunder. Really, guys, play this one VERY loud.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=334&Itemid=27
Also in the realm of things designed to be played loud is Clivester's latest "Hello DJ." It's a heavy thump house mix of Martin Solveig's "Hello" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Na85fPGYCM) with Alphabeat's "DJ (I Could Be Dancing)". Solveig is a French DJ and the tune is pop-dance style; Alphabeat contributes more dance and disco stylings. Clivester plays up the scratch, speeds things up a bit, but mostly lets the underlying tracks carry things.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/10/wax-audio-maiden-goes-to-bollywood.html
I'm certain I blogged "Maiden Goes to Bollywood" before, and my memory says that I couldn't identify the Bollywood bit before. Well, now Wax Audio has given us a video mash-up to go with the MP3 track, and I've pinpointed the Bollywood source. I feel so much better now. Oh, you want to see it? It's "Crazy kia re" from the flick Dhoom 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0smZGU2VxA). That's nice (especially the eye-candy) but I prefer the mash-up to the original song.

http://www.metrolyrics.com/caged-bird-video-unkle.html
UNKLE sounded familiar to me - they've been around for 15+ years - but I had to go look it up to remember that DJ Shadow used to be with them. This track, "Caged Bird", features Katrina Ford, who is somewhat known for doing cabaret-style rock. I can hear the influences, but they're buried in what I'd call a pretty classic eerie trip-hop style. Ford's voice is lovely, though I can't tell whether the backing is her, redubbed, or another singer.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Groove_Armada/track/History_feat_Will_Young_Still_Going_Remix_
This is not your typical Groove Armada; in my mind the duo is always associated with some heavy funk influences and the three tracks here are mostly funk-free, but still excellent. The first one is a high-BPM dance number, but it then segues into a moodier, more down-tempo backing track that features the throaty and wistful vocals of Bryan Ferry. The final remix is straight-up riddim house number, which I reviewed back in January. "Crank it op!" yeah.

All three tracks are from Groove Armada's upcoming release of remixes, and this bodes extremely well.

I write a lot about dance music, mostly because I find that to be an interesting set of genres. One of the surest metrics for 'goodness' in music I listen to is "does it move me?" If I'm moved then there's a much higher chance I'll like it. What measures 'goodness' in music for you?

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/We_Have_Band/track/Honeytrap_Co-Pilots_Flying_High_Edit
We Have Band have a gorgeous tribal rhythm thing going, and a sharp-edged electro-dance thing going and I'll be damned if I can classify them. They've appeared at several festivals and have single tracks on a bunch of compilations and their "debut album" was just released this month. The stream on RCRD LBL gives you a wide-ranging sample of what they can do. I'm guessing most people will find something to like here.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=277&Itemid=36
http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=278&Itemid=27
The DJs at Mashup Industries do so much work in English that it's easy to forget they're European. Then they pull out mixes like this that I can't even begin to parse the lyrics for, but man does it have beat!

The first one is Clivester putting Skero's Kabinenparty (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9I-I6yMx23g) up against David Guetta & Kid Cudi's "Memories" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Px3_wP2LQj0). Watching that first vid will give you a good idea of what a "kabinenparty" is, even if you don't speak any German. Both of these are pretty standard house-dance tracks and the mash doesn't do much that's original, but it's still moving me.

The second is Marc Jonce promoting a local (to him) German band called Rosenstolz. You can find the original for "Blaue Flecken" on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhtD5we5sCg) which really lets you sink into the luscious vocals and rock piano arrangements. Jonce has stripped that down, pitch- and beat-shifted it, and tightened everything up to give a much more techno-dance result. From what I can find on the Web, Rosenstolz has been performing for almost two decades and it's really a shame their music hasn't made it over here before now. AnNa R. (as she is apparently known) is really worth a serious listen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc
I think I'm indebted to 'song for this one. Janelle Monae (http://www.jmonae.com/) blends together some of the best elements of at least four musical styles - R&B, funk (dig that horn section!), rap (with help from Big Boi), and hip-hop. If you said there were gospel influences in here you probably wouldn't be far wrong. Of course all of these styles are woven together at least to some degree. Anyway, one of the fun things is watching the video, which is a straight-up dance vid that itself plays around with several styles. And yeah, makes me want to dance.

I gotta say audioporn central is a dangerous place. He blogs a LOT, and there's a ton of good stuff out there. This week we'll have a couple of his links and some other goodness.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=247&Itemid=36
First up, though, old favorite Clivester comes through with a supremely rockin' mash. The mix uses three tracks that I'm not familiar with so I had to go look them up. autoKratz (like "autocrats" get it?) "Speak In Silence" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQ-dbDOnWk) is a downbeat electronic euro-pop track that sounds like Kraftwerk and Pet Shop Boys had a love child. They've just put out their first full album in June of this year, so it remains to be seen what sort of presence they'll establish. Zoot Woman are another UK dance duo. Their "Just A Friend Of Mine" (http://www.myspace.com/zootwoman) is also male euro-pop, but somewhat more uptempo than the autoKratz. Finally Mr. Hudson's "Supernova" (http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9xz57_mr-hudson-supernova_music) featuring Kanye West depending on who you ask also starts from the male Europop model, but Kanye's vocals really take over and that's what Clivester hooks into, pulling out the prot-beat and pumping it into a dance tempo with more energy than I would've expected given the source material.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr1lTtpPZF4
This video is the first of three segments recorded at a live show by Smith & Smart (http://www.myspace.com/smithampsmart) a German dance-music duo. I link it both because it's a nice mix and also because it gives you a real view of what a live mix set can be like. You've got one DJ and one drummer and the result is HOT! If you like it you can watch the other 2/3 which contains more rap and live performance, but I think segment one is the best, pulling in samples from everywhere and driving hard.

http://audioporncentral.com/2009/12/vitaminsforyou-shelter-the-xx-cover.html
The Xx have been getting major buzz for some months now. Their sound is spare and haunting, with a breathy quality that reminds me of some of Matt Johnson's vocals for The The. This track is an even more spare and subdued mix that gives me chills every time I listen to it.

http://hypem.com/#/track/993962/Z+TRIP+-+WORK+IT+OR+LEAVE+IT
Time for another of my guilty admissions: I am a huge Yes fan. I liked the whole prog-rock thing, with the silly costumes and overdone stage shows. Concept albums and orchestral arrangements? Yes, please. Of all the prog-rock groups, Yes always seemed to have the most raw talent, and I was willing to excuse Jon Anderson's silly lyrics and high-pitched vocals if it meant I got more Bruford, Wakeman, Squire, and Howe. I'm guessing that DJ Z Trip (http://www.djztrip.com/) shares some of that love because what he's produced here is a scratch mix that takes the Yes classic "Leave It" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p1kq0SnTEs) and updates it to modern sensibilities.

http://audioporncentral.com/2009/12/sissy-nobby-lay-me-down-l-vis-1990-remix.html
While I'm treating your ears gently I thought I'd pass on this beautiful ambient track. I'm not familiar either with Sissy Nobby, the original artist, or the remixer L-Vis 1990 so I haven't much to add except to say... yeah, this is the kind of thing I would want at the end of an all-night set while I sat and watched the sun coming up.

OK, enough rest. Time to wind this up with two high energy tracks...

http://audioporncentral.com/2009/12/dj-moule-the-chemical-clash.html
"The Chemical Clash" is a trainwreck mix of the Chemical Brothers' "Hey Boy Hey Girl", arguably the best-known dance track in pop music, and The Clash's classic "Should I Stay or Should I Go". DJ Moule's site (http://www.djmoule.com/) is in French, which limits my understanding of what he's saying, but I love the Franglais of "bricoleur des bootlegs."

http://audioporncentral.com/2009/12/ocelot-%E2%80%93-our-time.html
Audioporn is hosting two mixes of Ocelot's "Our Time" so you can compare and contrast. I'm having a hard time deciding which I like better. The basic track is very much a dance-floor mix, with lots of fuzz and effects. The Kap10Kurt remix strips out a lot of the effects, leaving heavy beats and more space for electronic vocals.