The fight for diverse and conscious voices

Five things to listen to, with accompanying remixes. But first...

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/loo-placido-antisocial-pigs.html
It's been entirely too long since we had a straight-up mash to head-bang with. Loo and Placido oblige with a French-tinged five-way slam-banger anchored by Black Sabbath and Metallica.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/scissor-sisters-only-the-horses-video-and-calvin-harris-remix.html
First of a couple Scissor Sisters appearances in this post we have the new single - Only The Horses - from their upcoming album. The base track is their standard heavy-bass male-voiced electro-pop. That's paired with a Calvin Harris remix that does an interesting job of paring down the electro into a more spare and minor-key style, but still has that damned thump-thump going. I think both could dispense with it and have a stronger track as a result. I went back and re-listened to their 2010 Night Work and although it's the same piano/synth-heavy electro-pop the earlier stuff has a cleaner and less forced feel.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/ladyhawke-sunday-drive-scissor-sisters-and-gigamesh-remixes.html
In addition to their own stuff, Scissor Sisters have been remixing other peoples' stuff and doing a fair job at it. Here they turn in one of two remixes of Ladyhawke's (http://www.ladyhawkemusic.com/) "Sunday Drive". I thought I had reviewed this when it first came out earlier this month but apparently not. The original is a mix of electro and folk-rock with just a little bit of punk thrown in for good measure. Another voice I want to hear without extensive autotuning.

The Scissor Sisters remix takes out the punk bits, and smooths/stretches the rest giving it a more relaxed and less airy feel. I still want to take that damned kick-track away from them, though.

Gigamesh's version also has the kick-track, but uses it to anchor a more traditional vocal-house remix, combined with ambient electronica. As with the other remix I can't say one is definitively better than the others - all three are interesting takes on the track, which I expect we'll hear remixed more as the summer plays out.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/david-lynch-noahs-ark-moby-remix.html
Last time we checked in with David Lynch, he was working with Chrysta Bell and making heart-stopping chanteuse tracks. Here he's doing his own thing - as eerie as David Lynch can be - but with a fine remix polish by Moby, whose style is unmistakable in the string accompaniments and spare samples. The pairing works extraordinarily well - two master craftsmen.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/rachid-taha-bent-sahra-secousse-edit.html
Rachid Taha (http://www.rachidtaha.fr/wordpress/) is a French-African (Algerian) rai master with long years working in electronic rock and pop. Taha is often associated in the English-language world with The Clash and some of his stuff has definite punk influences, which I think I can hear in the original version of this track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4pQ_D5sDYuo). The Secousse remix damps down some of that in favor of more overt North African sounds, both vocal and instrumental. This is another case where I think both the original and the remix are excellent. Secousse (http://www.facebook.com/secousseltd) is a Paris-based, funk-influenced producer with a stompin' good style that's also worth checking out.

This was supposed to post Friday but apparently I forgot to push a button or something. At least I've noticed and corrected one error on this go.

http://boingboing.net/2011/09/26/epic-dubstep-dude-is-epic.html
http://soundcloud.com/butchclancy/foster-the-people-pumped-up
This is, to quote Xeni, epic. I've watched the video about eight times now and I'm still impressed. This guy has amazing moves both in terms of body control (isolation, balance) and effect. It's worth watching it once straight and then watch again, focusing on his feet to see what he does to get some of those effects. I also love the way he matches some of his moves to the overt dub elements in the remix, which is Butch Clancy remixing Foster the People's "Pumped up Kicks". I plan to check out more of Clancy's mixes, but I doubt any of them will have epic dance vids.

http://chrystabell.com/
Chrysta Bell has a lovely, chanteuse-style voice, and she's teamed up with David Lynch who helps her play up the spare and haunting sound of her vocals. The video is credited to Dutch Rall (http://dutchrall.com/) who has definitely studied his Twin Peaks. Rall's site is also worth a visit. The song is sultry and I like Lynch's guitar work, too.

http://soundcloud.com/midnightconspiracy/ghost
http://vimeo.com/19686197
Midnight Conspiracy have lately been doing dub remixes (it's what's hot this year) but if you go back about a year you find stuff like this one, which is primarily electro-house but with a dark and gritty edge. You can hear Gemini Club doing the original live at the vimeo link above. I think I prefer the remix, but they're very different creatures and each has good parts.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlsDIZ1Vy8s
This is another electro-banger from last year: Morgan Geist's remix of Bot'Ox's "Overdrive". All new names to me. Like with dub, I'm not a huge fan of electro - too many bleeps and bloops grates on my nerves. But this has an intense driving beat behind it that gets me moving, even thought it's also high BPM. Dance hard, dance sweaty.

http://audioporncentral.com/2011/09/ban-this-sick-filth-p0w3rh0ue.html
Big-band goes dubstep! APC identifies Ban This Sick Filth as the guy who usually produces under the name Celebrity Murder Party and Pygment found (via DJ Steveboy) that the base tune is some of Jimmie Lunceford's work that was adopted by Warner Brothers. (See for example http://new.music.yahoo.com/jimmie-lunceford/albums/powerhouse-swing--201194104.) Steve didn't think much of it, but I rather like it.