drwex: (Default)
This week we have the return of several old favorites in new clothes.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/08/major-lazer-get-free-the-video.html
Major Lazer is known for two things: wildness and freestlying. Given that, if this wasn't labeled as a Lazer track I would not have recognized it. It's a slow reggae/soul-infused female-vocal track paced like you'd expect for something shot in Jamaica, where it's more or less against the law to hurry.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/08/ladyhawke-blue-eyes-ron-flieger-remix.html
Back in April I noted a Scissor Sisters remix of Ladyhawke. This is Ron Flieger (http://ronflieger.com/) remixing her "Blue Eyes" and I like it. The remix makes the original sound very much like a Fleetwood Mac-era female-pop single, and then lays that down on some slammin' good dance beats. The combination works exceptionally well.

http://soundcloud.com/eliot_music/snap-the-power-eliot-mix
Another of my guilty pleasures is that I love Snap's original of "The Power" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm6DO_7px1I). It's a delightful mash of all kinds of samples of American music styles, as seen by a European. So now ELIOT (or EL!OT) has done a kind of sped-up electro version that keeps many of the original's signature hooks and throws in some steel drums just for good measure.

http://www.myspace.com/lenakatinaofficial
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5X2v0jGil0
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/09/lena-katina-never-forget-a-copycat-remix.html
If you know who t.A.T.u. were then Lena Katina needs no introduction beyond "she was the redhead lead for them". If you don't know who t.A.T.u. were, um... start with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mGBaXPlri8 and come back in a bit. I remember when Lena's plaintive "This Is Not Enough!" stopped me in whatever I was doing. Now she's back and doing a solo project. It's different, I'll say that. You can listen to one of the tracks and a sample on her MySpace page.

OK, now that you're set you can hear the official cut of "Never Forget" off the YouTube page. It's a good deal more Euro-pop than the t.A.T.u. work, but it's still her strong vocals. And that at last brings me to the APC link, which is a Copycat (https://www.facebook.com/CopycatMusic) remix of that track. The remix picks up her voice and lifts it a bit to make room for more complex beats and interesting production. Despite having more of a DJ/producer feel, the vocals in the remix feel less harshly treated than in the original.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeN9KWYzE8Y&feature=player_embedded#!
And speaking of versions and remixes, here we have a double-shot of Gossip taken differently. First up, Triple-J hosted Gossip doing their cover of Tina Turner's "What's Love Got To Do With It?" Apparently they've been doing this in their live shows for some time. The version here is... OK. It's hard to beat Ms Turner and this take is a little bit more electro and drum-centric than I like. Still, hearing them do this is happy-making in that I'm glad it exists.

The second track is Classixx (http://classixx.la/) remixing Gossip's "Move In The Right Direction". As I said when I first blogged the original, it's a light disco-influenced piece. It's infectious dancey pop. The remix is very different, with almost all the vocals abstracted away. It's kind of airy trance-pop that ambles along in a pleasant enough way but I don't think it's superior to the original.
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: (Default)
Busy, squeezing in a few minutes between this and the next that, trying to close out a bunch of tabs. I won't have time for all of it, so expect more next week. This week, a new track with its remix, a remix of a favorite, and a full-length stream of epic awesomeness as our finisher.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/04/the-very-best-yoshua-alikuti.html
http://audioporncentral.com/2012/05/the-very-best-yoshua-alikuti-nadastrom-remix.html
The Very Best (http://www.facebook.com/theverybest) is a Malawian-inspired trio that has been storming London underground shows for a couple years now. Their new track, "Yoshua Alikuti" is a straight up strong-vocal celebration of their unique style. Mwamwaya's voice is powerful and the electronica beats/backing are good. Nadastrom's remix pulls out the vocals and makes the sound more intimate. While keeping the fundamental beat, the remix also makes the track more complex and layered. It's hard to say one is better than the other - both are really excellent.

http://soundcloud.com/rac/gossip-picture-perfect-world-rac-mix
Speaking of remixes and excellent voices, I had just been replaying Gossip's "Perfect World" the other day when this appeared on my stream. It's RAC's remix - apparently it came out about a month ago but I just heard it. The remixer is listed as André Allen Anjos, who I don't think I've heard before. It's got RAC-signature touches, though, particularly the intensely woven electronica. I suspect we'll see more mixes of this track coming soon - it's too good to ignore.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/05/heavyfeet-ft-drs-blew-that.html
I class this as one of those "if you're in the mood" tracks. It starts off as a very typical disco-influenced banger and honestly I almost didn't listen past the opening bit, which is just so typical I didn't want more. Fortunately about 40 seconds in the entire track takes a whole new subterranean dive and about 1:30 we get the vocal over-tracking. So, if you're in the mood for something that's definitely a banger, but not your typical, then give this a go. Heavyfeet (http://www.facebook.com/heavyfeet) did a decent job on this but I'd like to see them redo it and tighten up the opening to where it matches the originality and quality of the middle.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/05/audioporn-all-stars-vs-analog-cuvee-digital-cuvee.html
This? This is brilliant. The word "unique" gets overused to death but what we have here is a collection of truly unique sounds. The roots are in traditional Hungarian folk music and modern dance/ectronica remix styles. Analog Cuvée have been doing this kind of thing for a couple years and here they bring in some of the best names in the business (Young Punx, Phil Retrospector, DJ Schmolli, and more) to take the idea to a new level by remixing and mashing. I've listened to the entire stream multiple times now and it still blows me away. Get your free download here: http://digitalcuvee.tumblr.com/
drwex: (Default)
Two well-known names dropping new music, and a couple changes of pace from other names you might know.

http://soundcloud.com/gossip_music/perfect-world
Beth Ditto and her trio Gossip (http://www.epitonic.com/#/artists/the-gossip) were generally called "dance punk" for their previous work. This single is from their upcoming new album and it's way more pop-influenced than their past stuff, though it still has a definite dark/goth side to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnE4UCZJepQ
xKore came up in one or the other of the dubstep discussions that have been floating around. This is not heavy wub, but it's definitely within the sphere of "dubstep-influenced." It's vocal-free, with interesting rhythms and a heavy electronica influence that is really non-typical. You sort of have to listen for yourself - if there was such a thing as "electro-step" this would be it.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/03/the-cult-for-the-animals.html
The Cult are back! Yes, that ("She Sells Sanctuary", "Fire Woman") The Cult. They may have aged but you couldn't tell it from this track. It's still got the sound I remember from 25 years ago, with pounding piano, rough male vocals, and a sound that comes half from punk and half from old-school heavy metal. If you liked them before you'll probably love this track and if you've never heard their sound this is not a bad introduction.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/03/leftfield-tourism-full-album-stream.html
Speaking of people who are back, can I give you Leftfield? APC calls them "one of the greatest electronic acts ever" which I think is a little bit of hyperbole but not entirely. According to Wikipedia, the Crystal Method's Scott Kirkland shared that view and he ought to know. The stream here is their entire new album, recorded live. I remember them being better live back when I first stumbled across them. They were also the first act I ever found via those "if you like X then you'll like Y" links which led me from Orbital to Leftfield and yes, I do like that sort of expansive, near-spacey, instrumentally rich, samplelicious electronica.

http://audioporncentral.com/2012/03/little-boots-in-budapest.html
Little Boots (http://www.littlebootsmusic.co.uk/) has yet to turn 30 but she's already known for her writing and proficiency on multiple instruments. Her singing isn't half bad either. Here she shows her chops as a DJ, with a 45-minute party mixtape that's very Euro-club. Lots of electronica, lots of deep bass beats, but none of the floor-clearing party banger stuff that's common in DJ sets these days. Her mixing is textured and low-key, which contributes to the set's different feel.

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