The fight for diverse and conscious voices

Making up some hours I missed yesterday, waiting for a call, listening to tunes. Here, let me share:

http://viprhealthcare.typepad.com/files/dj-tripp---dynamite-pressure-queen-david-bowie-vs.-taio-cruz.mp3
I have a soft spot for mixes that use the original Bowie/Mercury "Under Pressure" track, and not just the hook. This one, from DJ Tripp, does a fine job using Taio Cruz's "Dynamite" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpGgBYeOgi0) which is a passable hip-hop dance tune on its own. The mix is superior, natch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OejYG4IEUl8
I've been meaning to blog this one for a while - I snatched it out of a DJ Steveboy mix some time ago. Cevin Fisher's track "We Re the Lucky Ones (Original Mix Edit)" is shamelessly ripping off Enya and blending it with some hard house thumps. But actually, that's OK. Enya on her own is sadly overdone and it's nice to see the tune re-freshened in a different context.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKczpz0RdQQ
Also in the beautiful vocals department is Zara Taylor (http://www.myspace.com/zarataylor) who appears hear on Sunlounger's "Lost (Dance Mix)". It's a standard vocal-trance track, but I like her voice enough that it has been on repeat play for a while and I'm going off to check out more of her work. Like a lot of vocal trance, it has lyrics that can verge on sappy, but I think they both carry it off well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15uFb2wjxjg&feature=player_embedded
While we're on the subject of sappy lyrics, here, have some male vocal/piano duet beauty. HURTS (http://www.myspace.com/ithurts) remind me of nothing so much as a modern Tears For Fears with the serious affect and the Euro-mod hair and clothing. That can be good or bad, I suppose, depending on your preferences. I recommend checking out some of their other videos from the Suggestions on the YouTube page. They appear to do a kicking live show.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Frankie_Rose/track/Candy_Le_Chev_Remix
Finally, a band that's harder to pin down. On the surface Frankie Rose owes a lot to the 'girl bands' that preceded them, including The Bangles, but they have an interesting style that both hearkens back to surf-rock and forward to hard punk girl rock like L7. Fun stuff.

Days have been crazed and nights lack in sleep. I fear I may be losing one of my superpowers. Listen with me, then.

http://www.mashup-industries.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=258&Itemid=36
This track makes me ridiculously happy. "Funkytown" was a disco tune originally done by one-hit wonder Lipps, Inc. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlmTELeLRwI) It's cheesy, done with cheap 8-bit electronics, and yet it has something - maybe it's the catchy riffs and R&B vocals - that have kept it being covered for decades. There's even a Funkytown iPhone app (http://www.funkytown.com/) - yes, really. I can't make this stuff up.

So what Clive$ter has done is take one of these many covers, and use it to underlay Empire of the Sun's "Walking on a Dream." The cut-ups are clever, and add another bit of life to a fun tune.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Editors_/track/Papillon_The_Japanese_Popstars_Remix
The Editors (http://myspace.com/editorsmusic) - if they're known for anything - are known for brooding, dark, modern music. Not quite emo (thank goodness) or goth (more's the pity) but still not the kind of material you'd naturally link with Japanese pop, which tends to be synth-heavy, high-pitched, and overwhelmingly female vocal. Still, it works reasonably well. I'm actually more fond of the second mix, which I mentioned last month.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Poirier/track/Enemies_feat_Face-T
Skip the first track, which I think is a bit too herky-jerky and disjointed. I want to talk about "Enemies". Now, I'll be the first to confess that riddim style isn't everyone's cuppa. But I like reggae and I don't mind the way it has been transposed into electronic styles and the stuttering bass of a good riddim gets me moving. Poirer (http://www.poiriersound.com/) is a white Canadian DJ who brings in some very authentic voices to drop Caribbean hooks over the riddim beats.

http://rcrdlbl.com/artists/Shy_Child/track/Disconnected_Ocelot_Remix_
Shy Child (http://shychild.com/) are a synth-pop duo with a fun, experimental style that's hard to pin down. There's a lot of break-beating and vocal back-and-forth that keeps the tracks fresh. It's not my usual stuff, but I think they're interesting to keep an eye on.

http://audioporncentral.com/2010/02/hurts-wonderful-life-arthur-baker-remix.html
Also in the synth-pop camp are Hurts (http://www.myspace.com/ithurts). I don't like their cheap drum machine tracking, but the vocals in front of it remind me of the best of early Tears for Fears or New Order.

Next time, the best of bootie...