As if the internet hasn't been polluted enough with unnecessary Lana Del Rey remixes, I am totally posting some Lana Del Rey right now. As ever, way too late to be counted among the 'hip & happening' blogs and getting mad hits out of it. I think my next business move might be shifting this blog's focus towards EDM, the Pitchfork way. But all jokes aside, this remix by Sophie Lloyd is actually good. Found it over at Feel My Bicep a while back but seen as this one hasn't been over the entire internet, it might be worth a repost. On the one hand it's a track filled with clichés; steel drums, moody house vibes and well... Lana Del Rey, but on the other hand it does this so well that it's actually refreshing to hear these elements be used in a good way. Very well constructed, and where other remixers mostly seem to struggle to make Lana Del Rey's unconventional vocals fit with their own production, this one does it with such ease that you wonder why others are messing up. Thumbs up.
Very quick post today. 1. Headman's latest EP 'Turning' is really really good. 2. It has a great video as well. 3. Emperor Machine's remix of it is a mental 9 minute journey of epicness. 4. There's a Murphy Jax remix of 'Be Loved' on the EP too that is getting lots of love from me and you'll find a free download of the dub below. 5. Buy the EP here
Session Victim are set to release their debut album 'The Haunted House Of House' on Delusions of Grandeur next week. They've actually already released it in three split 12"s over the past few months but are now releasing the whole as a triple 12" combo. Not going to waste more words on it other than saying it is really good. For proof: check the track below, the video for 'Dark Sienna' (the opening track on the album) and a stream of the album on Resident Advisor. So as I said, physical release (triple vinyl / CD) should be out next week, digital release will follow June 11th. You can already buy the sepereate 12"s that have been released before of course, part I is sold out though.
An EP that's been on high rotation these last few weeks is Pharao Black Magic's Amulet, out on Is It Balearic? Recordings. To answer that question (I know I know, lame joke), but yes, it is very balearic, and all kinds of lovely. In short: one original, three remixes and copious amounts of sunny vibes are on offer here. And to elaborate on that: the original (with Peter Coyle on vocals) sits at a low tempo but with some elements that just can't keep you from moving. Sort of the greyish area of danceable/not danceable music that works like a treat if you can get the bpm low enough (if you didn't catch any of that: I'm being positive here). Begin's remix resolutely chooses the downtempo side of it that would do great at basically any place that has some sun rays to offer (as those are rather scarce at the moment: closing your eyes and imagining them will work as well), while Reverso 68's will definitely get your dancing feet out. It's just arrived in record stores, so get it here or at whatever record store you prefer. Indispensible in your summer's playlist!
Ghent's DJ godfathers, The Glimmers, are on fire in this remix for Scuola Furano. They've picked out the strongest elements of the original and worked around those rather than putting a whole new production over it. It's delicate, with that edge that makes it instantly recognisable as a Glimmers production. Keep an eye on their Soundcloud as they put up a free download every now and then, for example Dave Glimmer's remix for Spank Rock. And keep an eye on them in general, they recently collaborated with Antwerp-based Merdan Taplak on his debut album title track 'In It For The Honey', which is an excellent combination of Merdan Taplak's Turkish roots and The Glimmers musical knowledge. Share function is disabled so you'll have to click through here to listen!
PS - I've only quickly browsed through the rest of the Scuola Furano release, but it's worth having a listen here and then buying here.
I posted about Marius' Things We Did EP on Non Records last year, but do feel the need to mention its remix EP that came out last month. Remixes feature label mates Renkas and HyperHyper beside Jimmy Edgar, In Flagranti and Louis La Roche as well as Ronika, who recorded vocals for the previously instrumental track 'Yester'. The label specifically linked each remixer to a particular track that would fit the remixer best, which resulted in tracks all worth mentioning. The ones getting me excited though, is In Flagranti's on the one hand, a lovely & groovy piece of summer, and Jimmy Edgar's on the other hand, a much darker, brooding remix, as is to be expected of Mr. Edgar.
Buy the EP here and if you'd like to read more: there's a (Dutch) interview with Marius over at Dj Broadcast. Besides that there's quite a few things coming up on the Non Records label, including a remix EP of In Flagranti's Interdisciplinary, so keep an eye out.
London trio slash bloggers slash party promoters Legendary Children recently released their first productions (which you can download on their Facebook page) and are now getting in the remix game as well, in the form of this Clock Opera dub. Gone are the Coldplay-esque vocals and the unnecessary agitated synth action. What comes out of it is - to put it in their own words - 'Balearic shoegaze', a description I can only agree on and fully encourage. It's one of those tracks where you might have accidentally pushed the repeat button and only realise you've done so after an hour's worth of plays. They've got their second birthday party coming up, so if you're in London on the 31st, you might want to check that out.
A little something different today. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'll be playing at the Subbacultcha! Dream Party in Ghent this Thursday (yeah, that's tomorrow). It's at Troya, which is in fact a salsabar, so I imagine the dancefloor will be impeccable. And the music will be too, since I'll be playing alongside Disco Naïveté, Nosedrip and Holger. I made a mixtape for the occasion, most tracks are rather new (depending on your definition of 'new') & all of them are tracks I really like/love. Hope to see you there, and if you can't make it... enjoy the mixtape.
Don't Be Afraid is back with a new release, Mr. Beatnick's 'Sun Goddess' EP which is his second release on the label after last year's 'Synthetes' EP. Really impressed by this four track EP, so do take the time to check out the entire release when it's out. Below is the title track 'Sun Goddess' which has a great house/balearic atmosphere that's present throughout the entire release. Furthermore there's the tender 'Beneath The Reef'; if I were to make any comparison, Tangerine Dream's Love on A Real Train comes to mind. Third track 'Shifting Sands' is much along these lines too, albeit in a more tech-y way. Last track 'Savoir Faire' then, is sort of a mixture of all of the above, a great ending to the EP. Vinyl is set to be released on March 19th, a digital release will follow March 26th.
Some great edits from Cellophane Records that might induce some head nodding, feet tapping, or maybe even a lot more. First one up is an edit of Altered Images that basically makes it less cheesy, more groovy. Second one is an edit of Danielle Dax, really great vocals set to a hypnotic beat. They're not edits as in a producer putting his stamp on an old track and maybe claiming more praise from it than he deserves, but one in the original sense of the word, meant purely as a DJ tool. If these kind of edits help getting tracks like this on the dancefloor more often, I'm all for it. There's still some vinyls left on Clone, or get it digitally on Juno. Also, Resident Advisor put up a piece about the issue of edits and authorship recently, it's an interesting read if you have a moment.
Brooklyn duo Chordashian have a new EP, 'Don't Wait Up', out on Mullet Records. It's rather great start to finish, three originals followed by as many remixes by Slow Hands, Downtown Party Network and an especially lovely one by Sportloto. The title track and Slow Hands remix are below, but I'd strongly advise you to check the entire EP, poppy disco vibes all the way through. Not to mention it's an excellent cure for those cold winter days. Get it on Juno.
Daniel Martin-McCormick makes music under several aliases (e.g. Sex Worker or as part of the duo Mi Ami) but it's his Ital moniker we're most interested in here, since that one has an album coming out: 'Hive Mind', his debut album, will be released on February 13th through Planet Mu. It's hard to put a strict definition on his music, the five tracks on the album explore a wide variety of influences - most easily distinguishable house and techno - yet don't expect the tracks to show any archetypical form. They're long (three out of five clock in at 10+ mins), slowly developing and each looping around one clearly defined hook. First track 'Doesn't Matter (If You Love Him)' for example, works with a rigorous vocal paired with synths crashing in and out, while the last track 'First wave' has a super delicate and warm theme. Well worth a listen. Streaming below is 'One Hit', which was part of his debut EP 'Ital's Theme' that came out last year. If you want to hear something from the upcoming album: 'Floridian Void' is streaming over at Mixmag - check it here.
To the Belgian readers : Ital is playing in Ghent on February 5th, together with Dynooo Vs. Cupp Cave, and I'm allowed to give away 2x2 tickets to the show. All you need to do is email me at ssssoundofmusic@gmail.com, and answer this simple question: Which American label released Ital's debut EP? First ones to reply get the tickets. Good luck!
2011 saw the release of three 12"s from Brooklyn duo Blondes: "Lover / Hater", "Business / Pleasure" and "Wine / Water". 2012 will now see the release of those tracks in CD-format, with an added pair "Gold" and "Amber". As everything in this project seems to come in pairs, unsurprisingly, so does the CD. The 8 originals will be accompanied by an additional CD of 10 remixes from the likes of JD Twitch, Andy Stott, Teengirl Fantasy, Bicep and more. RVNG Intl. are giving away "Wine" as a free download, it has the pulsating, hypnotic melodies that are present throughout the entire series, so it'll be interesting to hear what the remixers have come up with. Bicep for one, added some heavy rhythmic muscle, so we're off to a great start. The album is out February 7th on RVNG Intl. and already available for pre-order. Also, they're headed for Europe in February, check their Facebook for dates. Ghent - they'll be here February 17th.
Before the start of what some may refer to as a "weekend", here are some tracks that might do well to get you in the mood, out on Monday on Needwant: Bonar Bradberry's You Were Away EP. The release features two originals, 'You Were Away' (with Bonar Bradberry himself on vocal duties) and 'Lip Therapy', and besides an instrumental version of 'You Were Away' there's Space Ranger and Maxxi Soundsystem on remix duties. Two lovely originals, but what I think is the best part of the release is the duality between the perfect daytime original of 'Lip Therapy' and Maxxi Soundsystem's cleverly switched around nighttime atmosphere, that includes an added 'yeh yeh' vocal hook (hence the name of the remix). Both equally great, it'll depend on the time of day which one you'll prefer to put on. Listen below or to the entire set on Youtube, you'll be able to find it here on Beatport once it's out, or you can already pre-order the vinyl from the Needwant store.
PS - there's also a video for You Were Away, which you can watch here.
With names like 'Opa' (granddad) and 'Der Alte' (the old one), this release doesn't really give away anything of what you might expect upon listening, though the fact that it came out on Kompakt should point you in the right direction. It's the second release for Danish producer Kölsch (apparently, Kölsch is also the name of a German beer) though he has been putting out releases under his Ink And Needle guise since 2006. Opa on the one hand is definitely the typical techno-ish track you would expect and much along the lines of Kölsch's more well-known 'Loreley'. Der Alte however, seeks out a more sensitive side, the kind we've found in house more or less everywhere in 2011. It's a very simple recipe; some piano chords, some strings and a clear 4/4 beat under all of that, but we all know things don't need to be complicated to enjoy them. Listen to/buy the entire release here.
SSSSOUND & VVVVISION / The ssssounds are mostly new, sometimes old, the vvvvisuals are found at FFFFound! You can mail me your music, life story, or whatever you see fit at: sofie@ssssound.net. If you want any of the songs removed: contact me. SUPPORT THE ARTISTS YOU LOVE!
