Monthly Archives: March 2011
Kitsuné Maison 11! Already?
They just keep on coming! Barely pausing for breath between Maison 10 and Kitsuné Parisien, Kitsuné Music are releasing the next instalment in the Kitsuné Maison series in May. this time around it’s ‘The Indie-Dance Issue’, a title which promises much.
Check the track list:
01. – Let’s Go All The Way (Early Version)
02. Alexander Dexter Jones – Phantastic Phone Call”
03. Housse De Racket – Roman
04. Polarsets – Sunshine Eyes
05. Gallops – Miami Spider (Ponciau edit)
06. Cosmonaut – Say What You Want
07. Creep (Feat. Romy Madeley-Croft From The XX) – Days (Azari & III reMix)
08. Is Tropical – The Greeks
09. Peter & The Magician – Twist
10. The Touch – Sermon
11. Logo X Icona Pop – Luvsick
12. Beat Connection – Silver Screen
13. Nightbox – Pyramid
14. Guards – Resolution Of One
15. Fiction – Big Things
16. Exotica – Conte D’Eté (Afrofunk Version)
There’s a lot of stuff on there I’m very interested in hearing, and a few gems we’ve heard before:
♫ Cosmonaut – Say What You Want
♫ Creep (Feat. Romy Madeley-Croft From The XX) – Days (Azari & III reMix)
‘Kitsuné Maison 11: ‘The Indie-Dance Issue’’ is released 16th May, I expect a JBAG minimix will show it’s face soon.
Parallels’ new EP
The Torontonian ElectroPop awesomeness that is Parallels return today with the release of their new EP ‘Salome’.
Their track ‘Ultralight’ from last years’ ‘Visionaries’ album, made it into our top 20 tracks of 2010 list and we couldn’t stop playing the whole CD in Spring last year so any new Parallels release was eagerly anticipated. And the EP doesn’t disappoint, continuing the duo’s spacious, yet warm, sound layered thick with lush synths floated above by Holly Dodson’s angelic vocals. this is the kind of track that makes me remember why I got into SynthPop in the first place!
The ‘Salome’ EP is out now. go check it out. Parallels are about to embark on their ‘Visionaries tour of North America, details here.
The Sleeps
The Sleeps are the latest edition to the Girlfriend Records stable. GFR are a mark of good taste in 80’s influenced electronic music and their newest members fill the Indie-Electro slot their line up.
This Cleveland based trio mix up retro sounding ElectroPop with 80’s rock riffs and catchy songwriting to create a sound that will defiantly have them standing out from the Indie-Electro crowd. Unlike many of their contemporaries, The Sleeps’ guitar work never overpowers the electronic, more the two blend together quite seamlessly with riffs and synth lines weaving in and out of one another giving the tracks a certain drive that has been missing in music since the heyday of big 80’s synth-rock movie themes. Their début for Girlfriend, ‘The Fuse’ is a perfect example of their work, a guitar and Electro mash up that occasionally veers into New York style Indie-Electro, occasionally veers into Dreamwave territory and occasionally sounds like early 90’s British Indie but makes a unique and infectious whole.
♫ The Sleeps – Fuse
The Sleeps’ ‘Fuse’ is out 1st April
The Sleeps @ Girlfriend Records
Hana Yori Kichou Na gets his Daft Punk reMix on
reMixing Daft Punk seems to be back in fashion! I remember when you couldn’t move for reMixes, and then it all went quite for a while. In the past few weeks though, the electronic rumors inbox has been chock full of robotic reMixes! Not that we mind at all, as long as they are quality.
Like rad Disco act Hana Yori Kichou Na’s mix of ‘Musique’ here. Funky and filtered in the best way possible this is one reMix you just can’t stop moving to.
♫ Daft Punk – Musique (Hana Yori Kichou Na ‘Excuse Me’ reMix)
Disney have just released a reMix album of Daft Punk’s amazing Tron: Legacy soundtrack. One or two choice cuts aside it’s mostly god awful and RELLY uninspired. The choices of reMix artists are so out-of-touch, the album could have been mind-blowing if the right reMixers had been chosen. Instead some executive listed a few electronic acts he could think of (“the still kids like The Paul Oakenfolds and The Crystal Methods, right?”) and threw in some he read about on a website a couple of years ago most of whom phoned in their reMixes. Total missed opportunity.
Justice. Ali Love. Civilization.
I was debating posting this, by now it’s, literally, everywhere…but, hell, it’s too awesome not to!
I don’t mind admitting that I was worried about the forthcoming Justice album. Could they top, or even just follow ‘†’? Would the new album just follow what they now know is a successful ‘Justice formula’?
There was no reason for me to worry. ‘Civilization’, featuring vocal duties from ElectroPop badass Ali Love, is jaw droopingly good. It’s got all the balls of Justice’s most powerful tunes and all the funkiness of their more Disco leaning tracks, wrapped up in one sweet package. It’s catchy as hell to, for a Justice song, and is driven throughout by some of the best mixed piano I’ve heard in ages.
If I were you I’d get used to hearing this:
♫ Justice (Feat. Ali Love) – Civilization (Radio Rip)
The single drops on 4th April on on Ed Banger.
Golabek’s ‘Babe (Don’t Feed the Wildlife)’
Today sees the release of 17 year old Californian producer Golabek’s first single for the awesome Mullet Records.
‘Babe (Don’t Feed the Wildlife)’ is a slick, soulful slab of Electro-Funk. Unashamedly 80’s Disco the track is an impressive début for such a young artist. Showing musical maturity beyond his years, Golabek whips up a slowly building DiscoPop storm with layers upon layers of percussion, strings and wild licks.
♫ Golabek – Babe (Don’t Feed the Wildlife)
‘Babe (Don’t Feed the Wildlife)’ is out now Zaku-Chan:
Pharao Black Magic’s début EP
Something a little funky for your weekend?
“free track for world peace!”?
Swiss Balearic Disco duo Pharao Black Magic are giving away this track, not featured on, but promoting their forthcoming EP on the wonderful Nang Records. Their début EP ‘The Eye Of Horus’ is set to drop soon and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah!’ gives us a taste of what to expect. Housey piano and bouncy Moogy bass make for a feel good combination, throw in a few Disco licks and you’ve got yourself a summery dancefloor winner!
♫ Pharao Black Magic – Yeah Yeah Yeah!
‘The Eye Of Horus’ drops soon and features reMixes from the likes of Tronik Youth and Popular Computer.
Monarchy Vs. Bag Raiders
More Monarchy! More Bag Raiders! Indeed!
Easily two of our favourite artists of recent times clash on this reMix from Monarchy’s forthcoming ‘I Won’t Let Go’ reMix package. Bag Raiders pull back the speed and drop a deep Italo track with nod than a small nod to early 90’s House, which is odd at first but really gets under your skin. this reMix is a bit like being drunk, the more you get the more you want!
♫ Monarchy (Feat. Rokhsan) – I Won’t Let Go (Bag Raiders remix)
‘I Won’t Go’ is released 11th April on Moda. Mustang and Sam Tiba coming soon.
Crimea X’s ‘Varvara’
Sometimes the electronic rumors inbox turns up exactly what I am in the mood for at exactly the right time!
And that’s exactly what happened when this new track from Italian duo Crimea X came through. A soulful organic Disco tune with a Jean Michel-Jarre gone Funk feel. Otherwordly and cosmic yet so human, the track has a deep groove that underpins quite a cinematic feel. The track featured on their ‘Prospective’ album of least year and gets the reMix treatment on ‘Re:Prospective’, a collection of reworkings of the album that Crimea X are about to release. Bjørn Torske contributes his take on the track which takes it even further into the realms of live Synth Funk jam and deep space Dub.
♫ Crimea X – Varvara (Bjørn Torske reMix)
‘Prospective’ is out now, ‘Re:Prospective’ is out soon.
Chris Malinchak’s new EP
New out on French Express is Funky House producer Chris Malinchak’s new EP ‘Rennaissance’
Headlining the EP is ‘The Forth’, a cool Friday night jam with an 80s feel. Check out the track with some Top Gun visuals.
Also featured on the EP is ‘Can’t Stop Loving You’, a rapid fire Disco tune with a bit of a Lifelike flavour. The track used fast paced arpeggios to funky effect when mixed up with some shimmering Disco chords.
♫ Chris Malinchak – Can’t Stop Loving You
Pick up the ‘Rennaissance’ EP now:
