Mar 31 2011

The Juan MacLean reMixes The Big Crunch Theory

The Big Crunch Theory is Parisian Lisa Li-Lund’s new project alongside Versatile Records’ head-honcho Gilb’R.

They are gearing up for the release of The Big Crunch Theory’s début album, titled, ‘1992’ in May that follows their first single ‘Arrows’.

DFA’s Electro renaissance man The Juan MacLean has reMixed their track ‘Arrows’ into a massive, hypnotic accordion House number. Check it out:

♫ The Big Crunch Theory – Arrows (The Juan MacLean reMix)

The Big Crunch’s album ‘1992’ is out on 2nd May via Versatile

The Big Crunch Theory @ Beatport

The Big Crunch Theory @ Juno

The Big Crunch Theory @ 7Digital

The Big Crunch Theory @ Amazon

Mar 31 2011

AlunaGeorge; ‘Disobey’

AlunaGeorge are one of the acts this year that we are defiantly keeping an eye on and with each new song they’ve dropped so far we haven’t been shaken from our belief that the duo are going to go far.

Their newest track, ‘Disobey’, leans more toward American Indie-Electro than their previous offerings but still sounds uniquely AlunaGeorge. The use of layers upon layers of toytown synths to create a full sounding production works really well and results in a sumptuous backing track that still retains an interesting level of quirkiness and charm that provides the prefect accompaniment for Aluna Francis’ vocals, which have a similar quality. Danceable and poppy whiles at the same time introverted and experimental.

♫ AlunaGeorge – Disobey

AlunaGeorge are one of the most interesting acts around right now.

AlunaGeorge @ Amazon

Mar 31 2011

Queen Of Hearts & StardonE

Sooooo, we haven’t written about Queen Of Hearts yet. Was there a reason for that? Well, yes and no. We’ve love both her songs to date, played them a lot round these parts, especially her work with on of our favourite producers, Diamond Cut, but always felts a little suspicious of all the hype. It’s not that we didn’t love them music, it’s just that we felt there was a joke we weren’t in on. When every single music publication we admire gushes about something on the basis of a thirty second sample and the artist has been in the studio with Diamond Cut, Fear Of Tigers and Dreamtrak, three producers we love, I dunno’, the whole thing seems a little ‘manufactured to be blog friendly’ for me.

However…we could be wrong, and on a purely musical front Queen Of Hearts is, we will admit, worth a lot of the hype.

Her recent track, the Diamond Cut produced ‘Where Are You Now?’ is prefect Pop for a Dreamwave generation (maybe our suspicion cones from it being too good?). DC knocks it out the park with his dancefloor 80’s production, the slick Disco guitar riffs and massive sweeping synths would make an awesome instrumental track in their own right but work amazingly well as a backing for QoH’s sultry, if a little distant, vocals. Sounding a little like ‘Little Boots a couple of years older’ Queen Of Hearts has the potential to be something really special. On top of that our favourite Korean, StardonE, has reMixed the track bringing his cosmic Nu-Disco to the tune with some rad little funky riffs.

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Where Are You Now? (Produced By Diamond Cut)

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Where Are You Now? (StardonE reMix)

I’m probably wrong about Queen Of Hearts, and even if I’m right, the music will remain pretty awesome, and that’s really what counts in the end.

Queen Of Hearts @ Beatport

Mar 30 2011

Blende’s ‘One Sided’

Stockholm based duo Blende are dropping a new double A-Side single this week on La Bombe Records.

‘One Sided’ is a track that straddles the thin line between modern ElectroPop and Nu-Disco. It’s an arpeggio driven dancefloor tune with hints of Moroder and a surprisingly laidback groove for such an upbeat song. Top that with some silky smooth Vocoded vocals and you have a jam that sounds as fresh as it does retro. It’s double A-side ‘Egypto’ is a rad old-school Electro workout that bridges the gap between B-Boys and the Disco!

♫ Blende – One Sided

The track ‘One Sided’ get versioned by the awesome Louis La Roche, who brings his slick Electro-Disco style to the tune and gives it added dancefloor appeal. It’s French Touch feel seamlessly incorporates itself into the vocoder work.

♫ Blende – One Sided (Louis La Roche Innovation)

‘Egypto’/’One Sided’ is out this week on La Bombe

Mar 30 2011

Homeboi & Oh Yeah’s new EP

Here we have some funky fresh French-House sounds for your midweek.

Coming courtesy of Homeboi & Oh Yeah who have just released a join EP, ‘SainTropez’/’CôteD’Azur’, for free on their new label Indo Silver Records. The EP is seven tracks of summertime grooves and filtered Disco madness. Oh Yeah’s ‘SainTropez’ is pure Disco gold with a killer mix of funk bass and sweeping 80’s synth sounds while ‘CôteD’Azur’, the team up between Homeboi & Oh Yeah, is is a chopped up Nu-Disco floorfiller with a hint of ChipTune about it. Amongst the many reMixes on the EP we have German newcomers Final DJs dropping a Dreamwave style retro synth affair, heavy on sidechaining and brassy leads.

♫ Homeboi & Oh Yeah – CôteD’Azur (Original Mix)

♫ Homeboi & Oh Yeah – CôteD’Azur (Final DJs reMix)

♫ Oh Yeah – SainTropez (Original Mix)

You can pick up the whole EP, in high quality, from here.

Homeboi & Oh Yeah @ Indo Silver Records

Mar 30 2011

SebastiAn’s ‘Embody’ reMixed by Kavinsky

SebastiAn’s awesome new single ‘Embody’ gets a dark and heavy reMix treatment from Electro genius Kavinsky.

Relentless marching drums and massive, growling, synths take over the track, Like much of Kavinsky’s recent work he seems to be moving further and further from hectic dancefloor tracks and more into an evocative and atmospheric realm of Electro. It’s like the 80’s through a distortion pedal!

♫ SebastiAn – Embody (Kavinsky reMix)

The ‘Embody EP’ is out April 4 and also features a reMix from DJ Premier, SebastiAn’s début album, Total, is out in May on Ed Banger.

Mar 30 2011

Tim & Jean’s ‘Come Around’ video

Australian ElectroPop newcomers Tim & Jean’s track ‘Come Around’ will be their UK début single. It’s a bit more Disco than their Aussie single ‘I Can Show You’ (which is no bad thing!) which sees them setting themselves apart from Empire Of THe Sun et al’

Here’s the video for the song, it’s full of greasers. Go figure!

‘Come Around’ is released 10th April on Publica

Tim & Jean @ Juno

Tim & Jean @ 7Digital

Tim & Jean @ Amazon

Mar 30 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.

Kitsuné Music @ Beatport

Kitsuné Music @ Juno

Kitsuné Music @ 7Digital

Kitsuné Music @ Amazon

Mar 28 2011

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!

♫ Parallels – Salome

The ‘Salome’ EP is out now. go check it out. Parallels are about to embark on their ‘Visionaries tour of North America, details here.

Mar 28 2011

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.