Mar 2 2011

Icona Pop’s ‘Manners’

Big things have been happening for Icona Pop since we last wrote about them.

The Swedish duo have been championed by Kitsuné and are now releasing their new single on Neon Gold. If those two labels like you , you know you’re doing something right!

The new single, ‘Manners’ is more of the rough and ready SynthPop we love Icona Pop for. Débuted on Kitsuné Maison 10, the single is an anthemic power Pop track that is given an edge by a raw drum track the vitriol hidden within the sweet, sing-along, vocals.

♫ Icona Pop – Manners

Neon Gold release ‘Manners’ on 21st March.

Icona Pop @ Neon Gold

Icona Pop @ Puregroove

Icona Pop @ Beatport

Icona Pop @ Amazon

Mar 2 2011

Display

Display are an ElectroPop outfit from Poland who are gearing up for the release of their début EP.

Light on information but heavy on sound, Display attack ElectroPop from a driving, big dirty synth sounds, angle. Like a head on collision between Front 242 and The Teenagers, that is to say, Old School EBM and French Indie-Electro. Display stack up kicking beats and bass and chainsaw synths with vocals and melody full of swagger to make something pretty unique.

Defiantly one to keen an eye on.

♫ Display – Level Up

♫ Display – Play This

Display’s first EP is out soon.

Display @ Beatport

Mar 2 2011

Edwin Van Cleef & Chilly Gonzales

Chilly Gonzales’s ‘You Can Dance’ continues to blow up on dancefloors up and down the country. I was particularly to hear Annie Mac drop our friends Walter Sobcek’s reMix on her show on Friday night.

The original track is awesome and the reMixes are all hot as fuck, but, good grief, Mr. Van Cleef has really outdone himself this time!

Edwin Van Cleef’s reMix is a steel drum Dreamwave epic that gets it so right, from the the funking bassline to the jazzy solo. It’s so majestic you just have to bow down in it’s presence.

♫ Chilly Gonzales – You Can Dance (Edwin Van Cleef reMix)

Gonzales’ ‘You Can Dance’ EP with reMixes by Walter Sobcek, Edwin Van Cleef and Gemini Club is out now!

Chilly Gonzales @ Beatport

Chilly Gonzales @ Juno

Chilly Gonzales @ 7Digital

Chilly Gonzales @ Amazon

Feb 28 2011

Frankmusik…’Safety Dance’…awesome!

I really can’t find the words.

Here is Frankmusik covering Men Without Hats’ ‘The Safety Dance’. This is the most amazing thing I have heard in my life!

Pure genius!

♫ Frankmusik – The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats Cover)

This, and many other tracks Frankmusik has decided to give away are available here.

Frankmusik @ Juno

Frankmusik @ 7Digital

Frankmusik @ Amazon

Feb 28 2011

Kate Bush and Echoes create beautiful music

It sounds like exciting things are brewing over at Echoes HQ. Rumours (yes, I spell ‘rumours’ the English way when it’s not the website’s title…it’s a long story) of label interest, new singles, and live shows. All very hush hush, to quote them, they “need to get it right”, which is the best attitude to have. Still, doesn’t leave us any less eager for new tracks.

So, to tide you over in your wait for news check this epic reMix of Kate Bush’s ‘This Woman’s Work’. There are a lot of reMixes of this tune that get it so wrong. I have heard Trance versions that just make me angry and sad. Echoes treat the song with exactly the right balance of respect and innovation. They have made it sound contemporary and relevant without butchering it, and what emerges on the other side is a beautiful, majestic slice of ElectroPop.

♫ Kate Bush – This Woman’s Work (Echoes reMix)

Echoes are playing their début live show alongside Penguin Prison and Matt & Kim on 23rd March at the Garage, London.

Feb 28 2011

ZX, now Zedex, reMixes Fenech-Soler + free EP

Electro-House duo ZX have been a bit quite for a while now, since we last wrote about the them have changed their name (well, spelling at least) to Zedex (which I think is better) and, if their new reMix of their friends Fenech-Soler new current ‘Demons’ is anything to go by, have been developing a smoother, slicker sound.

The reMix rocks more of a Disco vibe than their previous, more distorted noisy House, offerings, showing a defiantly maturing of their sound. This track almost goes Cosmic in places with big, lush, synth pads washed with reverb siting atop deep, deep bassline. there is certainly something unique about Zedex’s tunes, I can’t put my finger on it, maybe there’s a little Chicago House influence in there or something. Whatever it is, it’s Nu-Disco with a twist, and I can’t wait to hear more.

♫ Fenech-Soler – Demons (Zedex reMix)

On top of all this, Fenech-Soler are giving away, or the small price of an email address, an EP of stripped down session versions of four of their best tunes. The White Versions EP is available here.

‘Zulu X-Ray’, Zedex’s awesomely titles second EP is out in April, Fenech-Soler’s ‘Demons’ is out now.

Fenech-Soler @ Beatport

Fenech-Soler @ Juno

Fenech-Soler @ 7Digital

Fenech-Soler @ Amazon

Feb 28 2011

Bad Lieutenant, as reMixed by Mark Reeder

One of the godfathers of English electronic music Mark Reeder recently dropped a bunch of new reMixes for Bad Lieutenant’s new single ‘Twist Of Fate’.

Bad Lieutenant is, of course, New Order’s Bernard Sumner (one of my favourite male vocalists)’s current outfit. They originally released ‘Twist Of Fate’ back in March last year but have brought out a reMix package earlier this month that features two mixes from Mr. Reeder, and neither of them are this one! That’s three reMixes of the same song, all used by the original artist, now that’s keeping yourself busy! Mark’s ‘Reeder’s No Fate Radio reMix’ is a perfect meeting of British Indie and ElectroPop. Dancefloor beats and intricate synth work work alongside, not against, gangly Indie guitar and Sumner’s instantly recognisable voice. Which is a voice that’s really nice to hear working with some contemporary electronic music. You really don’t hear these big Indie-Dance track anymore, this one is defiantly welcome.

♫ Bad Lieutenant – Twist Of Fate (Reeder’s No Fate Radio reMix)

The ‘Twist Of Fate’ remix bundle is out now and contains Reeder’s reMixes alongside tracks by Koishii & Hus, AK47 and James Bright.

Bad Lieutenant @ Juno

Bad Lieutenant @ 7Digital

Bad Lieutenant @ Amazon

Feb 25 2011

Substatic’s reMix EP

Our favourite Bristol based Electro outfit Substatic rock back next month with the reMix flipside to their amazing ‘Days go On’ EP of last year.

The ‘Days Go On: the_reMixes’ EP contains five blistering versions of those tracks which, should you have bought the EP, have been in your head for the last six months. With a definite Dubstep and D&B slant, the collection ranges from Junk’s D&B powerhouse take on ‘Closer’ to Koudbreak’s deep, almost Trip-Hoppy mix of the same It seems Substatic have chosen their reMixers well, the whole EP flows nicely without any one act sounding too much like the next. Highlights of the EP have to be the aforementioned Junk mix, Lightfires’ string heavy House/Pop clash version of ‘Wild Horses’ and the broken beats Dubstep of Sismique ‘s mix of ‘Edge Of Your Love’.

♫ Substatic – Wild Horses (Lightfires reMix)

♫ Substatic – Edge Of Your Love (Sismique reMix)

Would have like a massive French-House/Nu-Disco mix of ‘Closer’, but you can’t have everything, can you?

‘Days Go On: the_reMixes’ is released 1st March, the original ‘Days Go On’ EP is available now.

Substatic @ Juno

Substatic @ 7Digital

Substatic @ Amazon

Photo by Mark Davis

Feb 25 2011

Electricity reMixes Jupiter

Electricity are the latest in a long line of super-secret electro producers, no-one knows anything about them and that seem to suit them fine, they’ll let their music do the talking.

Their first official release is a reMix of the new single by awesome French Disco act Jupiter. The call it Progressive Electro-Funk, sounds right to me. The bass in this track mad as hell and as a début easily stack up against the other reMix talent on the CD, the likes of Para One & Tacteel, In Flagranti, Hannulelauri, and Blackjoy. Electricity have defiantly got his/her/their Disco on!

♫ Jupiter – Saké (Electricity reMix)

Jupiter’s ‘Saké’ drops 7th March on the wonderful Kitsuné Music.

Feb 25 2011

PNAU’s video for ‘The Truth’

Here’s the video for PNAU’s new single ‘Truth’. It’s a suitably nuts, and pretty dark, clip which kinda’ highlights the mood of the tracks, despite sounding pretty uplifting.

The video was directed by LA producers Skinny.