OMD’s new video

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark have premiered the video for their next single, the title track from their ‘history Of Modern’ album.

The video is the wining entry in a competition run by OMD on genero.tv, It was produced by Lapantafilm from Sweden.

OMD said "The sheer volume of work that has gone into this is incredible. So many different film animation styles. A very creative mixture of stop frame animation, modelling, drawing, film capture. A serious collection of OMD references… some of which are incredibly subtle, some not. The ideas are a varied and effective as the many different techniques. There were several really strong entries but this is the clear winner."

The single will be released soon on limited edition 10”, CD and digital.

OMD @ 7Digital

OMD @ Amazon

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Bag Raiders’ ‘Sunlight’ reMixed by Stopmakingme

Next week sees the release of awesome Aussie ElectroPop duo Bag Raiders’s self titles début album over here in the UK.

If you’ve already imported it you’ll know it’s a stunning body of work. Funky, powerful and consistently catchy, it’s 11 tracks of some of the best produced ElectroPop you’ll hear all year. It even made our top 20 albums of 2010!

Following the album will be the single release of ‘Sunlight’, including this reMix from Stopmakingme, who strips the track down to a solid groove to highlight the vocoding. Great stuff!

Bag Raiders – Sunlight (Stopmakingme reMix)

‘Sunlight’ is taken from Bag Raider’s album, on Modular, which is getting a domestic release next Monday.

Bag Raiders @ Beatport

Bag Raiders @ Juno

Bag Raiders @ 7Digital

Bag Raiders @ Amazon

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Binary Week: Futurecop! & Keenhouse’s Dreams

Wow, when two acts you love collaborate it’s always exciting, but sometimes they just go above and beyond your expectations.

I’ve been hammering Futurecop!’s first album ‘It’s Forever Kids’ since I imported it late last year (unfortunately it’s still not available outside of Japan yet), it’s truly one of the slickest and confident ElectroPop débuts I’ve heard in years. The production is crisp as hell and the uplifting 80’s inspired melodies and catchy riffs are pure infectious genius. Keenhouse, I think, was the first Binary act I encountered. Introduced to him through the Valerie collective, ‘Deep In The Forest’ was one of my favourite tracks on the ‘Valerie And Friends’ compilation and the whole of his ‘Civic Transit’ EP is a masterclass in melodic electronic Disco.

So, what happens when these to get together?

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Keenhouse)- Dreams

That does!

Already, in my head, ‘Dreams’ is the soundtrack to summer 2011. The synth work is unmistakably Futurecop!, especially the intro, but with a more self assured sound. Couple that with Keenhouse’s verses full of longing and choruses full of hope and your have not only an anthem, a classic in the making, but also a track that seems to sum up completely what Dreamwave, what Binary, is all about. Musically a massive dancefloor tune that is also melodic and a proper song, a damn well written one at that and atmospherically aspirational with a hint of realism. Nostalgic for better times but with a down-to-earth approach.

Did I mention it’s funky as hell?

The reMix package is pretty mind-blowing too, featuring the cream of current producers! You can always rely on ODahl to drop some kicking Nu-Disco and here is no different as he wraps the song in soaring riffs and side-chaining while electronic rumors faves, the Ride The Universe crew take ‘Dreams’ to smooth new directions with a total feelgood Dreamwave track. Newcomer Show Your Shoe gets his first official reMix on this single, and really impresses with his début, a late night DiscoPop tune with a big nod to late 80’s R&B.

Futurecop! (Feat. Keenhouse) – Dreams (ODahl reMix)

Futurecop! (Feat. Keenhouse) – Dreams (Ride The Universe reMix)

♫ Futurecop! (Feat. Keenhouse) – Dreams (Show Your Shoe reMix)

‘Dreams’ is out today on Binary, go get it here, here, here or here, and stay tuned to electronic rumors for our profile and interview with Keenhouse, as part of our Binary week, tomorrow!

We will also be featuring an interview with Futurecop! next month as they prepare for the release of their ‘Starworshiper’ EP.

Futurecop! @ Beatport

Futurecop! @ Juno

Futurecop! @ 7Digital

Futurecop! @ Amazon

Keenhouse @ Beatport

Keenhouse @ Juno

Keenhouse @ 7Digital

Keenhouse @ Amazon

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Binary Week: LexiconDon

If you’ve been a regular reader of electronic rumors over the past year or so you’ll understand the difficulty I’m having finding something new to say about LexiconDon. Toward the end of last year they released their staggeringly good début album, ‘Pink + Blue’, and about that time we featured them on the site…a lot.

Also, LexiconDon were featured in all three of our Top 20s Of 2010! Albums, Songs and reMixes!

With the success they’ve had in recent months you could consider LexiconDon to be one of Binary’s flagship bands, and they are a band. Whist starting out as a project consisting of just Fabien Ordorica (he of Fabian fame) and energetic frontman Alex Koons, the act is now a four piece incorporating live guitar and bass, and in a scene dominated by DJs and hipsters hunched over Ableton controllers that’s something special.

It also gives the impression that LexiconDon sit at them slightly more rowdy end of the Binary spectrum. The music has a rawness, a live quality, to it. Injecting ElectroPop with the energy of post-punk and a narrative lyrical style that speaks of day-to-day lives and loves that we can all relate to. But LexiconDon are no one trick pony, their début record is one that flows from smooth DiscoPop to pumped up Electro-Punk before you realise it’s happening.

Alex gives us the lowdown on all things LexiconDon:

ER: How did you guys get together? Was is always to make electronic music?

AK: Fabian and I met at a studio in Hollywood appropriately named Hollywood Sound in 2007. I had actually been rapping since I was like 16 and Fabian was producing hip-hop tracks at the time. I don’t remember specifics but we ended up recording a song called “The Secrets Out” and the rest was history.  We recorded a full length rap album, but about a year later wrote the song “Staying With My Girl” that would initially change our whole style.

ER: And how did you then get involved with the Binary posse?

AK: Josh and Kyle came to the first show that we played “Staying With My Girl” at. I honestly feel like they saw the potential of what could come if we continued to write songs with that same kind of feeling.

LexiconDon – Boy Vs. Girl Pt.1

ER: Your sound seems to owe a lot of British SynthPop and Post-Punk artists, in that it feels more raw and live than your average SynthPop, is this where your influence lies?

AK: Personally, I draw a lot of influence in all genres. I love Celine Dion and Yanni songs, just as much as I love The Church and Psychedelic Furs.

ER: Who are your heroes and influences, both musical and otherwise?

AK: My dad is a big hero of mine, and I think a lot of the reason I am so into music. I have been a big Kanye fan since ‘College Drop Out.’ The Talking Heads, Third Eye Blind, and Atmosphere have played a pretty huge roll in the soundtrack for my life as well.

ER: Your songs seem deal with the everyday, lives and loves and losses, are you just making the soundtrack to your own lives?

AK: Yes.

ER: What’s in LexiconDon’s studio? What are your favourite bits of kit?

AK: Logic, armed with any plugin imaginable, a midi keyboard, an Mbox, an MXL condenser microphone, and a SM 57.

ER: And what makes up your live set up?

AK: Our live set up is like a rainbow with a pot of blow at the end of it. It’s made up of four guys having a lot of fun on stage, sometimes a little too much.

ER: How has the inclusion of live drums and guitar evolved the live sound? And will this be more and more influencing the studio sound?

AK: The drums bring the tracks to life. Fabian’s drums already are so important in his production and when played on a kit there is a certain breath that the live performance takes. Sam’s guitar and bass has added to the energy of the whole show and really makes a difference giving these tracks a totally different feel on stage. I think the studio sound will differently evolve like the live show has.

ER: If money was no object what synth would be your dream purchase?

AK: A Yamaha VSS30 I had one when I was a kid and wish I never sold that bad boy. Its not a synth but it would be really bad ass to have a real Roland 808 too.

LexiconDon – Sleep 2 Dream

ER: How does being part of Binary help you guys as musicians?

AK: You are always surrounded by such amazing musicians and people. In no way is it a competition, but hearing the new stuff everyone is working on all the time just make us want to work harder. It’s like pushing each other to reach our maximum potential. It’s a pretty amazing thing to be a part of.

ER: I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about, the Student Body video, or how you felt about the reaction to it. Opinion seemed to wildly differ between those who (like us) though it was a harmless, and quite funny, bit of fun satire and those who (and I quote) “couldn’t watch it to the end”. Personally I felt that if the video made someone feel uncomfortable then that said more about the viewer than the video. What did you think?

AK: All I know is that making that video was one of the funniest things we have ever down. It was amazing working with everyone and the video turned out perfectly. I guess we had a different point of view because we got to be on set, and we wrote the song. In the end I don’t think we have much to say to the people who think its super pedo. It deserves a reaction yes, but it should be a light hearted one at best.

ER: Did it even cross your mind that some people would be uncomfortable with the video when you
were making it?

AK: Yeah, I think we knew that it would upset some people. There is always gonna’ be a paradox in anyone’s art. People can look into anything too hard and make something out of nothing. I don’t think we were prepared for some of the reactions from certain people. It was rough having people very close to us not getting it.

ER: How are you feeling now Pink + Blue is out? Proud I’d expect?

AK: Yeah, very proud and it feels good that its out. It took a long time to make that record. I really don’t think its reached its maximum potential, but so far I think we are all pretty happy with where its at.

ER: How do you feel it has been received?

AK: We are happy with the results thus far. Its rough writing SynthPop in a lo-fi, Chillwave saturated forum.

ER: One of the great things about Pink + Blue is that it contains quite a mix of styles, is this just ‘cos it represents the last few years of LexiconDon evolution or can we expect you to mix it up a bit in future?

AK: Its because Fabian & I write in such a sporadic way. We have no formula, we have always just made songs that we like. Every single song we have made has been done in such a different way, and when we try to repeat previous attempts, it never works the same. We hope to have a bit more consistency on the next record but be prepared for a roller coaster of genre crossing.

LexiconDon – Heart Attack

ER: Can we expect to see you touring Pink + Blue, and sign of you guys crossing the Atlantic?

AK: I am pretty sure we will be hitting the road sometime in late May. As for crossing the Atlantic, which by the way would be a dream come true just playing a show over seas, might be a little while away. In reality we need a higher demand in the states and elsewhere. The next year holds a lot of gold and we intend on grabbing as much as possible to share it with everyone else.

ER: Are LexiconDon more cereal or pile of pancakes for breakfast kinda’ band? Would that change the morning after a show?

We are more like a 4 shots of espresso on ice and a cigarette band. The morning after the show we would probably be a bloody mary.

LexiconDon – Success Is Fine

LexiconDon’s début album, Pink + Blue, is out now on dubFrequency/Binary.

LexiconDon @ Beatport

LexiconDon @ Juno

LexiconDon @ 7Digital

LexiconDon @ Amazon

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Hana Yori Kichou Na’s new tune

Funky Disco House producer Hana Yori Kichou Na was last seen on the awesome free Shiny Disco Club compilation, ‘Millennium Disco’ rocks back up today with his Valentine’s Day gift to you all.

This free brand new track ‘La Belle Oubliée’ is a smooth Nu-Disco tune with a hypnotic groove and laid back summery vibe. Crazy percussion and Disco licks keep the track driving to let the sweet synths do their thing.

Hana Yori Kichou Na – La Belle Oubliée

Hana Yori Kichou Na @ Beatport

Hana Yori Kichou Na @ Juno

Hana Yori Kichou Na @ 7Digital

Hana Yori Kichou Na @ Amazon

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Bright Light Bright Light’s ‘How To Make A Heart’ video

Today, as a Valentine’s Day present Bright Light Bright Light has premiered the video for this new track ‘How To Make A Heart’.

Taken from his forthcoming album ‘Make Me Believe In Hope’ (which, I think, is the first time we’ve heard the title’), ‘How to Make A heart’ is an uplifting electronic Pop gem with a cute, if a little sad, video directed by Gavin Leisfield.

Download the video for free at howtomakeaheart.brightlightx2.com.

Bright Light Bright Light @ 7Digital

Bright Light Bright Light @ Amazon

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Binary Week: Short Circuit

Short Circuit is the alter ego of one Mr. Andrew Verner. DJ, musician, producer and Vocoder abuser.

A lifelong musician, Andrew turned his attention completely to electronic music around 2008 and has since become an Electro workhorse, producing reMix after reMix as well has his own, acclaimed, single ‘Let Go’. With a sound that owes as much to European dancefloors and Sci-Fi soundtracks as it does to the LA party scene, Short Circuit’s cyborg Funk mixes up hard, pounding, beats and harsh basses with sweet soaring leads and sparkling arpeggios.

Though his music can range from gritty cut-up Electro to borderline EBM stompers to smooth Robotic love songs, Andrew’s experience as a DJ allows him to craft tunes guaranteed to rock a dancefloor regardless of genre. A skill he puts to good use with a live show that blurs the boundaries between performance and DJing.

Check out what Short Circuit in his own words:

ER: How did you start getting into making making music?

A: I’ve been making music as long as I can remember, ever since my dad bought me my first Casio keyboard when I was 4 or 5. All throughout my childhood I would make little home recordings on my tape deck and make my family suffer through listening to them. I was in bands all through high school and a while after playing different instruments. I got into electronic music about 4 years ago and have been making it ever since.

ER: And how would you like your music described?

A: That’s a tough question to answer. Recently, a blog described my music as “Robopop” (that was us! – ER) which I think is pretty cool. Really, I don’t care what people call it as long as they like it.

ER: Who are your heroes and influences, both musical and otherwise?

A: I’d say musically my influences would range anywhere from Depeche Mode to Neil Young. I grew up listening to rock music and it greatly influences my work and I feel that it comes through in my songs. I wouldn’t say that I have any “heroes”, but I greatly admire anyone that can write great songs. Anyone from MJ to Paul McCartney to Prince. If you can keep writing hit after hit, your pretty awesome in my book.

ER: You style seemed a bit harder than the rest of Binary’s roster, I’m thinking of ‘Music Machine’, but seems to be becoming a bit smoother, how would you say your style is evolving?

A: I’m always changing up my style a bit. Its hard to say that my style is getting lighter or smoother because there are some heavier songs I have yet to release. What I’ve released to the public so far is a very small taste of the stuff I’ve been working on. Some of it is rock some of it is disco and some is really dark slow electro.

Short Circuit – Music Machine

ER: When did the Binary posse enter the picture?

A: In 2008 I started making remixes and original songs as a side project from my electronic band “Mechanical Hands Electric Heart”. Basically anything I did that wouldn’t fit in the bands style I just started putting out on my own. I did a few remixes that started getting some recognition and according to Josh, it was my post on Missingtoof debuting my remix for Digitalism’s “Magnets” that caught their ear. They emailed me and we set up a meeting with Josh and Kyle (Binary/ NightWaves) and Fabian and Alex (LexiconDon) along with myself and the rest is history I guess.

ER: Is the name a Johnny5 reference?

A: Definitely. A couple years ago I had to change the name I was using due to some legal issues and was racking my brain for a new name. I was thinking of robots and electronics and immediately thought of Johny5. My first idea was actually to use the name Johnny5 but I decided against it for a few reasons. So yeah, Short Circuit was the next obvious choice.

ER: What does Short Circuit have in his studio? How does the writing process work for you?

A: Right now I have my laptop running Reason 4, Logic Pro and Ableton Live. I have an Alesis Micron and a MicroKorg that I use for pounding out ideas but the sounds rarely ever make it to the final song. I also have an array of guitars and other instruments and a pretty decent assortment of mics (mostly AKG’s). Everything runs through my Mackie VLZ3 16 channel mixing board and that gets piped into the computer via a Mackie Onyx 400f interface.

As for the writing process, it varies depending on the song. Sometimes I’ll have a melody or loop in my head and I’ll try to recreate it in the studio. Sometimes Ill get inspired by something I hear and sit down and start working. Some of my best songs though have actually come about while working on a different song. Ill be messing around with the song and all of a sudden come up with something great that will inspire me to start from scratch.

ER: And how does that translate live, both with gear and performance?

A: When I play live I use my Micron and MicroKorg synths along with a small percussion set up. My laptop runs Ableton for the backing tracks and I use a Numark Total Control to control Ableton. I run everything through a small 4 channel mixer so I don’t have to worry about the sound guys not getting the levels right.

I try to do as much as I can live as far as playing synths, singing with the vocoder and doing some percussion. Basically, I try to put on the best show I can as just one person. So far the response has been good but I am always trying to improve what I’m doing. I’ve recently made a few adjustments to my set that I am really excited about and cant wait to try them out in front of a crowd.

ER: If money was no object, what synth would you go after?

A: Its hard to pin down any particular synth, probably an old Moog or a Juno. Anything would be better than what I have right now.

ER: Has being part of Binary helped you as a musician?

A: Yes, immensely. Its great to be surrounded by a group of guys that are great musicians and producers. There is always this level of friendly competition that has improved all of our songs. If you listen to the tracks we were all putting out before Binary and compare them to what we are all doing now, there is no question that we have all helped each other improve.

ER: What does Dreamwave mean to you?

A: Not much really. I think the whole Dreamwave thing has been taken out of context and the term has been applied to many things that are not “Dreamwave”. I really don’t think most of my music fits under that category and the Binary collective as a whole has a lot more to offer than just one type of sound.

Short Circuit – Let Go

ER: When are we going to be hearing your EP?, What should we expect for in?

A: Good question, I’m hoping for sometime this year. All the songs are there, some are just waiting for some minor tweaks and some need a lot more vocal work. But as far as a set date, I cant really give one right now.

As for what to expect, the songs I have lined up are all very different but fit together somehow. I’m really excited to see what people think of the new stuff and also nervous as well since some of it is a bit of a departure from what I normally do. There are also a couple of tracks that I sing on which is the first time I’ve ever done anything like that and it definitely adds to the anxiety of it all.

ER: Is Short Circuit more of a cereal or pile of pancakes for breakfast kinda’ act?

Well I would like to think of it as more of a cereal kind of breakfast. Always good and you can count on it every day to please. In the words of the late great Mitch Hedburg “You don’t want to be like pancakes, all exciting at first then after a while you get sick of them”.

Michael Jackson – Beat It (Short Circuit reMix)

Andrew’s not just a musician, the man is also a DJ, having held residencies at some of LA’s hottest spots. Get your ears round his latest mix:

♫ Short Circuit – Greatest Hits

Just check out that tracklist!

1. Metronomy – Radio Ladio (Micachu reMix)
2. Pink Floyd- Another Brick In The Wall (DJ Agent ‘86 reMix)
3. Tensnake – Need Your Lovin’ (Dub Mix)
4. Yacht – Psychic City (Classixx Remix)
5. Empire Of The Sun – We Are The People (The Golden Filter reMix)
6. Short Circuit – Just Because
7. Flight Facilities (Feat. Giselle) – Crave You (Cassian reMix)
8. JBAG – X-Ray Sex (Kill the Hero reMix)
9. LBCK – Start (Moonchild reMix)
10. Madeon – For You
11. Paul – Together Again
12. Annie – Songs Remind Me Of You (The Swiss reMix)
13. Miami Horror – Holidays (Miami Horror And Cassian reMix)
14. French Horn Rebellion – This Moment
15. ODahl – Hold Me
16. Bag Raiders – Shooting Stars

Short Circuit’s single, ‘Let Go’ is out now with a new EP forthcoming.

Short Circuit @ Beatport

Short Circuit @ Juno

Short Circuit @ 7Digital

Short Circuit @ Amazon

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Binary Week: Binary 101

Welcome to Binary week, here on electronic rumors, readers!

Over the next seven days we’ll be dedicating most of our output to Binary Entertainment, that haven for all things ElectroPop, all things Indie-Electro, all things Nu-Disco. That’s right…all things Dreamwave!

A couple of years ago  this sound had no name, the Valerie crew had their little corner of the retro, 80s,  inspired ElectroPop/Nu-Disco world pretty sorted, but not named, and around the world there were great artists producing music you could only really describe as Valerie-esq. While The Valerie Collative were making music largely inspired by American teen movies of the 80’s their sound still had a strong European quality to it…enter the Binary stable of artists, who took this mixture of melodic retro ElectroPop and contemporary, dancefloor aimed, production and ran with it. Adding a healthy dose of LA-centric Americana, a certain swagger if you will, to the genre and naming it. Dreamwave.

I’ll admit I was a little hesitant about the name when I first heard it being used. ‘I’ve been listening to ElectroPop for over 20 years’ I thought ‘it really doesn’t need a new name’, but credit is due to Josh and Kyle (Binary’s founders) as their vision of Dreamwave has stuck, and makes sense (even to me!) now. In retrospect the guys did a amazing job by giving this scene a name, it’s more than just a style of music (the Binary artists themselves span quite a diverse range of electronica), it’s an attitude, a soft focus outlook on life where loving and dancing are the priority. When you think of Dreamwave, not only do you thing of the perfect smooth ElectroPop/Nu-Disco blend but also of warm summer nights, partying in LA.

Whether it’s the laidback Indie-Electro of NightWaves, the Disco flavours of Keenhouse or LexiconDon’s real world ElectroPop the Binary crew are putting melody back on the dancefloor, or Disco back into songwriting, and the term Dreamwave is becoming so ubiquitous now that January’s print edition of The NME named Dreamwave their ‘D’ in an ‘A to Z for what to watch in 2011’. Let’s hope their readers take note!

Not only did Josh and Kyle pull off the (pretty hard) task of branding a type of ElectroPop, but they also branded a feeling. An aspirational lifestyle that can be yours, even if you can’t get to LA, through the music of the artists who call Binary their home.

Who are these electronic Sandmen? LexiconDon, NightWaves, Short Circuit, Keenhouse, Alfa, Fabian & The Kids Are Radioactive. You’ll get to know them very well over the course of this week!

Here’s what Josh and Kyle have to say:

ER: How did Binary get started?

J: Well, I suppose it started out of a frustration for doing what people consider to be conventional lives and jobs. Kyle and I both desperately wanted to try doing something special and different before we became tied down by things like a mortgage, a marriage, or kids. We’ve been musical compatriots practically since the day we met (sailing in Long Beach!), so starting a music company was something we felt really excited about trying. We spent a bunch of time thinking long and hard about what we wanted Binary to be, and eventually, near the middle of 2008, we quit our jobs and haven’t looked back since!

ER: Is there a Binary Mission statement?

J: For a long time we were somewhat known for saying that our mission was to “bring the song back to the dancefloor”… In a lot of ways that is definitely still a mission of ours. Most of the music we work with, put out, or write about is expertly produced electronic music that’s made for fans of all music, not just dance junkies. I don’t think that part of the mission has changed. What I’m no so sure about anymore is whether or not you could call Binary a ‘dance music’ music factory. Kyle and I love a lot of different kinds of music and I think Binary will end up being a home for a lot of music that people can’t dance to. I believe our mission is to provide an artist friendly home for great songwriters, be it on the blog, on our label, or as an artist that we manage.

ER: How do you find your roster?

K: Well our roster hasn’t changed since it was fully in place back in September of 2008. But for that process, it was a mix of musicians we were associating with at the time through a friend and we were really impressed by the material they were putting together (Fabian and Alex from LexiconDon), a couple guys we found on some blog posts (Short Circuit and Alfa), we found The Kids Are Radioactive by scouring through MySpace, which took up a lot of our time in the early days of Binary. And we saw Keenhouse play a show that another one of our friends was promoting. We spent a ton of time just jumping in head first into this community of artists online, on MySpace, that were making original music and showed a certain creative edge rather than just chopping up some songs and making remixes…it was really a great journey to take. So we found what we thought was the best and the guys that showed the most potential, and guys that were in the LA area since we were trying to build a local scene and community here, and that’s how we ended up with the roster we currently have. Nowadays, because of the blog, we get a lot of promo emails, so we’ll find a lot of upcoming talented producers that way, and just staying on top of blogs looking for new artists. I personally really like finding the totally unknown guys that I can just sense have a lot of potential and watching them grow into bigger things, whether that’s due to us or not, but unfortunately that’s getting a lot harder since MySpace has died…which is the only bad part about MySpace dying.

ER: Is LA really as cool and romantic as the music would suggest?

K:Haha, yeah, I think so. LA is as cool and romantic as you make it. LA gets a bad reputation around the world (though I think this is changing a lot) and people think it’s plastic and fake, and yeah, there are certainly big parts of the city that are like that. But it’s a very big place…big enough for all of us to create or live the life we want to live. When I first moved out here from Chicago I actually kinda’ hated this place, but once you settle in and can comfortably call it home, you start to find your own little world that works for you, with the friends you want, going to the places you want to go to, doing the things you want to do. I can’t think of a better place to live in your young 20’s than the east side of LA. We’re just all such like-minded people here, and everyone kinda’ gets each other, and we all know that we’re all kind of out here trying to live the dream. So it all works out, and some days you’ll find yourself on the freeway looking at the big green hills and the blue sky with the sun shining and you take a breath and really appreciate being here right now.

ER: Where the ladies at?

K: My lady’s at home, she’s awesome. Oh you mean where are the ladies on Binary? Haha, man there are a lot of times we wish we had more of a female presence on the label, whether that be having a full fledged Binary female artist, or even just a source to go to for female vocals on some tracks. I really hope that day comes soon, cause we could really use it. The problem is that it just seems harder to find…as I said we haven’t really expanded our roster in any case, but even if we had, I don’t usually come across female producers or singers sending us their music that would fit well with Binary. We try and push our current artists to collaborate with other singers, especially female singers, because a lot of times that is the best thing that could complement a track they may be working on, but it’s tough working on random collaborations like that. I don’t know, I think we’re going to need to start exploring some other channels. But that day will come and it will be a great day.

To get you started on your week long journey down the Binary rabbit-hole here’s NightWaves ‘Binary Hour’ mixtape, showcasing some of the best from the label:

NightWaves Presents: The Binary Hour

The Binary Hour tracklist:

01: LexiconDon – Pink + Blue
02: NightWaves – Fascination (Vocal)
03: Alfa – Funker
04: Short Circuit – This Is Real
05: Fabian – Last Flight
06: Keenhouse – Ari-es (Grum reMix)
07: NightWaves – Sweet Carrie (Beaumont reMix)
08: LexiconDon – December Sunset (U-Tern reMix)
09: The Kids Are Radioactive – Sorry
10: Short Circuit – Get Up
11: Alfa – Holy Shit!
12: Fabian – Heatwave
13: Fabian – Heatwave (Short Circuit’s Heatstroke Edit)
14: LexiconDon – Student Body
15: Keenhouse – Ari-es (Hemingway’s Starlight Yacht reMix)
16: Fabian – Starlight Love
17: LexiconDon – Hot Love
18: Short Circuit – How We Speak
19: NightWaves – Fascination (Bit Funk reMix)
20: Keenhouse – The Rendezvous

And as a bonus, check out some Binary-on-Binary reMix action:

LexiconDon – December Sunset (NightWaves reMix)

Keenhouse – Ari-es (NightWaves reMix)

Over the course of this week we will be profiling and interviewing each act on in the Binary stable. We’ll be featuring loads of awesome music, some exclusives, mixes and a competition so make sure you check back daily as we bring you the low-down on some of the finest ElectroPop being produced today.

Binary Entertainment @ Beatport

Binary Entertainment @ Juno

Binary Entertainment @ 7Digital

Binary Entertainment @ Amazon

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Moullinex’s ‘Catalina’ video

Moullinex has just premiered the first video from his awesome ‘Chocolat EP’.

The clip for ‘Catalina’ is really visually interesting. A simple idea perfectly executed by Luis Clara Gomes & Luis Calçada. The track’s a sweet slice of head nodding Disco too!

Moullinex’s ‘Chocolat EP’ is out now on Gomma Dance Tracks.

Moullinex @ Beatport

Moullinex @ Juno

Moullinex @ 7Digital

Moullinex @ Amazon

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Konnichiwa’s début album

A few days ago we dropped the video for Konnichiwa’ s ‘Maiden China’ from their début album ‘Visions’. We’ve had a chance to listen to the full album now, and it’s pretty special.

The thing I like about Konnichiwa is their points of reference. Most 80’s inspired acts draw their influences from Europe, particularly England (and being English, I do hear a lot of it!) whereas Konnichiwa, although defiantly an 80s SynthPop influenced duo, produce a sound more akin to the Electronic Pop that came out of the US in the 80s, a sound that tended to be a bit more upbeat than it’s European counterpart and made more extensive use of burgeoning sampling technology. This sound eventually gave way to a particular North American brand of EBM/SynthPop (think Information Society) and it’s this poppy, yet borderline EBM, groove that I can hear running through Konnichiwa’s record. Lots of FM synthesis and sampling make up the music. Percussive and driving it forms a stable basis for Kaela Noel’s crazy, reverb washed, vocal style. Almost oriental and kinda’ operatic in a weird way, and with a touch of Karin Dreijer-Andersson to it, Kaela’s vocals  form a strange and alluring focal point for the tracks.

Check out ‘Constellations’ on of my favourite tracks from ‘Visions’

Konnichiwa – Constellations

‘Visions’ is out 22nd March on Rainbow Body Records.

Konnichiwa @ 7Digital

Konnichiwa @ Amazon

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