Aug 2 2013

[Audio] Cut Copy’s ‘Let Me Show You’

As you would have seen from our excited Tweets a week or so ago, Australian SynthPop gurus Cut Copy are back in business. their new single, Let Me Show You, was release on extremely limited edition vinyl. Numbering 120 copies, the record was made as part of a demonstration of the vinyl production process at the recent Pitchfork Music festival, copies soon found their way onto YouTube (and onto our excited Tweets), but Modular have releases the track proper online.

You can breathe a sigh of relief too, the track is top-notch Cut Copy. Still loving their tracks of epic lengths, Let Me Show You is a six minute psychedelic SynthPop oddessy. Huge in scope, the track retains a classic Cut Copy sound whilst delivering something fresh alongside. Bright, starlight synths, a trademark for the band, sparkle through the tune, underpinned by warbling synth bass and slick 909 beats. The beats lead the track into a proto-Rave vibe for the choruses, adding subtly House piano and Acidic murmurings to the mix. But, as with all Cut Copy tracks, it’s the distant, hazy vocals that make the track. We’re hoping this means there’s a third studio album on the horizon.

♫ Cut Copy – Let Me Show You

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Aug 1 2013

[Audio] Rogue Vogue’s ‘Say You Will (+ Dublin Aunts reMix)

Chicago House music producer, and in our opinion one of the finest in the genre, Rogue Vogue is dropping a new single at the start of next month. Out on House of Disco Records, Say You Will is backed with the track More Than Enough and reMixes from such big names on the scene as LeSale, Sixth Avenue Express and Dublin Aunts is what sounds like one of the Chicago House releases of the year.

Say You Will is bombastic Chicago House that weaves it’s way around a classic sounding vocal sample. Popping with fresh elements, from the digital sax hook to the subtly piano line and the requisite 909 hats, Say You Will doesn’t leave you standing, serving up everything you need to get lost on the dancefloor. Lost in music, that is. More Than Enough is a slightly deeper affair. With more of a strobe lit warehouse vibe the track plays with subby bassed and ghostly organs amongst a compelling House beat. It;s another track that hard not to move to, featuring a punchy riff and just the tiniest hint of Luther Vandross. LaSale, Sixth Avenue Express and Dublin Aunts all apply their own brands of Disco and House to the track, but the most compelling for us was Dublin Aunts piano driven breakdown of the song. There’s just something about the combination of piano and synth bass, and the way these guys play with vocal samples that make their brand of slightly ecclectic House so interesting.

♫ Rogue Vogue – Say You Will

♫ Rogue Vogue – More Than Enough

♫ Rogue Vogue – Say You Will (Dublin Aunts Day Rave Mix)

Rogue Vogue’s Say You Will is released 5th August.

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Aug 1 2013

[Audio] Betamaxx’s ‘Sophisticated Technology’ album

We’ve got to be honest, two albums in one year always raises alarm bells for us. There’s a big danger of quantity over quality with such a packed release schedule, and the feeling that there’s no self-editing going on at the production end. In a day and age where everyone just throws up every single thing the do on the internet, for artists trying to create a buzz there’s a strong chance that releases become so commonplace that no excitement exists anymore. That said, we are big fans of Pittsburgh based SynthWaver Betamaxx, who album Interface from January this year we are still loving, and he has just released a new full length record, titled Sophisticated Technology, on Telefuture.

We were pleasantly surprise to find that Betamaxx has kept up his high quality productions throughout 2013 next 13 tracks. The album launches itself on a collaboration with French synth wizard Tommy, Breakthrough, a track that wears it’s more robotic side of the 80s influences on it’s sleeve. A cavalcade of tweaking arpeggios and laser beam synth lines that, whilst futuristic, leans on the side of the optimistic. Dolby Dance and Zenith are next, a chilled Beach vibe slice of retrowave and a hyperactive Italo Pop tune respectively, both showing off slick arrangements but featuring a slightly out of place muted guitar. Maxximum gets things back on track, a pulsating slab of instrumental RoboPop that is as emotionally resonant as it is playful with it’s twisting lead lines. When Redlining 6th kicks off there’s a slight feeling that it;s all over the place, but that soon reveals itself to be organised chaos as the track descends into pinpoint precision, multi layered, driving SynthWave with a hypnotic solo. The enigmatic synthesizer squeaks of Inside Information lead us to Reel To Reel, featuring Mike McG. A heavy Synth Funk tune that pairs B-Boy beats with ghostly vocoded vocals and a storming lead line, sprinkled with just the right amount of metal dance to give it a machine groove. Chrominance and Memorex Discotheque are both frantic, Outrun style tunes that drive the album toward it’s conclusion of the synthesizer relaxation of New Horizons and hopeful euphoric mood of the album’s final, cinematic, track, Remembrance. Overall Betamaxx has beat the odds and delivered a second amazing album in one year, sure there are some really jarring guitars here and there on the record that largely feel tacked on, and some of the hi-octane tunes are a tad by-the-numbers, but on the whole Sophisticated Technology is more killer than filler and well worth your investigation.

♫ Betamaxx (Feat. Mike McG) – Reel To Real

♫ Betamaxx (Feat. Tommy) – Breakthrough

♫ Betamaxx – Maxximum

♫ Betamaxx – Redlining 6th

Betamaxx’s Sophisticated Technology is out now.

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Jul 31 2013

[Audio] Jensen Sportag’s ‘Bellz’

It feels like we’ve been waiting an age for new material from Nashville Chillwavers Jensen Sportag, their Pure Wet EP seems like it was years ago, and that’s because it was, and with only the odd track and reMix here and there since, we feel slightly deprived of cool dreamlike Funk. Fear not though, the duo have been hunkered down in the studio busting out their début album. Set for release in November on Cascine, Stealth Of Days is as good as you’d hope it to be (we’ve had a cheeky listen, shhhh) and here’s your first taste, Bellz.

The album’s first single really show off what the Sportags have been up to these long two years. Bellz rocks a killer digital bassline and smooth retro stabs. For a track seen though the haze of reverb, the groove is amazingly tight. That bassline plays off the shuffling beats with razor sharp precision, which allows the airy Soul vocals and waves of hazy Tropical synths to glide over the tune in a loose fashion without stripping the tune of it’s dancefloor appeal. Which leaves you with the best of two worlds, Chillwave and Disco, really.

♫ Jensen Sportag – Bellz

Bellz is out now, Jensen Sportag’s début album, Stealth Of Days, is due out 12th November.

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Jul 30 2013

[Audio] Grum’s ‘The Theme’

Theme For Great Cities, the opening track of Simple Mind’s 1981 album Sister Feelings Call, is just one of those instantly recognisable tracks. The haunting synth riffs seem to send a chill right through you and informed many early 80s SynthPop tracks that followed it. Those ice tones also serve as the basis for the forthcoming new single from the man like Grum. Following on from April’s Everytime, The Theme got it’s world premiere at the weekend on Pete Tong’s Radio 1 show. Check it out.

The second single to be taken from Grum’s soon-to-be-released sophomore album, Human Touch, The Theme swoops straight into the main room with a vibe that is somewhere between sunrise and dystopia. Progressive House at it’s core, the tune pushes to the front Grum’s knack for the huge uplifting epics but keeps a little corner of itself edgy with those post-punk Simple Minds synths, which makes for an exciting combination. There’s even a hint of the Balearic in there as Grum deliverers all the elements of a big room floorfiller on one handy package. Definitely the stuff of the future.

♫ Grum – The Theme (Radio Rip)

Grum’s Human Touch is out later this year.

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Jul 30 2013

[Audio] Bxentric’s ‘Surrender’ (+Kevin McKay & Phil Kelsey reMix)

Well, it really has been quite a while since we heard an original tune from Nu-Disco producer Bxentric. Apart from the wonderful Foolishness, which featured on Aeroplane’s In-Flight Entertainment compilation last year, you have to go way back to 2010 and tunes like Complete and Vice (awesome tracks) to grab a bit of Bxentic goodness. Keeping busy he seems to have dropped the ‘-‘ and the ‘!’, grabbed Bristolian songstress Emily Breez from Vents, and lines up a storming release for the always top Glasgow Underground.

Surrender is an atmospheric and evocative slice of huge sounding Italo Pop. Actually, surprisingly so. It’s a far more straight-up ElectroPop track than we would have expected, but we like being surprised, and we were certainly pleasantly surprised by the classic 80s sound of Surrender. Breez’s borderline Goth croon curls it’s way around the track like smoke, whist Bxentric delivers pulsating basslines, ghostly arpeggios and razor sharp retro leads, but despite all these robotic elements, Bxentric injects the track with a nostalgic warmth too. reMixes on the single come from Cosmic Kids, Kevin McKay and a couple of versions from Kevin McKay & Phil Kelsey, including their Club Mix, which serves up the track with a side order of burbling Deep House groove.

♫ Bxentric (Feat. Emily Breez) – Surrender (Original Mix)

♫ Bxentric (Feat. Emily Breez) – Surrender (Kevin McKay & Phil Kelsey Club Mix)

Bxentric’s Surrender is out now on Beatport, everywhere else follows 12th August.

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Jul 30 2013

[Audio] Mark Reeder reMixes Westbam & Bernard Sumner’s ‘She Wants’

It’s been while since we heard from our friend Mark Reeder, but the Electro pioneer has been keeping himself busy. Once again getting all up in German Techno legend Westbam’s business, Reeder works his classic SynthPop magic on She Wants, a track of Westbam’s featruing vocal duties from Mr. Bernard Sumner of New Order.

Taken from Westbam’s star studded current album Götterstrasse, She Wants sees Sumner in full-on New Order evocative mode. Mark Redder serves up a beautifully produced timeless SynthPop backing, sumptuously rich in it’s sound, that fits Sumner perfectly. There’s even hints of New Order in the reMix, alongside an Acid squelch and early 80s machine beat. Like an 1984 Pop tune arranged by a mid-90s Techno producer by way of the second wave of EBM, Reeder makes this reMix and exciting dancefloor proposition that feels both new and old.

♫ Westbam & Bernard Sumner – She Wants (Mark Reeder’s Oldschool Radio reMix)

Westbam’s Götterstrasse is out now.

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Jul 26 2013

[Audio] Adeyhawke’s ‘In Memorex’

Part of his forthcoming EP for Girlfriend Records, In Memorex is the latest tune from Irish RoboDisco producer Adeyhawke. We’ve been loving his releases this year, after a period of quiet, he’s back bigger than ever with tunes that have us chomping at the bit to get our hands on this new EP.

In Memorex is a massive big room synthetic Disco tune. This one’s all about going big. Big beats, big basslines and big synth riffs. With an amazing 80s Electronic Soul swing in the bass department, the track is ridden by layers of playful snyth lines and vocal samples. In Memorex delivers infectious Electro Boogie vibes to todays Disco dancefloors, and does it with style.

♫ Adeyhawke – In Memorex

Adeyhawke’s EP is out in the coming weeks.

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Jul 26 2013

[Audio] Icona Pop’s ‘All Night’

Swedish ElectroPop duo Icona Pop have, in a very shot time, gone from being relegated to smaller blogs dealing with ElectroPop to being massive superstars. I Love It and Girlfriend blew up big time, and deservedly so, the girls deliver big room commercial House sounds mixed with rowdy, shouty, EelctroPop that makes for an explosive and infectious combination.

Their new tune, All Night doesn’t stray to far from the formula, competing big beats, chainsaw synths and hollered, anthemic vocals that are easy to catch. Icona Pop are something truly different in the world of Pop, and maybe the kick in the ass it needs. I can’t think of anyone around at the moment who can balance this kind of in-you-face Pop with Indie cool, but these girls do so effortlessly.

♫ Icona Pop – All Night

This week the duo confirmed that their début album, to be titled This Is… with drop in September.

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Jul 25 2013

[Audio] Monsieur Adi & AME’s ‘What’s Going On?’

It feels like everyone’s coming of age this week. Two producers we’ve been championing for years are set to explode, first Mitch Murder is gearing up to drop his Mad Decent début, and now our good friend Monsieur Adi, who’s been poised for a mainstream embrace for a while now, is about to release his début single via Relentless/Sony. Not only that, but the track features the UK’s current House vocalist darling A*M*E. After a run of major projects, producing Seal, reMixing Beyoncé, Adi’s time is now.

Long time Adi fans will instantly recognise What’s Going On?. It’s a track that’s been brewing for a while, since 2010 in fact when we first heard the Frenchman’s reMix of Soul II Soul’s Back To Like (However Do You Want Me?). In the in-between years the track has been given an extreme makeover, they synths are fatter, the beats harder, the orchestration more epic and the Caron Wheeler vocal line has been replaced by A*M*E who is sounding, frankly, better than I’ve ever heard her as she makes the track her own and delivers a truly stratospheric performance. This is the best of Adi, rousing stings, thick synth hooks, a Dreamwavey Disco style wrapped up with hard Electro production and Pop sensibilities. It’s gonna’ be huge.