Kool Bandits’ ‘Dancefloor Hold Up’

kool-bandits

Way back, last month, we posted a track by French outfit Kool Bandits, then called ‘I Want You’ the track has now been renamed ‘Dancefloor Hold Up’ and has been given the full vocal treatment for it’s single release.

The vocal is actually quite weird, really self-referential. It kinda’ works, but I’m torn as to which version I prefer, this or the Instrumental version. The vocal version is definitely more of a commercial party starter. The track itself, as we said last time, is unashamedly poppy with it’s hook, with a dirty bassline and a big euphoric riff. But the vocals are maybe just a tad too cheese laden and meandering for our tastes. That said though, it’s still a really good track, and the single is definitely worth picking up, if mainly for the Instrumental and it’s insanely catchy hook. The instrumental version is the standout track here, but this vocal version is definitely going to get some play over the summer.

Kool Bandits – Dancefloor Hold Up  (Radio Edit)

Kool Bandits – Dancefloor Hold Up  (Instrumental Mix)

‘Dancefloor Hold Up’ is released 22nd June.

Check out more from Kool Bandits on SoundCloud.

Tesla Boy’s ‘Fantasy’

tesla-boy

This week the new single by one of our favourite acts, Muscovite retro SynthPop act Tesla Boy is released . Hopefully this signposts the lead in to their new album, although their début full length record, Modern Thrills’ still get’s a hell of a lot of play around these parts, it’s definitely time for a new one.

Tesla Boy are one of a seriously tiny handful of bands who have successfully merged SynthWave, Nu-Disco and ElectroPop, in that they write proper Pop songs but I can think of few other vocal Pop artists who’s tracks sound like Nu-Disco tracks, or Dreamwave tracks. How they haven’t gain more attention if a mystery to me. ‘Fantasy’ is a smooth, perfectly Tesla Boy track. The deep funk synth bass is there playing against the choppy New Wave guitar, the Disco beat and vintage synth work. But the centrepiece of any Tesla Boy track is Anton’s trademark impassioned croon. This new track is just as catchy and warm as we’ve come to expect from Tesla Boy, who really are one of the best ElectroPop bands in the world today. Hopefully this years releases will seem them reaching the wider audience they deserve.

♫ Tesla Boy – Fantasy

‘Fantasy’ is out now on Gorby Regan Records with hints of a new EP on the horizon.

Buy Tesla Boy’s music from:

     

iamamiwhoami’s ‘Kill’

The next video from Jonna Lee’s iamamiwhoami has been released. ‘Kill’ maybe the most impressive of the ‘second album’ tracks to date.

Both the video and the track start off in a familiar place, it’s a pulsating ElectroPop track with a panoramic video. At the track progresses the song becomes rapidly more fatalistic and the video descends darker and darker until, oh hello!, we’re back in the iamamiwhoami uncomfortable place.

The ‘Good Worker’, ‘Drops, ‘Server’, ‘Rascal’ and ‘Kill’ singles are out now.

Buy iamamiwhoami’s music from:

Goin’ Old School: Kraftwerk, New Order & DEVO

Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:

We’re breaking the ‘Goin’ Old School’ rules a little today by featuring tracks we’ve featured before and tracks that aren’t strictly ‘80’s, but in celebration if the late, great, Bob Moog’s birthday, here’s some of our favourite Moog tracks. Starting with Kraftwerk’s ‘Autobahn’ from 1975.

And we had to feature New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ again, from 1983. Moog Source anyone?

DEVO 1980 hit ’ Whip It’ is covered in MiniMoogs!

You can buy most of this  music from:

 

Rave Me’s début EP

rave me

OK, fist up Rave Me is a terrible terrible name. Shudder. Sometimes I really don’t think producers care about how their music is presented to the public. I got sent Rave Me’s new EP from Keiz Beats, a label I trust, so I listened to it, if it had come form an unknown source, with a name like that, I would have probably passed it over.  Right, now I have got that out of my system, Rave Me is a 17 year old Ukrainian producer who is actually making some awesome tunes, so it’s a good job I did end up checking it out.

This insanely young producer is mashing up Electro-House and SynthWave into one powerful, noise and emotive dance monster, and with no releases recently from Danger, we kinda’ need someone doing this. His ‘Dance’ EP (this kid really isn’t good with names) kicks off with ‘Round’, a massive stomping Electro track that comes at you with chainsaw synths. This leads into the rest of the EP which contains a few, more Pop oriented, tracks. These tracks, like ‘With You’ are surprising beasts, starting you off with plumbing Electro then dropping a slick vocal on you. It makes for a weird combination, but the mixture of jackhammer stadium Electro and big anthemic vocals works incredibly well. Then out of nowhere Rave Me drops a track like ‘That Night’, a Ukrainian take on Chromeo’s Funk. Sure, the EP is a little rough around the edges, the production could be smoothed out a little, maybe mastered properly, and that name (oh that name!), but all-in-all this is a damn impressive, and mature, début from this youngster and one that it is definitely worth checking out.

Rave Me – Round

♫ Rave Me – With You

♫ Rave Me – That Night

♫ Rave Me – Dance

The EP is released 4th June.

Buy Rave Me’s music from:

  

Mikill Pane and Little Bear

I almost passed this one over, but I’ve glad I didn’t. this is alternative rapper Mikill Pane with Little Bear of Ursa Minor (Little Bear) with ‘Cut Back FFWD’ and eclectic melting-pot track with a heavy dose of the ‘80’s.

The video is directed by Gaika Tavares, who keeps things simple and VHS choppy.

The track is taken from Mikill Pane’s ‘Morris Dancer’ EP, out now on Invader Music.

Mikill Pane and Little Bear will be  playing together at Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen. Ursa Minor (Little Bear) play at London’s XOYO on 9th June and at Natural Rhythm Festival on 17th July.

Buy Mikill Pane’s music from:

   

Mitch Murder’s ‘Race Day’

Mitch Murder

Mitch Murder keeps knocking them out of the park, time and time again. Whist relatively quite during the record in his last album, the awesome ‘Current Events’, now the album is out Mr. Murder is treating us to a new track almost weekly, and they are all killer, no filler!

‘Race Day’ is slick as hell. A bouncy Italo track loaded with nostalgia, what we have here is four and a half minutes of thoughtful and uplifting SynthWave. The track pumps along on a staccato FM bassline that lays the groundwork for some seriously shimmering synths to dance around. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the is no-one making Synthwave who has a command of melody, and the production skills of Mitch Murder. Everything in his track just sits right in the mix, and his melodies interweave around each other like they have always been part of the whole. A master at work.

♫ Mitch Murder – Race Day

Mitch Murder’s amazing ‘Current Events’ album is out now.

Buy Mitch Murder’s music from:

The Magician’s ‘Magic Tape Twenty-Three’

the-magician

The Magician – Magic Tape Twenty-Three = i was starting to get withdrawal symptoms, but the The Magician hit me up with a new ‘Magic Tape’ fix. It;s that time of the month to play guess the storming Disco & House tracklist, I’m please to hear some Final DJs (Justin Faust mix) in there.

The Magician – Magic Tape Twenty-Three

Buy The Magician’s music from:

Autostrada (pssst, it’s Mille!)

Autostrada

Sweden’s  Autostrada maybe be a little more guitary than we would normally post, but their début track, ‘You & I’ is just so good it’s hard to ignore. It’s loaded with massive ‘80’s synth chords and big tom rolls, and we have a sneaking suspicion where that comes from. One of this IndiePop combo’s four members is SynthWave genius Mille.

Mille influence is all over this track, it’s pure retro Pop dressed up for contemporary summery Indie fans. At it’s core it’s perfect retro Electro. No one does big rousing synth music quite like Mille, he’s got a knack for uplifting chords and soaring lead lines and that knack lifts this track up above it’s peers. Atop this gorgeous synth work is some classic ‘80’s guitar and the kind of catchy vocal that buzz bands dream of. This track could be a big hit this summer, it’s good to know Mille isn’t letting his talents go to waste.

♫ Autostrada – You & I

Check out more from Autostrada on SoundCloud.

Taryn Manning’s ‘Moonwalk’ video

You know how yesterday I finally posted the Leisure Council produced Taryn Manning track, ‘Moonwalk’ and mentioned there was an awesome video I wasn’t allowed to post? Well apparently I am, so here it is.

Shot by the man with the eye, Paul Nguyen, the clip features Mr. Nicky Savage as a top fashion photographer, Jeremy rocking his bass and his will to live far too close to the edge of a rooftop and Sam living the Slash dream in some of most impressive axe work ever committed to film wile Ms. Manning generally lives it up. Also, someone needs to make an animated .gif of Fiero Leisure Council jumping through a roof into a pool!

Make sure you check out yesterday’s post about the track, as we’ve added a download!

‘Moonwalk’ is hopefully released soon!

Buy Taryn Manning’s music from: