Apr 24 2010

Luxury Living

LuxuryLiving

Amongst their number is one half of the Pearl Flash DJ crew, London based trio Luxury Living have been featured on electronic rumors previously with their stellar reMix of Penguin Prison’s ‘Something I’m Not’.

Their original material really does not disappoint. We can’t help buy get exited about their unique take on bouncy Space-Disco-SynthPop. This music is analog arpeggio heaven. Of the two tracks here I think I prefer ‘Kimberly’, with it’s real Robo-Disco vibe, although ‘Everything Is Going To Be Amazing’ is probably going to be a commercial smash!

♫ Luxury Living – Kimberley (Demo.) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Luxury Living – Everything Is Going To Be Amazing (zShare) (MediaFire)

Until the time comes to spend your dosh on Luxury Living’s début release go show them some MySpace lovin’

Luxury Living @ MySpace

Apr 24 2010

HURTS new single reMixed by Jamaica

HURTS03

Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about French ex-Poney Poney-ers Jamaica’s new reMix of the forthcoming HURTS single ‘Better Than Love’.

I love the song, it’s been on repeat here for a while, and I like the reMix a lot, I’m just not sure the two go together,

Musically the track is awesome, big 80’s Disco chords and digital slap bass with a syncopated chorus you can’t help buy move to. It’s just that at times it seems as though Jamaica haven’t quite got to grips with the vocal rhythms of the song, to the extent that the vocals feel as if they are slipping out of time. It’s just that one nagging feeling that stops a great tune being fantastic.

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (Jamaica reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Still, the single is shaping up to be a monster reMix package with an absolutely flawless original.

HURTS @ Beatport

HURTS @ Juno

HURTS @ Amazon

Apr 24 2010

The Vault: Man Parrish

The Vault: The classics of Electronic Music. The influential and the groundbreaking. The pioneering and the music we grew up on… ManParrish

Yeah, yeah, I know. electronic rumors in ‘actually writing one of their supposedly ‘regular’ columns’ shocker!

Well, it was time to dust off The Vault and feature an artist I have been meaning to write about ever since I came up with The Vault idea.

Electro legend Man Parrish.

Not just instrumental in shaping the sound of Electro Hip-Hop, but influential in most electronic music to this day, Manuel ‘Manny’ Parrish took Hip-Hop to the Discos of New York and took Disco to the streets. Coming out of the Studio54 scene to become one of the original, if not the first, producer/artists in electronic music, Man used costume, theatrics and make–up, to put on an unforgettable live show that also had the side effect of concealing his identity (a Caucasian producer in an African American dominated Hip-Hop scene).

Man Parrish’s place in the history of Electro, ElectroPop and Club music is undeniable. Maybe even more than Arthur Baker and Afrika Bambaataa, Man brought electro Hip-Hop to the masses, even the UK charts, and along with the likes of Baker & Bambaata, Cybotron, and Mantronix shaped an electronic club sound that Hip-Hop would soon forsake but SynthPop, House and Techno would utilise as a base to build upon.

Just listen to these tracks off the self titled début album and the classic single ‘Boogie Down (Bronx)’, they still sound fresh today and the beats, lead lines and vocoders could easily be from any contemporary tune featured on electronic rumors. Most European readers will probably be most familiar with Manny’s work from his Italo/hi-RG collaboration with Man 2 Man from 1986.

Personally, I think 1984’s ‘Boogie Down (Bronx)’ was one of the first synthesizer riffs that got stuck in may head and I have always loved Man Parrish’s combination of the aggressive Funk of early Electro Hip-Hop and the riffs and lead lines of SynthPop. Oh, and the man wields a mean vocoder too!

♫ Man Parrish – Hip Hop BeBop (Don’t Stop) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish – Man Made (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish – Six Simple Synthesizers (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish – Heatstroke (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man Parrish (Feat. Freeze Force) – Boogie Down (Bronx) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Man 2 Man Meets Man Parrish – Male Stripper (zShare) (MediaFire)

Man Parrish is currently signed to Norman Cook’s Southern Fried Records.

Man Parrish @ Beatport

Man Parrish @ Juno

Man Parrish @ Amazon

Apr 24 2010

La Roux reMix I Blame Coco

I Blame Coco A.K.A Eliot Sumner (of sister to Sting fame) has reached out to tour buddy La Roux to remix her forthcoming single ‘Self Machine’.

Is this the first La Roux reMix of another artist? I’m probably forgetting someone here but no other one springs to mind. Anyway, the track is reminiscent of ‘Quicksand’ a bit and takes be back to the summer of ‘08, which seeing as how it’s quite a summery tune, is no bad thing.

Annie Mac premiered it on her show, so check the radio rip.

♫ I Blame Coco – Self Machine (La Roux reMix) (Radio Rip) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Self Machine’ is out soon.

I Blame Coco @ Juno

I Blame Coco @ Amazon

Apr 24 2010

DOM

Dom

DOM (the Band), brainchild of Dom (the dude) are from Worchester, Massachusetts, a town getting a bit of a rep for producing ElectroPop these days.

On the verge of a hype explosion the band are about to release their début EP, ‘Sun Bronzed Greek God’ which includes the standout track ‘Living In America’. Imagine Passion Pit rehearsing next door to Daft Punk and sitting in the middle. Their brand of fun Electro sarcasm should take them a long way!

♫ DOM – Living In America (zShare) (MediaFire)

The ‘Sun Bronzed Greek Gods’ EP drops 1st May on Burning Mill Records

DOM @ Big Cartel

Apr 23 2010

Lo-Fi-Fnk Vs. Silver Columns

Lo-Fi-Fnk02

Ever since Lo-Fi-Fnk dropped a teaser of what to expect from their return we’ve been waiting excitedly for news of a forthcoming release.

What we do know is the teaser, ‘Marchin’ In’, will be the lead single and the Swedish ElectroPoppers have got Astronomer and Silver Columns on reMix duties.

The Silver Columns reMix fattens up the original with some deep analog synth bass and subtle house piano and creates a laidback Electro-House vibe with the track.

♫ Lo-Fi-Fnk – Marchin’ In (Silver Columns reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Marchin’ In’ will be released soon on Moshi Moshi.

Lo-Fi-Fnk @ Beatport

Lo-Fi-Fnk @ 7Digital

Lo-Fi-Fnk @ Amazon

Apr 22 2010

The Good Natured’s ‘Your Body Is A Machine to be re-released

TheGoodNatured

It’s been a fair ol’ while since we wrote about The Good Natured, since then I’ve managed to catch her live a few times and have been pretty impressed with what I saw. Understated and almost unconfident on stage but a definite musical talent. I’m sure the stage confidence will grow with time, confidence that can only be bolstered when alarmingly hip record labels want to release the title track form your début EP as a single.

The re-release of the track comes with a whole host of reMixes of the kind you’d expect from an alarmingly hip record. Portmanteau bring the noisy distorted Disco to the single which is quite nicely balanced with Sarah’s distinctive vocals and vocal style. The original track is an absorbing three and a half minutes that is possible the first song ever to be haunting and catchy and Portmanteau manage to hold on to some of that quality as a sheen over that warping synth backing but The Aspirins For My Children really up thing in the chaos stakes with their raucous Indie-Electro noisefest.

♫ The Good Natured – Your Body Is A Machine (Portmanteau reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ The Good Natured – Your Body Is A Machine (The Asprins For My Children reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ The Good Natured -Your Body Is A Machine (Zebra & Snake reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Your Body Is A Machine’ is released 21st June on, as I may have mentioned, an alarmingly hip record label.

The Good Natured @ Beatport

The Good Natured @ Amazon

Apr 22 2010

CHEW LiPS Topman CTRL show update

topmanctrlchewlips

Were still in the thick of our CHEW LiPS competition, in association with Topman CTRL, to win a limited edition T-shirt designed by the Tigs herself! There’s still a week to enter, find the info here.

As part of their stint as Topman controllers CHEW LiPS also hand picked the line up for a very special gig at the Cardiff Arts Institute, that was supposed to be on 16th April.

Well…certain Icelandic volcanoes had other ideas!

Stuck in New York and desperate to get to Cardiff (now there’s a movie I would go and see!) the band had to regretfully cancel the gig leaving troopers Party Horse to soldier on alone.

But have no fear ticket holders! The show has been rescheduled and tickets previously purchased will still be valid.

The new date is Wednesday 9th June at the Cardiff Arts Centre (support acts to be confirmed).

The good news is that gives you time to save up for that fancy hat you wanted to wear! Also, if you win a T-shirt in our competition it has time to arrive in the post so you can wear it with pride!

Maybe sometimes volcanoes are a blessing in disguise!

CHEW LiPS début album, ‘Unicorn’, and the current single ‘Karen’ are out now.

Apr 22 2010

Monarchy’s ‘The Phoenix Alive’; soon, very soon!

Monarchy02

It’s less than a month now until London SynthPop genii Monarchy’s first proper single is released. We’ve already told you haw great it is, and how awesome the video is but we though you might need reminding with some reMixes and a listen to the B-Side.

The original is a piece of pure Electronic perfection, a beautiful meeting of Disco and Italo topped with gently, heartfelt vocals that weave in and out of the instrumentation effortlessly. You’ll have heard Kris Menace’s arpeggio led Electro-House reMix before which contrasts with Hot City’s glitchy, Garage beats and cut-up vocals. the B-Sire is ‘It Must Be Love’, a track that might not make it to Monarchy’s début album, slated for a June release, is a ballad with a real mid-80’s Scandinavian SynthPop feel to it and a chord progression that tugs at the heart strings.

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (Kris Menace Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – The Phoenix Alive (Hot City Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ Monarchy – It Must Be Love (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘The Phoenix Alive’ is released 10th May on This Is London.

Monarchy @ Beatport

Monarchy @ Juno

Monarchy @ Amazon

Apr 22 2010

HURTS début single

HURTS

‘Better Than Love’ is a fantastic choice for HURTS’s first proper single (‘Wonderful Life’ bring an EP). I think most people were expecting the Spandau Ballet-esq ‘Blood, Tears & Gold’ but this tune, actually an old Daggers (HURTS previous incarnation) song, is probably a better fit for a breakthrough single.

The coolest band (and most hyped) in ElectroPop right now need to announce themselves with heir début and ‘Better Than Love’ does exactly that. Still sounding authentically 80’s Pop, without parody or cliché. The forthcoming single is, although described by the band as “dance music for depression”, and epic, somewhat uplifting slice of retro PowerPop, (verging on the Simple Minds at times even!). As melancholic as it is it can’t help but sound anthemic with all the drama and passion of the vocals sitting atop flying arpeggios and Italo beats. If the flavour isn’t dancefloor enough for you check out German House masters Tiefschwarz’s deep and dark reMix.

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ HURTS – Better Than Love (Tiefschwarz Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

It is amazing to find a band who really are living up to the hype. I absolutely cannot wait to catch these guys live in May!

HURTS @ Beatport

HURTS @ Juno

HURTS @ Amazon