Lamb reMixed by Figure Of 8

lamb

Figure Of 8 continues his winning streak of reMixes with a new version of Lamb’s track of last year, ‘Butterfly Effect’. The Belfast based producer does something completely different with the track and shows us how a reMix should be done.

If you’re not familiar with Lamb or the original track, Lamb are a left-field, post-Trip-Hop eclectic ElectroPop outfit who’s downtempo beats and atmospheric soundscapes make for excellent chill out listening. ‘Butterfly Effect’ is an almost ethereal slice of Sci-Fi ambiance with icy, distant vocals. Figure Of 8 obviously thought ‘you know what this needs? some retro SynthPop boogie!’, and made it so. The track now resides on dark dancefloors in seedy Soho clubs, driven by a pulsating vintage synth bass and razor sharp lead lines. There’s a few surprising thrown into the mix too, some dubby echo, some great, frantic percussion and the occasional Acid burbling. Figure Of 8 has kept the eclectic feel of a Lamb track, but made it able to rock a dancefloor too.

Lamb – Butterfly Effect (Figure of 8 reMix)

‘Butterfly Effect’ is taken from Lamb’s ‘5’ album. Figure Of 8 drops his début EP on On The Fruit Records 13th February.

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Gemini Club’s ‘By Surprise’

GeminiClub

Chicago’s Indie-Electro trio Gemini Club are making a welcome return with a new track taken from their forthcoming EP ‘Here We Sit’ which sees a the more groove laden side of Gemini Club making a comeback.

Their last EP had a harder, more raw sound than the Disco influenced ElectroPop we’d been used to hearing from them, but ‘By Surprise’ is more reminiscant of Gemini Club’s ‘Ghost’. In fact, the track borrows heavily from their reMix of The Vanish’s ‘Hold On’ (ah, The Vanish, there’s a band we mourn the loss of). There’s still an element of the newer, more live sound of the ‘Future Tidings’ EP but with a smoother dancefloor vibe. ‘By Surprise’ has all the elements you want in an Indie tinged DiscoPop track. Thick synths, a nice bit of funk with a pumping refrain, and a catchy song to boot. The EP isn’t out until April, but is this is a taste of it then we’re pretty excited for the release.

Gemini Club – By Surprise

‘Here We Sit’ is released 15th April, you can pre-order it here.

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The Whip’s new video

It sounds like The Whip don’t want to be New Order anymore. Their new single, ‘Movement, is the best thing they have done for a while. A solid, upbeat, slice of Indie-Electro which is both dancefloor and sing-along friendly.

The David Aspinall directed video is like a post-apocalyptic nightmare, but with kids on the beach.

The Whip are about to embark on a UK tour with The 2 Bears and In Flagranti, here’s the dates:

24th Feb – Newcastle @ 02 Academy
25the Feb – Leeds @ Cockpit
26th Feb – Birmingham @ Birmingham Rainbow
27th Feb – Brighton @ Green Door Store
28th Feb – London @ XOYO
29th Feb – Manchester @  Club Academy

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Aimes reMixes Teeel

teeel

Brooklyn based purveyor of introspective retro Pop Aimes has just revealed  his reMix of Teeel‘s Triangle Waves’. He’s given it an energy boost and delivered a really quality slice of vintage electronic Pop.

The original version of ‘Triangle Waves’ was the lead track on Teeel’s ‘Amulet’, a mid-tempo, almost SynthWavey, example of post-Chillwave ElectroPop, all analog synths and distant vocals. It was a good tune, but Aimes has made it even better. Drawing on both the current wave of Indie-ElectroPop, with it’s catchy ‘80’s electronic Soul reference points, and bits of Italo and Disco Aimes turns in a track with all the charm of the original but more of a solid groove behind it and some really sweetly processed synth sounds. If Aimes is going for a retro futuristic style of chilled and soulful RoboPop, he’s absolutely nailed it. Part BladeRunner and part ‘80’s Discotheque with the soul of a poet, I remember when defenders of Real Music™ said that synthesizers had no soul, looks like it’s some humble pie for them then!

Teeel – Triangle Waves (Aimes reMix)

Teeel’s ‘Amulet’ is out now.

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Montevideo’s ‘Horses’

Montevideo

Belgian eclectic Indie-Electro/Disco outfit Montevideo have a new single in the works. Following up their ‘Tribal Dance’, dropped through Relish Recordings, with this new track, ‘Horses’. What you have here is like a soundclash between Moroder and Passion Pit that’s being released on Smile Recordings later in February.

Just one cut from their forthcoming album, which they are currently recording with none other than Joakim, ‘Horses’ was recorded at the DFA studios in New York. Lucky people! If you’ve ever seen the DFA studios you’ll know it’s like an Aladdin’s cave of vintage, rare and quirky electronic equipment. I must be such fun to record there. Unsurprisingly, then ‘Horse’ has a bit of a New York Disco feel to it, the buzzy synths and Moroder-esque arpeggios see to that. it’s a nice groove that’s added upon with a layer of summery Indie-Electro. Hopefully the album will be out in time for the warmer months, this kind if left-field Indie-Disco, a bit laid back, a bit funky, a bit interesting, always goes down well on chilled summer’s days. There’s also a re-work from Mickey on the way, which ups the Moroder quota considerable, you can hear a small snippet here.

♫ Montevideo – Horses (Radio Edit)

‘Horses’ is released 13th February on smile Recordings.

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Gigamesh X Grouplove

Grouplove

I have no idea who Grouplove are. Apparently they’re quite famous in Indie-Rock circles, circles I try to stay away from. They look a bit twee to me and are probably far to quaint for anyone’s good, but, sweet Raptor Jesus, has Gigamesh dropped an absolute blinder of a reMix of their track ‘Tongue Tied’.

Gigamesh just knows exactly what he’s doing. This reMix is actually pretty complex, both in programming and arrangement, but in Gigamesh’s hands it feels effortless. I gave the original a quick listen and Gigamesh has been pretty respectful of the song and pinpointed what works in it, extracted that and washed the whole thing in his summery, good times, Disco vibe. With some clever vocal sampling, a seriously funky, diving, bass section and layers of synth with just the right amount of warmth Gigamesh delivers a fun, bubbly, party tune to rock your dancefloors. Although he’s still enjoying the success of his début EP, we here are gagging for more Gigamesh. Fingers crossed for another EP soon!

Grouplove – Toungue Tied (Gigamesh reMix)

Tongue Tied” is taken from Grouplove’s ‘Never Trust a Happy Song’ album, out now.

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RxGibbs

rxgibbs

Michigan based RxGibbs is the latest producer to join the awesome Cascine family, releasing his first EP for them toward the end of February. Ron Gibbs is keeping it chill but not forgetting tracks need a hook.

Taking Chillwave to it’s logical extreme is something that has been on the cards for a while now. It was only a matter of time before someone bled reverb soaked ElectroPop into true ambient and RxGibbs kinda’ hit’s that mark between the two. The six tracks on his forthcoming ‘Futures’ EP are supremely chilled electronica, atmospheric soundscapes layered with evolving tones and roomy beats. Droning synths echo around ethereal, half heard, vocals. The whole effect is quite haunting. But here’s where RxGibbs doesn’t forget the hook, most of the tracks on the EP have got a pretty solid rhythm section. Almost Disco beats and head -nodding basslines keeps the tracks in check, keep them grounded and keep them something that’s still fun to listen to. Check out the EP’s title track, ‘Futures’, one of the more left-field grooves on the records, and experiment in the filter as an instrument with hypnotic synth bass groove.

RxGibbs – Futures

RxGibbs’ ‘Futures’ EP is out 21st February on Cascine.

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Foxes + Pyramid + Monsieur Adi

foxes

Singer/songwriter Louisa Rose Allen’s recently had a second wind, as Foxes, when Neon Gold, always with the finger on the pulse of eclectic Pop, snapped her up for the release of her new single ‘Youth’. released earlier this  month.

Appropriately for Neon Gold, the single exists in the nexus between Ellie and Marina. Take Marina’s quirkiness and Ellie’s percussion led bombast and wrap them up with impassioned vocals and a sense of accessibility and it should see Foxes make quite a mark in 2012. You know Neon Gold has an eye for these things. The internet has been graced with some wonderful reMixes of the tune too. Pyramid, who début is still regularly playlisted round these parts, delivers an seriously impressive, driving, SynthWave mix. With a real analog rawness to it, yet still with a Pop sheen. Some majestic organs elevate a track which is probably my favourite version of the song, which is saying a lot when you hear the other reMix. Monsieur Adi, who since his début has done no wrong in our eyes, turns in an awesome, rhythmically exciting, slice of soaring Nu-DiscoPop. Frantic drumming and dagger sharp synth leads and a hint of Samba all fall into Adi’s melting pot and the result is a seven minute aural party.

Foxes – Youth (Pyramid reMix)

Foxes – Youth (Monsieur Adi reMix)

Foxes – Youth

Check out more from Foxes on SoundCloud.

Mirrors’ new EP

mirrors

This week Brighton SynthPop outfit Mirrors released a brand new EP on their Bandcamp page.

The ‘This Year, Next Year, Sometime . . . ?’ EP contains two new tracks, ‘Dust’ and ‘Shooting Stars’, and five new demos. it was put together by the band to help fund their return to the studio for a new full length album and it’s well worth the price. ‘Dust’ is classic SynthPop, powerful and brooding and capturing that ‘just right’ SynthPop atmosphere of melancholy shot through with hit of hope. Along with ‘Dust’, if ‘Shooting Stars’ is anything to go by, we Mirrors get back in the studio soon. It’s a gorgeous peice of synthesizer based Indie-Electro with all the darkness and majesty you’d expect from these guys. Buying the EP seems like a worthy cause, and seven awesome tracks to boot.

♫ Mirrors – Dust

♫ Mirrors – Shooting Stars

The ‘This Year, Next Year, Sometime . . . ?’ EP is available now.

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Desire’s ‘Don’t Call’ video

Here is the new video from Johnny Jewel’s Desire project. It’s for ‘Don’t Call’, a reasonable old, from their 2009 album’ ‘II’,  tune given a new lease of life with some dreamy hipster visuals.

Directed by Alberto Rossini in Miami in October during a hurricane watch, the wind and the vintage footage somehow seem to work themselves in to the track amazingly.

‘II’ is out now on Italians Do It Better.

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