Apr 21 2012

Little Boots’ ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’

little-boots

While new Little Boots reMixes are always welcome round these parts, nothing compares to the perfect Pop of the music of Ms. Hasketh herself. So though we’ve had to spend the last couple of weeks content with the robotic, pulsating, Tensnake reMix it was in anticipation of Saturday, Record Store Day 2012, when the original version finally dropped.

And it was worth the wait, alongside ‘Shake’ it’s proof enough the in her years gallivanting around the world Victoria lost none of her ElectroPop flair. ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’, maybe even moreso than ‘Shake’, it the kind of big, swooping, catchy Pop we’d expect from Little Boots. Produced with Hercules & Love Affair’s Andy Butler the track opens it’s arms to a deep ‘90’s House bassline and bright piano hook, but never loses itself in either the ‘90’s nostalgia or the House, instead making both elements work for the track, rather than the other way around. in 2008 Little Boots was the future of ElectroPop, in 2011 she’s come back to kick everyone’s ass and show the world how forward thinking electronic Pop music should be done. Not sitting on her laurels, constantly thinking ahead.

♫ Little Boots – Every Night I Say A Prayer

The 12″ holds reMixes from Tensnake and Joe Smooth whilst the North American edition includes additional work from Nic Sarno, My Panda Shall Fly & D-man. Boots will be playing playing May 4th at XOYO with support from Ronika. Yes, we will be there.

Buy Little Boots’ music from:

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Apr 19 2012

Christianoshi’s new tune

christianoshi

London based ElectroPopper Christianoshi has once again teamed up with Trademark for another slice of classic ElectroPop. The second in a trilogy of tracks they have collaborated on. ‘Fake Blood’ is the moody tale of a friend with hypochondria (although Christianoshi stresses it’s not necessarily autobiographical), boy can I relate (now I’ve gone and got autobiographical, ah well).

Trademark get deep and slightly Italo in the mix here. Almost EBM at times too, this is becoming a trend in London ElectroPop artists, it’s odd, not bad odd, just not I direction I would have imagined the scene taking. The sledgehammer kick, white noise snares and rapid fire arpeggio bassline are all particularly Germanic and ripe for EBM dancefloors. Luckily the militaristic beats are tempered with Christianoshi impassioned vocals, as we’ve mentioned before they have a hint of Andy Bell about them, but come off as more youthful and driven. It’s a track with a lot of feeling behind it, it shows in the performance, and the music does a great job of capturing the mood. Another slice of classic SynthPop from Christianoshi.

♫ Christianoshi – Fake Blood

Check out more from Christianoshi on SoundCloud.

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Apr 18 2012

Going Old School: Sweet Exorcist, Squash Gang & Curiosity Killed The Cat

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

Early Warp goodness from Richard H Kirk’s Sweet Exorcist moniker with some ace Bleep House in 1989’s ‘Testone’. Jarvis Cocker directed the video!

Try Squash Gang’s ‘I Want An Illusion’ from 1986 for some pure Euro Italo goodness.

Don’t ask me why Curiosity Killed The Cat’s 1986 hit ‘Down To Earth’ is here, I was just in the mood.

You can buy most of this music from:

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Apr 17 2012

Little Boots reMixed by Tensnake

Little Boots

In support of Record Store Day 2012 (which you should all get on board with BTW) out ElectroPop princess Little Boots will be dropping a new 12” ‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ accompanied by a free download this 21st April.

‘Every Night I Say A Prayer’ was put together with Andy Butler from Hercules & Love Affair and is an eipc slice of Pop that comes complete with this reMix from Tensnake, who takes things in a deep, hypnotic, direction. If you heard Boots’ last mix you will probably recognise that synth snare and rolling bassline as Victoria snuck it into the cunningly titled ‘Into The Future’ mixtape. Tensnake’s treatment of the track is an undulating Sci-Fi soundscape, retaining Boots’ Pop but taking it on a cosmic cruise to strange new paces. There’s a clash of analog warmth and abrasive sound in there that is at once comforting and slightly unsettling, like a journey to strange places with only Victoria’s voice to guide you. I love how Little Boots stays so Pop, but take so many risks with reMixes and extras. The total (and tiny) package.

♫ Little Boots – Every Night I Say A Prayer (Tensnake reMix)

The 12″ will also hold a reMix from Joe Smooth. Boots will be playing a special gig at Rough Trade East in London on Record Store Day, as well as a playing May 4th at XOYO with support from Ronika. Yes, we will be there.

Buy Little Boots’ music from:

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Apr 16 2012

Queen Of Hearts reMixed by Lightwaves

queen-of-hearts

Only a matter of days after reining ElectroPop royalty Queen Of Hearts premiered her new single ‘Neon’ are we treated to one of the companion reMixes. First to man-up to the challenge of polishing what is already sparkling is Lightwaves. If anyone can do it Jan (ex-Yes giantess!) can.

No wishing to compete with the full-on ElectroPop powerhouse that is the original, Lightwaves takes a more laidback route with this mix. Reigning in the tempo gives the track a whole new feel. Whereas in the original, the Queen’s vocals were like the velvet glove to the noisy synths iron fist, here alongside Jan’s chilled synth groove they are allowed to be as silky smooth as they want. Suddenly Queen Of Hearts becomes a husky, breathy chanteuse accompanied by Lightwaves broken beats and twisting synths. Other reMixes on the new single come correct from the legend that is Mark Reeder, Tropical man of the moment Perseus, Ghost Beach and Dubstepper DYM. Not that I’m saying we had anything to do with the Queen Of Hearts/Mark Reeder matchmaking, but we did, and now they’re sitting in a tree, R.E.M.IX.I.N.G.! Who’s next?

♫ Queen Of Hearts – Neon (Lightwaves reMix)

‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ is out now as a limited 7” single and digitally with the bonus tracks ‘Forgive Me’ and ‘No More’.

Queen Of Heart’s ‘Arrival’ EP is out now, as is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which she features.

Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:

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Apr 16 2012

Figure Of 8 reMixes Penguin Prison

Penguin Prison

It’s been a while since we heard from New Your Bedroom Pop turned Indie-Electro jetsetter Penguin Prison, we figure he’s holed up in the studio somewhere working on his next album. If you find yourself desperate for some new PP then have no fear. Our favourite denizen of Belfast Figure Of 8 is here with one of his slick DancePop reMixes of ‘Fair Warning’.

It;s becoming more and more apparent, especially in the last couple of years, that the gulf between the producer as a guy with some music software and a few ideas and the producer as a guy with musical training, or at least latent ability and understanding of music theory, is getting wider and wider. Figure Of 8 firmly falls into the latter category with a string of reMixes that show off his talent like he’s taunting the less gifted. The track centres around some sweet piano and and the kind of early ‘90’s House synth bass that we’re fast associating with Figure Of 8 that give the track a classic Dance tune feel which kinda’ softens Chris Glover’s impassioned vocals and gives them more of a smooth flow. All-in-all another on of Figure Of 8’s almost timeless productions, a classic Dance sound with a classic Pop feel.

♫ Penguin Prison – Fair Warning (Figure of 8 reMix)

Buy Penguin Prison’s music from:

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Apr 16 2012

Alphabeat’s new video

Denmark’s heavyweight champions of ElectroPop Alphabeat are back with a new video for the lead single off their forthcoming new album. It’s called ‘Vacation’ and it’s scary colourful.

Taking the ‘Vacation’ theme seriously the clip sees the band prove that waiting around in a airport doesn’t need to be dull, if fact it can be so much fun it’ll probably induce seizures. The colours are as bright as the melodies. Pure European Pop gold.

‘Vacation’ is out now.

Buy Alphabeat’s music from:

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Apr 13 2012

Friday Bridge & Nicolas Makelberge

Friday_Bridge

Friday Bridge are a Sweedish SynthPop duo that mix in a little Baroque in to their Pop, they’ve been around for about half a decade but I know them from their team-up with Johan Agebjörn on his ‘Casablanca Nights’ album. I can actually find very little information about them ,and even less about their newest collaborative partner Nicolas Makelberge. I can only assume it’s because they are actually deep cover government operatives with some hidden agenda who are only masquerading as makers of awesome ElectroPop.

So that their cover isn’t blown, lets just play along and hope no-one shoots/stabs/poisons us. This new single, ‘Dark Heart’ is a bright shiny slice of DiscoPop that Friday Bridge claimed in their email contains some “saucy “oh’s”” , they’re not wrong. The thing is chock full of saucy “oh’s” and smooth dancefloor friends basslines. It’s actually a pretty unique combination between sexy Disco grooves and that Scandinavian iciness you usually find in more experimental outfits like The Knife. Here, that slightly razors-edge feel is interestingly applied to more traditional, friendly, ElectroPop and the end result it something brand new. Disco grooves, Pop sheen and an edge of danger. We’re definitely now looking forward to hearing more from these guys new album. On an unrelated note, I might start producing a line of canned spaghetti hoops in tomato sauce called ‘saucy oh’s’.

♫ Friday Bridge & Nicolas Makelberge – Dark Heart

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Apr 12 2012

Queen Of Hearts’ ‘Neon’

queen of hearts

So, when I finally got to hear the wonderful Queen Of Hearts’ forthcoming new single ‘Neon’, my initial reaction was “Ahhhh, that one!”. It’s been a big part of her set the past few times I’ve see her preform and kinda’ become one of the tracks I looked forward to. Up until this point I had, for some reason that has probably to do with brain laziness, presumed it was called ‘Electrify’. Or at least that’s what I was called in my head, I might actually keep calling it ‘Electrify’ just to be belligerent.

But if i did, I’d be so very wrong. It’s call ‘Neon’, and the studio recording more than lives up to the promises made by the live version. ‘Neon’ is both pumping and slinky, which really isn’t two things that you’d imagine can occupy the same space, but Queen Of Hearts, here helped out by John Myers, makes it work. ‘Neon’ is musically a gritty, bass heavy, pulsating track that the Queen’s song drapes itself across in the vocal equivalent of a little black dress. Smooth as silk, her voice glides around chainsaw synths, each verse building to a big anthemic chorus. It’s powerful and edgy ElectroPop, it’s also very very good, and I didn’t mention Goldfrapp once! Oh.