Jul 4 2012

Casio searches for the UKs best synth player

Believe it or not, Casio have made some classic synths in their time. Both the CZ ranges (I had a 101 myself) and the VL-Tones (particularly the VL-1) were pretty uncool when released but over the years have achieved cult status. Samplers to, like most people my introduction to sampling was the circuit benders favourite the SK-1 and there was a time when the FZ-1 was in a race with the Akais to become industry standard.

Casio are returning to the world of synth with the forthcoming release of their new XW range, lead by the XW-P1. The synth was launched last week in London along with Casio’s search for the UK’s best synthesist. Submit your best work to the Casio UK Facebook page to be in with a chance of winning an XW-P1 and a slot performing as part of the G-Shock Sessions at the Relentless Boardmasters Festival 2012 in Newquay, Cornwall. Also, you can strut around telling your friends you are the UKs best synth player and have a peice of paper to prove it!

Check the competition video featuring out good friends Queen Of Hearts and Bright Light Bright Light.

Check the Casio UK Facebook page for details.

Jul 4 2012

MiGHty mOUse’s July mixtape

mighty-mouse1

MiGHty mOUse – July 2012 Mixtape = It;s still raining! It’s fucking July and it’s still raining! Oh British weather, you can be such a cliché sometimes. Still, MiGHty mOUse had dropped a new mixtape which is just what we needed to pick up our spirits. Take a look at that tracklisting, this hour is jam packed with some of the slickest Disco and House around including some of our favourite cuts right now.

♫ MiGHty mOUse – July 2012 Mixtape

The tracklist:

01. The Rapture – In The Grace Of Your Love (Poolside reMix)
02. Paul Keeley – Kaleidoscope (Domestic Technology reMix)
03. Auxiliary Tha Masterfader – Let’s Go
04. Drop Out Orchestra – In The Dark (NSFW reMix)
05. Junior Byron – Dance To The Music (Gigamesh Version)
06. Djuma Soundsystem & DiskJokke – Maneter
07. Yadi  – Guillotine (Young Tee reMix)
08. Shit Robot – Teenage Bass
09. Azari & III – Into The Night (Prince Language reMix)
10. Auxiliary Tha Masterfader – Mirror Ball (Cosmonauts Ego Tripp)
11. Niki & The Dive – The Gentle Roar (Michael Creange & WEKEED reMix)
12. Situation – Robot (The Supermen Lovers reMix)
13. Peter & The Magician – Memory (Club Mix)
14. The Penelopes – Summer Life (Gigamesh reMix)
15. Digitalism – Falling
16. Van She – Idea Of Happiness (SebastiAn reMix)
17. Brassroots – Seven Nation Army

MiGHty mOUse’s ‘Disco Battle Weapons (Volume 2) is out now on Cheap Thrills

Buy MiGHty mOUse’s music from:

Jul 3 2012

Charli XCX’s ‘You’re The One’ video

Since we last wrote about Charli XCX’s new single You’re The One, and how we quite liked it, we’ve become obsessed with it, it’s easily going to feature in our top tracks of the year. The combination of unique vocals and Industrial beats tempered with soft BladeRunner synths has us hooked.

And now there is finally a video!  Mucking around in a warehouse follows.

The ‘You’re The One’ EP is out now.

Buy Charli XCX’s music from:

Jul 3 2012

Gossip Culture reMixed by Tommy

Gossip Culture

Hey! It’s one of our favourite Chilly Indie-Electro types, Gossip Culture, reMixed by one of our favourite SynthWave producers Tommy! The Cleveland ElectroPopster is gearing up for a summer release for his new single Just Fine With You, along with a super secret reMix line up. One of those reMixers, however, we can identify as the cream of the French SynthWave scene.

The original track is a fun, rolling summery Indie-electro jam with a Chillwave edge. All floaty, catchy, vocals and washes of reverb. Driven along by a rolling bassline and retro synth stabs, Just Fine With You, captures and optimistic feel good vibe and an effortless Indie cool. And there’s sax, ‘nuff said. Tommy takes that vibe and runs with it, crafting a sweeping nostalgic sound with bright synths and an Italo groove. Slightly switching up the rhythm of the vocals, usually a disaster, works well here, pushing the track forward and making this, more dancefloor oriented version, more urgent feeling. Excellent work from both parties, we can’t wait to see what the rest of the single holds.

♫ Gossip Culture – Just Fine With You (Tommy reMix)

♫ Gossip Culture – Just Fine With You

Just Fine With You is out this summer.

Buy Gossip Culture’s music from:

Jul 3 2012

The Frost’s new tunes

The Frost

Russian Nu-Disco producer The Frost has graced these pages a couple of times now, we’ve really been diggin’ his commination of Disco, House and vintage sounds. He’s just dropped three, yes three, brand new tracks. Just like that, no EP, so single, just three new tunes to get your ears around. It’s like a Disco treat.

So what’s new? Well, of the tree new tracks, two of the are vocal, and amazing, and the other one is instrumental, and amazing. Night Driving is the vox-less tune, but what it lacks in voice, it makes up for in richness. Layers upon layers of lush synths build a retro sound over a solid Disco backing. Despite the heavy rhythm section, it’s quite a light and airy tune, bringing the Dreamwave to the Nu-Disco. Perfecto Love (You Will Die) kicks off with a pulsating electronic groove before evolving into something quite unique. It’s Disco and House, but with an almost Celtic flavour. The piercing synths and ethereal vocals from Elenitia give it a quality not heard a lot in Dance music, arrangement wise it;s almost a Rock track, made with synths. Dancey as hell though. Sexy Frictions brings the Electro groove back, once again with Elenitia on vocals, this one is a big euphoric tune. Keeping a tiny bit of Perfecto Love’s ethereal quality, this track applies it to some straight up modern Electro Boogie. Punchy beats and flying digital synth riffs make this tune a total jump up track.

♫ The Frost – Night Driving (Original Mix)

♫ The Frost (Feat. Elenita) – Perfecto Love (You Will Die)

♫ The Frost (Feat. Elenita) – Sexy Frictions (Original Mix)

Buy The Frost’s music from:

Jul 3 2012

Strangers’ new video

London’s most bombastic SynthPop outfit Strangers latest single Safe/Pain has only gone and got itself a video!

The song is a rousing powerhouse of SynthPop melancholy and the video, directed by  Claire Coulton, Richard A. Sharpe & Strangers themselves is beautifully dreamlike.

Safe/Pain is out now.

Buy Strangers’ music from:

Jul 3 2012

Moon Boots’ ‘Running From’

Moon Boots

Hot on the heels (we really have to find out where that saying comes from!) of his amazing and massively hyped reMix of Little Boots’ Headphones, American Disco don Moon Boots is back with a brand new tune to brighten up your day. Get ready, ‘cos this is a big summer one, just warning you.

You might have heard this tune if you have got your ears round the Kitsuné Soleil mix album, but here it is in all it’s glory. Featuring vocals stylings from Violetness, Running From is is big thick vocal Disco tune that gets you into a solid groove in the verses, you’re nodding along thinking ‘yeah, this is some good shit’. It doesn’t prepare you , though, for the huge summery chorus. When the choruses big vintage synths drop it’s like the whole track swoops in from some funky place and carries you off with it. Big Disco bass, lush nostalgic synths, and a vocal that works really well. This one’s got it all.

♫ Moon Boots (Feat. Violetness) – Running From

Running From is out now on Kitsuné Soleil.

Buy Moon Boots’ music from:

Jul 3 2012

Goin’ Old School: just the Pet Shop Boys

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

Pet Shop Boys’ new single ‘Winner’ is out today, it’s awesome stuff that we will bring you one their label sort their lives out, but today we’ll dedicate Going’ Old School to Britain’s finest SynthPop duo, starting with 1986’s Opportunities (Let’s Make Lots Of Money).

The tail end of the ‘80’s with Domino Dancing from 1988.

And the utter classic from  1987, It’s A Sin.

You can buy most of this  music from:

 

Jul 3 2012

Birkii’s ‘Holy War’ reMixes (with Pégase)

Birkii

Parisian ElectroPop chanteuse Birkii’s Holy War single was released this week. We took a look at the original and Reflex’s storming reMix last week, now the EP is out we can check out some of the accompanying mixes. It’s quite an eclectic line up of quirky ElectroPop reMixes that makes for an interesting package.

Pégase is up first with a wonderful mixture of ‘80’s sounds and a ‘50’s vibe, it’s really like nothing you’ve heard before but works really well, especially with a track like this. On the surface it’s quite typical of French ElectroPop, slightly left field with a Indie sensibility, but it;s got the almost Rockabilly swing to it that gives it a unique flavour. Pol Rax delivers a pulsating retro synth mix that folds in elements of Italo and SynthWave into it’s spikey ElectroPop, very ‘80’s synths on this one. Also brining a retro feel to their mix is Zemaria. This Brazilian producer turns in a tune with a sweet ‘80’s DiscoPop style. With a nice amount of groove and a big cosmic chorus Zemaria’s mix is kind enough to include some vocoding for us. Thanks.

♫ Birkii – Holy War (Pégase reMix)

♫ Birkii – Holy War (Pol Rax Dance Rmx)

♫ Birkii –  – Holy War (Zemaria reMix)

Birkii’s Holy War is is out now and also features an excellent mixes from Polocorp and Equateur.

Buy Birkii’s music from:

Jul 3 2012

Santigold’s ‘The Keepers’ video

Here’s the video for Santigold’s new single, The Keepers. A driving, politically and socially charged, ElectroPop track and one that is infectiously catchy with it’s message.

Santi White herself directed the clip, which I think manages to get across some of what she is saying in the song.

The Keepers is out now.

Buy Santigold’s music from: