Apr 27 2011

autoKratz’ new video with Peter Hook

This is the video for autoKratz’ new single ‘Becoming The Wraith’ which features, both on the track and in the video, the Bass talents of New Order/Monaco/Joy Division’s Peter Hook.

‘Becoming The Wraith’ is the most straight -up ElectroPop track autoKratz have dropped to date and Hooky’s playing just adds that Indie quality to the track. It’s pretty hard for anything with Hooky on not to sound a bit like New Order, but it is nice to see him slinging his bass low on ElectroPop tracks again rather than having a barny on Twitter with Indie tosspots.

‘Becoming The Wraith’ is defiantly the most accessible the autoKratz have ever been, and possible the best.

‘Becoming The Wraith’ is out soon on Studio !K7

Buy autoKratz’s music from:

Apr 26 2011

Depeche Mode reMixed by Røyksopp

I’m a massive Depeche Mode fan but have always been disappointed by their reMixes, or rather their choice of reMixers. From about 1990 onward they just seemed to pick self-indulgent Techno artists who wouldn’t know a tune if it hit them in the face. But after the blisteringly good ‘Personal Jesus 2011’, especially the Alex Metric reMix, I am very excited about the forthcoming ‘reMixes 2: 81-11’ album.

Just looking at the line-up of talent is like a breath of fresh air as far as Depeche Mode reMixes are concerned. We have the likes of M83, Eric Prydz, Jacques Lu Cont, Digitalism, UNKLE, Karlsson & Winnberg (Bloodshy and Avant from Miike Snow) and this track from Røyksopp.

The Norwegian duo have chosen to rework ‘Puppets’, from 1981’s ‘Speak & Spell’ and really have made it their own. It’s got that Røyksopp, cute SynthPop, sound which seems to fit the original’s vocals more than the original track, if that’s possible. If this, alongside the Personal Jesus 2011 tracks, is the standard of reMixes on the album than we are in for a treat indeed!

♫ Depeche Mode – Puppets (Røyksopp reMix)

‘reMixes 2: 81-11’ is released 6th June on MuteReprise.

Buy Depeche Mode’s music from:

Apr 26 2011

More new Beaumont

Blimey Beaumont’s been busy this week! This is the second fresh track this week!

I think we’re starting to see a pattern emerging in Beaumont’s more recent releases, he’s defiantly favouring a more mid-tempo, melodic groove these days. Which kinda’ makes sense, having spent the last few years cutting his teeth and honing his skills producing big dance tracks to now apply that knowledge to more epic, moving, tunes is a good call. Not that we would mind more of the pounding Beaumont tracks, but these majestic, almost soundtracky (yup, I’ve decided ‘soundtracky’ is a word), productions where the Electro sounds and techniques are brought back to a more chilled out and emotional place are pretty musically spot-on.

♫ Beaumont – Feed The Sky

It Is possible that Beaumont is working on some soundtrack in secret, or is just soundtracking his own life…

Buy Beaumont’s music from:

Apr 25 2011

Watch The Electro Wars, for one week only.

One week ending 27th April that is, soz!

It’s been doing the round of limited one-off showings for the last year, now you can finally watch the whole thing.

That’s right, you can finally see the documentary The Electro Wars, it’s streaming right now over on Pitchfork until the 27th.

It’s an cool film that, for the most part, captures a time, but feels a little dated now and features a wealth of bad, or at least debatable, information, I wish much of it had been researched a bit better. Rather than a film about the evolution of electronic dance music, as the filmaker’s claim, it really is a film about how the US mainstream discovered ElectroHouse four years ago, and the documentary is centric to that point of view. Still, it’s a fun watch that provides some good nostalgia for the parties of the time.

The Electro Wars @ Pitchfork

Apr 25 2011

Oliver reMixes Penguin Prison

Oliver, the duo consisting of U-Tern & Oligee, are playing a prefect game. Not a bad release so far, making them one of the most exciting production teams of the year. Their new reMix of Penguin Prison’s ‘Fair Warning’ is jaw-droppingly good!

This track is so 80’s, Oliver have taken the Indie-Electro of Penguin Prison and tuned him into Nik Kershaw, and I mean that in the best way possible. With Olvier’s slick contemporary production this could quite easily be a modern remaster of an 80’s 12” extended version. The prefect meeting of 80’s songwriting and Dreamwave studio skills.

I love a bit of Penguin Prison, both live and recorded, so keep that in mind when I say Penguin Prison has never sounded so good!

♫ Penguin Prison – Fair Warning (Oliver reMix)

No idea of a release date for the ‘Fair Warning’ single yet, we’ll let you know when we do.

Penguin Prison @ Neon Gold

Penguin Prison @ 7Digital

Penguin Prison @ Amazon

Apr 25 2011

Mixtape: Starsmith’s ‘The Second Movement’

Starsmith – The Second Movement = An hour of sweeping ElectroPop and Nu-Disco with a slight 90’s flavour this time.

♫ Starsmith – The Second Movement Mixtape

Tracklist:

01. Starsmith – Intro.
02. Les Rythmes Digitales – Brothers
03. Clubfeet – Edge Of Extremes (Urchins reMix)
04. Simian Mobile Disco – Synthesise
05. Peter & The Magician – Twist
06. Chilly Gonzales – You Can Dance (Robotaki rEMix)
07. Munk – Down In L.A (Shazam Vocal reMix)
08. Breakbot – Fantasy
09. Pacific! – Unspoken (Anoraak reMix)
10. Daft Punk – Too Long
11. Alex Metric & Steve Angello – Open Your Eyes (Style Of Eye Dub)
12. Blende – Egypto
13. Monarchy – I Won’t Let Go (Bag Raiders reMix)
14. Starsmith – Champion
15. Defender – Bliss

Starsmith’s début single, ‘Give Me A Break’/’Knuckleduster’ is out now:

Starsmith @ 7Digital

Starsmith @ Amazon

Apr 25 2011

The Sanfernando Sound

Jason Sieu Persad A.K.A. The Sanfernando Sound is representing for Manchester in this thing we call Electro.

You may thing already know Jason’s sound from tracks like ‘Wonky Girl’ and ‘Dominatrix’ in the last couple of years, a hard Electro-House sound with killer basslines and chainsaw leads, but, although his tunes have lost none of their balls, these days The Sanfernando Sound is an altogether smoother and groovier beast. ‘On The Catwalk’ was actually written for a fashion show and is a meeting of TSS’s funkier and harder edged sides with a strong mid-80’s Art Of Noise-esq vibe to it. ‘Disconnect U’ is a slick slick of Electro-Disco. Raw Digital funk with an 80’s Electro Soul vocal. Two tracks at the opposite ends of The Sanfernando Sound’s spectrum but proving the man is apt at both.

♫ The Sanfernando Sound – On The Catwalk

♫ The Sanfernando Sound – Disconnect U

Jason has devoted a lot of his time recently to pumping out some top quality reMixes. This reMix of Plastic Operator’s ‘Singing All The Time’ is apparently three years old but only recently got an official single release, it’s a bass heavy Electro track loaded with 8-bit noises. It does kinda’ sound three years old but it’s still banging. For a more recent sample of The Sanfernando Sound’s sound check his reMix of Anoraak’s ’Crazy Eyes’, an deep ElectroPop track with a rolling analog bass like tunder.

♫ Plastic Operator – Singing All The Time (The Sanfernando Sound reMix)

♫ Anoraak – Crazy Eyes (The Sanfernando Sound reMix)

The Sanfernando Sound has released the odd single and EP over the last couple of years, worth investigating:

The Sanfernando Sound @ Bandcamp

The Sanfernando Sound @ Beatport

The Sanfernando Sound @ Juno

The Sanfernando Sound @ 7Digital

The Sanfernando Sound @ Amazon

Apr 25 2011

Final DJs

Stuttgart’s Final DJs are slowly but surely gaining some recognition for their French Touch productions and reMixes.

The duo of Sebastian S. and Thomas D. obviously have a strong love of 80’s lead synths, their productions are awash with sweeping sounds riding atop the cool beats. Add in some big filter drops and you’ve got a package of top quality Nu-Disco. ‘Journey In Separate Ways’ is an epic retro-future jam with a Italo backing while new track K.I.D. has more of a space Funk vibe to rock the Nu-Disco dancefloors.

♫ Final DJs – Journey In Separate Ways

♫ Final DJs – K.I.D.

The duo have also recently reMixed Adrian Lux’s ‘Teenage Crime’ into a massive Filter-House/ElectroPop crossover monster!

♫ Adrian Lux – Teenage Crime (Final DJs ‘We Are’ Edit)

Check out Final DJs on Facebook for more tunes and updates.

Final DJs @ Facebook

Apr 25 2011

Mixtape: Pharao Black Magic’s ‘Spring Mix’

Pharao Black Magic’s Spring Mix’ = An awesome collection of synthesizer Disco, Springtime analog grooves!

♫ Pharao Black Magic – Spring Mix

Tracklist:

01. Sare Havlicek – White Russian (Lazy Summer) (Loveunlimited Version)
02. Rimer London – Fat Read
03. Slow Hands – Headgear
04. Bottin and Rodion – Shooting Star
05. Out Of City – Galactica
06. Hannulelauri – Bananas
07. Joao Brasil – LOVE Banana (Max Skiba reMix)
08. Todd Terje – Ragysh
09. Letta Mbulu – Kilimanjaro (The Revenge Edit)
10. Minimono – Smoking Mind
11. Remote – Scinax
12. Rimer London – Squaring The Triangle
13. Luminodisco – Questo Amore (Space Ranger reMix)

‘The Eye Of Horus’ drops soon and features reMixes from the likes of Tronik Youth and Popular Computer.

Pharao Black Magic @ Beatport

Pharao Black Magic @ Amazon

Apr 24 2011

Moonlight Matters’ reMix of Pacific!’s ‘Unspoken’

Pacific! new single, ‘Unspoken’ is an awesome song in it’s own right, a beautiful electronic narrative that features a haunting vocal performance from El Perro Del Mar.

But, sweet Disco messiah, Moonlight Matters long awaited reMix is a slap bassin’, synth funkin’’, riff soarin’ juggernaut. Moonlight Matters is Belgian Sebastiaan Vandevoorde, one part of Villa, and on this reMix he drops the spooky in favour of shit-loads of late 70’s Disco glam. Pounding into your should, it’s the slap bass that dominates this tune, the heartbeat that allows Moonlight Matters to create something truly epic. If this tune came on during the finale of some inspirational 70’s movie I would not be surprised in the least!

♫ Pacific! (Feat. El Perro Del Mar) – Unspoken (Moonlight Matters reMix)

“Unspoken” is out now on Alan Braxe’s Vulture Music. reMix back up from Santiago & Bushido, Moonlight Matters, Alex Gopher & Pierrick Devin and Anoraak