May 6 2010

TeenagersInTokyo

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TeenagersInTokyo are gearing up for the release of their début long player, ‘Sacrifice’, at the end of the month and are preceding it with the second single from the album.

‘End It Tonight’ originally featured on the bands début EP last year but is given new lease of life by a bunch of ace reMixes. We Have Band’s jittery percussion and four bar basslines shine through, the WHB sound actually works really well with Samantha Lim’s vocals. Nightschool are the next in a long line of ‘mystery’ acts to appear in the last couple of years. I’m sure people will have all kinds of theories as to who it is, I’m sure there will be loads of Gossip (ahem). Focusing on his reMix though, it’s got a nice New Wave vibe going on with a nice balance of bass & guitar to Synths, kinda’ gives the song more of a live feel too, which is nice.

♫ TeenagersInTokyo – End It Tonight (We Have Band Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

♫ TeenagersInTokyo – End It Tonight (Nightschool Disco Hijack Mix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Sacrifice’ is released on 24th May

TeenagersInTokyo @ Beatport

TeenagersInTokyo @ Juno

TeenagersInTokyo @ 7Digital

TeenagersInTokyo @ Amazon

May 6 2010

HURTS live

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Apologies for the crappy phone-cam photo!

Y’know, this will be the first ever live review on electronic rumors, I always feel like I should (and I’m going to do more) but when I’m out, I just kinda’ like to live it up, drink the bar dry and have an awesome time dancing to some amazing music and not worrying what I might say about it on a website!

HURTS felt like more of an ‘event’ though, so here you go, have some words! I caught them live last night here in Bristol on one of the early dates of the NME Radar Tour (along with the abysmal Darwin Deez and the disappointingly average Everything Everything) and, for me at least, anticipation was high.

‘Presence’ is probably the best word to describe HURTS live. For two guys (and three backing band (keyboard player, drummer and opera singer!)) who don’t move around very much they do seem to fill up the stage. One thing I was concerned about was how po-faced and pretentious they were going to be, as that would kinda’ annoy me, but I was surprised at how much of a good time the guys seemed to be having onstage. Yes, the sometimes tortured, sometimes apathetic persona is there in singer Theo Hutchcraft but occasionally you’ll catch a playful smile cross his face, or even an outright grin as the crowd sing the lyrics back to him.

The set was everything I had hoped, most of the EP tracks were played, opening with ‘Silver Lining’. ‘Unspoken’ was pretty perfect, and the set climaxed in a roof raising performance of the forthcoming single ‘Better Than Love’. Interestingly, in his introduction to their breakthrough hit ‘Wonderful Life’ Theo confirmed our suspicions that the song was indeed written about our fair city (there are a few obscure references to places in Bristol in the lyrics) which endeared the crowd to them more.

All in all, awesome! One of the best gigs I have been to in a while, a band hasn’t impressed me this much live since the first time I saw CHEW LiPS!

If you get the chance, definitely see HURTS live, especially if you can catch them early on in their career in some intimate venue.

Check the Fred Falke reMix of ‘Unspoken’:

♫ HURTS – Unspoken (Fred Falke reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Better Than Love’ drops on the 24th.

HURTS @ Beatport

HURTS @ Juno

HURTS @ Amazon

May 6 2010

Performance’s new single

Joe Cross is such the man to watch this year, he is a dude with his fingers in many pies!

As well as being one third of Indie-Electro outfit Performance, he is also half of the awesome Kiss In Cities and had a hand in upcoming releases by HURTS and The Sound Of Arrows.

Anyway, this is ‘The Living’, the latest single from Performance who really do have a knack for songwriting, they may be my favourite current (Indie slanted) Indie-Electro band in the UK. I think I like them so much ‘cos they combine ElectroPop elements with an early ‘90’s Indie sound. Rad stuff!

The single is out now on Too Much Information Records.

Performance @ 7Digital

Performance @ Amazon

May 6 2010

Matt Van Schie, more new material

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‘Journey’ is the new track from Van She bassist Matt Van Schie’s début EP ‘Balmy Nights’.

Produced, not only by fellow Van She-er Mikey Di Francesco (Arithmatix!), but also the amazing Diamond Cut the track is more chilled than the previous track we’ve heard, ‘Saturday Night’ and is a smooth, dreamy, summer SynthPop track that just floats round your speakers.

Check it:

♫ Matt Van Schie – Journey (zShare) (MediaFire)

You can pick up ‘Balmy Nights’ here.

May 6 2010

Class Actress’ new video + EP

Brooklyn Italo influenced SynthPoppers Class Actress are gearing up release of their UK début EP, ‘Journal Of Ardency’ in July.

The brainchild of songwriter Elizabeth Harper, Class Actress create some really beautiful, really electronic, SynthPop. Taking the minimal sound of Coldwave but infusing it with a dancefloor, Italo-esq groove they produce something that is dancey yet deep.

Check the video for ‘Journal of Ardency’ directed by Patrick Cleandenim.

To promote the new release Class Actress are coming over for some live dates:

14^th May – London @ White Light – Lexington (with Natccu)
15^th May – Brighton @ The Great Escape (supporting Marina And The Diamonds)
19^th May – London @ Bardens Boudoir
20^th May – London @ ULU (supporting Stornoway)
21^st May – London @ Stag and Dagger Festival – CAMP
22^nd May – Leeds @ Adventures in the Beetroot Field

The ‘Journal Of Ardency’ EP is released 5th July on Terrible Records.

Class Actress @ Amazon

May 6 2010

Punches

Punches, the DJ double act who dropped that wicked Au Revoir Simone reMix on us a couple of weeks ago are back with some original material.

This is just what I need to shake the cobwebs out of my head this morning, a nice smooth disco vibe with a bit of ‘90’s House feel with the vocals. This track really needs loads of radio play, I don’t know what it is about it but it just sounds like it should be on the radio on a summer afternoon.

♫ Punches – Let Go (zShare) (MediaFire)

Really, show these guys you Thursday MySpace lovin’:

Punches @ MySpace

May 4 2010

Crystal Castles ‘Celestica’ reMix

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‘Celestica’ was a pleasant surprise of a single. Although not Crystal Castles first endeavour in melody it was a slick, sweet slice of melodic ElectroPop, unexpected, but welcome.

Professor Purple drops 8-bit sounds and Electro-House sawtooth synths over it, which, ironically, kinda’ re-Crystal Castles-izes the track but also brings the track straight to Dreamwave dancefloors!

♫ Crystal Castles – Celestica (Professor Purple reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

‘Celestica’ is out now digitally.

Crystal Castles @ Beatport

Crystal Castles @ Juno

Crystal Castles @ 7Digital

Crystal Castles @ Amazon

May 4 2010

Soul II Soul reMixed by Monsieur Adi

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I’m seriously lovin’ this! I’ve always felt that Soul II Soul’s 1989 classic ‘"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)’ have never, ever, been given a good, proper contemporary reMix. Until now!

Italian electro-House dude Monsieur Adi has put together this awesome reMix described by the man himself as “a super clash of baroque and electro” which accounts for the harpsichord/Nu-Disco mash up that really works the original in a way that makes every previous attempt to reMix it seem, well, just lazy.

♫ Soul II Soul – Back To Life (Monsieur Adi reMix) (zShare) (MediaFire)

Makes me wanna’ go listen to ‘Club Classics Vol. One’

Soul II Soul @ Juno

Soul II Soul @ 7Digital

Soul II Soul @ Amazon

May 4 2010

Limited edition New Young Pony Club/Topman CTRL T-Shirt competition winners!

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Congratulations to Twitter users @SallyTraffic and @HoxtonTit, they’ve won our competition in association with CHEW LiPS and Topman CTRL. Limited edition T-Shirts designed by Tigs herself are on it’s way to them!

Check out http://www.topmanctrl.com for news of the forthcoming Controllers tour.

May 4 2010

Alec Empire’s reMix of IAMX’s ‘I Am Terrified’ video

Here is the viral video for Alec Empire’s reMix of the IAMX song ‘I Am Terrified’.

It was shot and edited by Chris Corner himself and just shows you don’t need a massive budget to produce something with stunning visuals!

The reMix is released on ‘Dogmatic Infidel Comedown OK’, which fans in the UK can get packaged as a bonus disc with the UK release of IAMX’s last album, ‘Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction’, 17th May on 61Seconds.

Both albums are currently available separately in Europe.