Goin’ Old School isn’t a trip down music memory lane, it’s a mugging in the dark alleyway of nostalgia:
A-Ha with ‘The Living Daylights’ from 1987. Oh no, there’s no theme here…
From 10985, Duran Duran’s ‘A View To A Kill’. OK, maybe there is a theme going on…
In 1981, just coming out of the ‘70’s, Sheena Easton with ‘For Your Eyes Only’. Yeah, can;t really get away from the theme now.
You can buy most of this music from:
Charli XCX – Heartbreaks & Earthquakes: The Mixtape = Charli’s new mixtapes is kinda’ a precursor of things to some, or something to tide you over. Loads of mashups, loads of freestyle, loads of fun.
♫ Charli XCX – Heartbreaks & Earthquakes: The Mixtape
The tracklist:
Beyond The Black Rainbow
01. Charli XCX & Blood Orange – Champagne Coast
02. Charli XCX – How Can I?
03. Charli XCX & Blood Diamonds – Grins
The Craft
04. Charli XCX & Paul White – So Far Away
Kill Bill
05. Charli XCX, Drake & Jai Paul – Dreams Money Can Buy
Cruel Intentions
06. Charli XCX – Lock You Up
07. Charli XCX & Rudimental – Spoons
American Beauty
08. Charli XCX – You’re The One (Odd Future’s The Internet remix (Feat. Mike G))
Buy Charli XCX’s music from:
OK, the is (probably) the last post about Little Boots’ new single, ‘Headphones’, we promise (but keep our fingers crossed just in case). But we have to sat some quick words, because Dimitri From Paris has made the vocal version of his reMix available on his SoundCloud, and as we’ve mentioned in ‘Headphones’ posts previously, it;s the single standout reMix. So if you haven’t bought the single yet, this should be more than enough convincing.
This track is pure late ‘80’s gold, in much the same way that Fear Of Tigers’ reMix of Ronika’s ‘Only Only’ rocked our world, so does this. It;s got that same, slightly Bomb Da Bass feeling to it, but this track is far more Top Of The Pops, more electronic Soul, with a killer bassline and big stabs. You can read our enthusings about the Dub version here, just imagine that with Victoria’s sweet vocal all over it. Instant classic. On top of that, this extended version has a proper, good old, 12” extension to soak up some more cowbell!
♫ Little Boots – Headphones (Dimitri From Paris Extended reMix)
‘Headphones’ is out now.
Buy Little Boots’ music from:
Second Date’s ‘Young, Beautiful, Etc…’ has been out a while now, but it has finally got itself a video, for those who like that sort of thing.
Directed by Josh Smith, the video is quite simple, but works really well, and looks so nice. Mr. Smith’s camera work and colour palette making the clip a visual treat.
‘Young, Beautiful, Etc…’ is out now on Pschent.
Check out more from Second Date on SoundCloud.
So, earlier this month one of our favourite new artists of the last few years, Ellie Goulding, began the warm up to the new album with a brand new track. In this case it’s a cover of The Weekend’s ‘High For This’. We’re kinda’ in two minds about it, to make us feel less conflicted about the track, the marvel that is Monsieur Adi has come along with a reMix that we are definitely in one mind about.
Our mind is split about the original version because, although it’s wonderful to be hearing Ellie’s voice again, it really is, we’ve missed it, the production is a bit too..well, it’s hard to put our finger on it. Chiddy Bang’s Xaphoon Jones style is just a little too US Hip Hop flavoured, which makes it a worry that courting the lucrative North American market may have stripped much of what we loved about Miss Goulding. The quirkiness, the vulnerability, the intimacy in Ellie’s songs and the Britishness of Starsmith’s (amongst others) production are what made us love her music. For those things to be stripped in favour of a slick American R&B Pop sound, or for her to put through the Cherrytree (her US label) AutoTune-generic-Pop machine, or for her to suddenly have big chucks of Skrillex on her music would be disastrous for her identity as an artist. We’ll see I suppose. Anyhoo, Adi is in the house, so it’s all good. And it really is. It things look bleak, all you need to feel better is Adi’s lush orchestration, which mixes with a laid back Electro beat that just seems the perfect match for Ellie. Of course it’s not the first time Adi & Goulding (which sounds like a buddy cop show) have danced together, but probably the most emotionally rich time. That Ellie chose Monsieur Adi for an official reMix leads us to believe, to borrow from Star Wars, ‘there’s still good in her’. I guess we just have to trust that she knows what she’s doing and that the songs come from artistry, not focus groups.
♫ Ellie Goulding – High For This (The Weekend Cover) (Monsieur Adi reMix)
♫ Ellie Goulding – High For This (The Weekend Cover)
Buy Ellie Goulding’s music from:
Well, this track has just about made my week! It’s ‘No More’, one of the extra tracks on the digital version of Queen Of Hearts current ‘Neon’/‘Tears In The Rain’ single, mashed-up with the instrumental of Tinie Tempah master hit ‘Pass Out’.
There’s not much more I can say about that. Awesome, instantly recognisable Electro track, awesome, epic vocals. Sorted. Frankly, if you don’t love this, you don’t love life, and are probably going to have a miserable weekend.
♫ Queen Of Hearts – No More (‘Pass Out’ Soundclash Version)
Queen Of Heart’s ‘Neon’/’Tears In The Rain’ single is out right now. Also out now is ‘electronic rumors Volume 1’ on which Queen Of Hearts features.
Buy Queen Of Hearts’ music from:
So, after a week of all things Little Bootsy and ‘Headphonesy’ you should have probably picked up the single by now, we won’t bother telling you how good it is again, thanks to the wonders of the internet you can go back and read out enthusing so we don;t have to type them again. But if you need still further convincing you a) probably hate fun and b) should check out our girl Ronika (Madonna Of The Midlands™ *sigh*)’s reMix. But be warned, it’s not what you expect.
What it is, is a fantastic late ‘80’s electronic Soul track, sung by someone who may have once been Little Boots before being pitched down an octave or two. The pitching suddenly warps Victoria into some kind of post-Motown Diva, accompanied by a shimmering soundtrack that actually quite dark in places. It’s a sumptuous track, that stands apart from it’s bedfellows on the single, delivering itself as practically a different song. A smooth groove amongst the frantic retro Pop. It’s unusual for someone to try something this daring with a reMix, and pull it off so well, especially on what could be considered a mainstream release. Most producers would play it safe. That Ronika just went with what she felt is something to be saluted.
♫ Little Boots – Headphones (Ronika reMix)
‘Headphones’ is out now.
Buy Little Boots’ music from:
So, it appears the Australian Indie-Electro legends Van She are getting into a Caribbean state of mind for the second single from their forthcoming new album. After the first single, and album’s title track, ‘Idea Of Happiness’, ‘Jamaica’ is less anthemic, more laid back. Quite fitting really.
It seems it’s not going to be alone on the album in it’s celebration of that part of the world and it’s music. ‘Jamaica’ is a nice combination of Tropical grooves and percussion with Van She’s own, instantly recognisable, sound. The vibes in this track are like a cool breeze, the buzzing synths and little indie licks playing second fiddle to the Calypso percussion and lazy Disco beats.
♫ Van She – Jamaica
Van She’s new album will be out this 6th July on Modular Recordings.
Buy Van She’s music from:
After a week of teasers, here is the full length new video for Little Boots current single ‘Headphones’.
The clip, a step up from the last video, a cheeky look at people’s musical fantasies, peep show style. Bullion Collective directs.
‘Headphones’ is out now.
Buy Little Boots’ music from:
Wow, this week is just full of awesome late ‘80’s-esque tunes. This weeks definite highlight comes from Moonlight Matters (Seba from Villa)’s long, long awaited début single, released next month (or now on Beatport) on Kitsuné Music.
Moonlight Matters has been knocking out some of the best reMixes around for the last year or so, but despite some amazing work, we never, never, expected his début to blow us away like ‘Come For Me’ did. The EP’s title track features Gustaph from Hercules And Love Affair and is one of the biggest power Pop tracks you will hear in a while. Combining a slight bit of his Disco groove with that proper late ‘80’s sound that is starting to seep into dance music inbetween all the retro ‘80’s and ‘90’s sounding stuff. You know what I mean, epic stadium vocals, digital bass and those wonderful orchestral hits, and ‘Come For Me; has them all, and uses them perfectly. It’s a track with a tiny bit of melancholy to it, but mostly just makes you want to punch the air. Less Disco more PowerSoulPop was a brilliant move, Moonlight Matters works it perfectly. ‘Standing Up For Love’, brings down the tempo but keeps the same Electronic Soul feel with Starving Yet Full providing an impassioned vocal in a track that features the smoothest of smooth sax solos. One again Seba draws from Pop from the tail end of the ‘80’s and sucks up all the best elements for a pure TOTP experience. The final original track on the EP is ‘Rain Dance’, a lush, atmospheric, dance track. A bit tribal, this is the track that brings Moonlight Matters a bit more into the realm of ‘90’s dance, powered by crunchy stabs that play like the soundtrack to an action movie. The extended versions of the EP come with reMixes of the title track from Punks Jump Up (on the iTunes version), who deliver a twisted retro Acidic mix, Junior (on the Beatport version) ‘s glitchy Electro-House builder and Herr Styler (on the Juno version) with a deep, raw sounding, House mix with a hypnotic groove. For the title track alone it’s contender for single of the month.
♫ Moonlight Matters (Feat. Gustraph) – Come For Me
Moonlight Matters’ ‘Come For Me’ EP is out now via Beatport and 18th June elsewhere.
Buy Moonlight Matters’ music from:
electronic rumors 