Mar 16 2016

[Audio] Jari Menari’s ‘Tiki Man’ EP

The Tiki Man EP is the latest release from London’s Musik Box label and it’s arguably their best, and most eclectic, to date. Musik Box is, of course, home to all things House, Disco and Boogie set up by renowned beat-mongering duo Punks Jump Up, now PJU; now on it’s sixth release after a string of rock solid, and slightly quirky, floorfillers.

Tiki Man is the product of Jari Menari; who are, in turn, one half of PJU teaming up with one half of Swiss Disco experimentalists In Flagranti. Which makes sense as they are both products of that early 2000s Indie-Dance boom.

In Flagranti have been knocking out woozy Disco epics since way back in 2002, largely on their own label but occasionally for the likes of Kitsuné, Phantasy and Gomma. Intergalactic Bubblegum and Business Acumen both hold a massive place in my heart as the soundtrack to my last few years living in London. Similarly Punks Jump Up have served up some of the finest Boogie-fuelled monsters of the last decade. From Dance To Our Disco to the Chromeo’s Dave1 featuring Mr. Overtime, via collaborations with Dubka and Earl Grey, a new PJU release is always something to get excited about. Particularly the basslines. Oh how I love me some PJU bassline!

The EP’s title track is an insane six minutes of half rapped/half chanted vocals over one of those basslines. A thick late-80s House groove, pure white glove stuff, accentuated with synth stabs and popping purcussion, Tiki Man has a Chicago House core with a particularly British twist. Tanz La Tête continues in a similar vein, upping the jacking element into a hypnotic symphony of rolling 909 purcussion and punchy Roland bass; tied together with looped vocal snatches, a pure vintage floorfiller.

There’s a slight EBM/Newbeat slant to Body Conscious with it’s reverb heavy synthetic industrial purcussion and undulating waves of effects rolling in and out of the track while I Want U (But I Want U 4 Myself) serves up an almost New York Indie-Disco flavour mixed with a little Detroit Electro and Chicago warehouse vibes. Live bass and organ set this one apart from the rest of the EP.

The TIki Man EP is an example of what can happen where people truly steeped in the history of dance music come together to experiment, the results are eclectic and left-field, but rock solidly classic House.

♫ Jari Menari – Tiki Man

♫ Jari Menari – Tanz La Tête

♫ Jari Menari – Body Conscious

♫ Jari Menari – I Want U (But I Want U 4 Myself)

Jari Menari’s Tiki Man EP is out now.

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Sep 30 2015

[Video] PJU’s ‘Give It To Me’

Remember Punks Jump Up’s Give It To Me from last year? The track was inspired by 80s Chicago House classic Donnie by The It, and featuring vocals from original Donnie vocalist Robert Owens, and was available on Exploited’s Secret Gold Volume 6 compilation. Well the jacking tribute to all things warehouse is getting a nice reMix package release on PJU’s own Musik Box label. The October release comes equipped with mixes from KiWi, Vanilla Ace & Berber, Musik Box (we guess PJU), Want More and Horse Meat Disco. The original is pretty amazing, we can’t wait to hear the reMixes.

It also comes with this particularly retro video which looks like any number of VHS tapes we have in the back of a wardrobe loaded with dance music videos taped off the telly. The perfect accompaniment to the track.

[PJU’s ‘Give It To Me’ is released 23rd October.

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Jun 23 2015

[Audio] Ryan Riot & Ay Wing’s ‘Broken Doll’ (+ Punks Jump Up reMix)

One of Switzerland’s finest Nu-Disco and House export, Ryan Riot, is set to release his newest single next month via Y Este Finde Qué’s imprint. The release sees him teaming up with Ay Wing for Broken Doll which is due out at the end of July. Not only is it a smooth as hell slice of warm House but it comes backed with a killer reMix from London’s Punks Jump Up to boot!

Deftly integrating vintage Disco mirrorball shimmer into a big Piano House track, Ryan Riot and Ay Wing serve up a soft focus floorfiller. Ryan pulls out his whole arsenal here, from the Warehouse beats to the Topical keys everything is placed for the maximum dancefloor potential. The big hooks and big, yet slightly quirky, diva vocals are present and correct here and keep the track’s energy levels high. For their reMix, Punks Jump Up strip back the groove and morph it into a late-night Acid-ish jam that is vintage sounding Chicago gold, practically a strobe light made audio. Check out those deep, warbling synths; love it!

♫ Ryan Riot & Ay Wing – Broken Doll

♫ Ryan Riot & Ay Wing – Broken Doll (Punks Jump Up reMix)

Ryan Riot & Ay Wing’s Broken Doll is released 23th July.

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May 6 2015

[Video] PJU & Earl Grey’s ‘Call Me’

The amazing collaboration between Punks Jump Up and Earl Grey, Call Me Up, a retro slice of brilliant bassline House, have gone and got itself a fresh new music video. Peep this.

The clip was directed by STVN/STRM and has got that Punks Jump Up style to it with crazy, vintage looking animations.

PJU & Earl Grey’s Call Me Up is out now.

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Feb 3 2015

[Audio] PJU & Earl Grey’s ‘Call Me Up’

In what must be one of the most exciting collaborations in recent years, London club giants Punks Jump Up have teamed up with one half of The C90s Danny Ashenden A.K.A. Earl Grey. The fruits of this meeting of minds is to be the début release on new Exploited sub-label, Exploited Ghetto, a single titled Call Me Up. These guys have known each other for a while and share a deep love of early Chicago House and analog synths; and if you a fan of either of their musics, or a fan of raw, synthesizer dance music, you’re in for a treat here.

Call Me Up kicks off with a low filtered bass playing a pattern that immediately let’s you know what you’re in for. Channelling warehouse sounds with a hint of Acid; Call Me Up is actually as Detroit as it is Chicago, with a strong Juan Atkins feel to some elements. The hard Roland beats, the robotic vocals, the utterly infections bassline; all this adds up to a track made for strobe lights in dingy clubs and sweaty dancefloors. Only time will tell if a track is classic, but Call Me Up has the chops to stand shoulder to shoulder with the tunes that influenced it; and that’s high praise indeed.

♫ PJU & Earl Grey – Call Me Up

PJU & Earl Grey’s Call Me Up is out 16th March.

Check out more from Punks Jump Up on SoundCloud.
Check out more from Earl Grey on SoundCloud.

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Jan 21 2014

[Audio] Punks Jump Up reMix NSFW’s ‘Getting Away’

Dutch Disco producer NSFW has just released a brand new single via New York’s Nurvous Records, a laid back slo-jam full of soul and rolling bass. The reMix package for the single picks up the tempo and energy levels a bit, especially in the case of this arpeggio fuelled post-Italo beast from London’s Punks Jump Up who’s sparking synths pretty much make the release.

Relentless beats and a pure London Electro vibe permeates every second of this reMix. It takes the dark minimal acid Disco sound of the capital’s seediest clubs and injects a little Nu-Disco fun into them. Delayed analog snyths and a hazy use of the vocal sample push the track into warehouse territory with hypnotic and evolving synth patterns. Whist not as Poppy as some of Punks Jump Up’s output, this reMix is guaranteed to lock them to the dancefloor.

♫ NSFW – Getting Away (Punks Jump Up reMix)

Check out more from NSFW on SoundCloud.

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Nov 15 2013

[Video] Punks Jump Up’s ‘Fairlight’ video

Here is the video for London duo Punks Jump Up’s new tune Fairlight, which we featured last week as a free download. Which is good value really, seeing as how is one of the best tunes of the last few months.

The clip was put together by Neal Coghlan, and it’s an amazing, animated, space-age trip that visually plays on the tracks retro sounds.

Punks Jump Up’s Fairlight is available now.

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Nov 6 2013

[Download] Punks Jump Up’s ‘Fairlight’

Ahhh the Fairlight. No joke, one of my earliest, fuzzy, memories was the Fairlight on Tomorrow’s World. I think this spaceship console of an instrument instilled in me from an early age a love of music and technology combined. Fairlight is also the title of London groovesters Punks Jump Up’s new tune. A tune which comes in two flavours, Video and Club varieties. So you’ve got a tribute to the CMI for every occasion.

The Video Mix of Fairlight, which we’ll take to be the de-facto Original Mix until informed otherwise, is a rich slice of DancePop, heavy on the Disco vibes. The track highlights Punks Jump Up’s knack of being able to produce on the cusp of 80s and 90s sounds. You’ve got late 80s basslines, mid-80s sampling, early 90s keys and a distinct nod to PJU’s mid-00s roots, all wrapped up in fresh, clean and contemporary production. Fairlight’s Video Mix is like a melting pot of everything that’s awesome in the history of Dance Music. The Club Mix falls a lot more in the House camp, unashamedly so’, bringing a Chicago groove to the tune. Revelling in warehouse euphoria, the Club Mix delivers big on all the nostalgic dancefloor requirements for a peak time party starter. Both track are available for free download, which seems like too good of a deal, we’re still waiting to find out there’s a catch.

♫ Punks Jump Up – Fairlight (Video Mix)

♫ Punks Jump Up – Fairlight (Club Mix)

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Jul 9 2013

[MP3] Reflex’s ‘Together’ reMixes (with Punks Jump Up, Oxford and Tempogeist)

Our favourite French duo (which is quite a sweeping statement, ‘cos, y’know, Daft Punk) Reflex are back, mere weeks after the release of their new single, Together, with a swanky reMix collection to fill your ears with. Together is currently out on Jerry Bouthier’s Continental Records with the reMix collection coming next week. The line up for the package includes the like of Colour Vision and Tronik Youth, alongside Punks Jump Up, Oxford and Tempogeist.

Punks Jump Up’s take on the track is full-on jackin’ House. This one’s all thumping 909 beats, thick basslines and an utterly compelling piano hook. Ripe to get the dancefloor whipped into a frenzy in some dark, strobe lit, club, Punks Jump Up’s reMix is just a pure House juggernaut. Oxford, on the other hand, turns-in a typically smooth Disco reMix, all rolling basslines and vintage stabs. A lush slice of laid back synth Funk, Oxford’s version injects the release with a little poolside cool. Playing out the EP with some shuffling retro Funk is Tempogeist, who’s massive reMix combines synthetic Nu-Disco with slick vintage Pop sheen, delivering a version of Together with a feel of a 80s extended 12” reMix, this one;s a free download too. It’s a storming reMix package and a nice compliment to the original single, easily worth your attention.

♫ Reflex – Together (Punks Jump Up reMix)

♫ Reflex – Together (Oxford reMix)

♫ Reflex – Together (Tempogeist reMix)

Reflex’s Together reMixes is released 15th July.

Buy Reflex’s music from:

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Jul 2 2013

[Audio] Bryan Ferry’s ‘Don’t Stop The Dance’ reMixes (inc. Todd Terje, Punks Jump Up & Psychemagik)

At the weekend, 70s/80s Roxy Music legend Bryan Ferry dropped an absolutely massive collection of reMixes of his 1985 single, Don’t Stop The Dance. It’s a classic tune that was ripe for reMixing and the line up he has picked to do the deeds is pretty impressive. There’s a whopping eleven reMixes in the package, including these three choice cuts from Todd Terje, Punks Jump Up and Psychemagik.

Terje’s take in the tune is truly sublime. Surpassing even his last encounter with Bryan Ferry (he previously reMixed the Ferry track Alphaville), Terje gets into a spiralling Cosmic Italo groove that is unrelenting for it’s whole ten minute length. Undulating arpeggios and chilly Scandinavian Disco beats clash with space age synths and Dubbed out vocals until the whole track coalesces into one big, tight, funky synthetic siren’s song. Punks Jump up deliver some of their particular brand of sax fueled, late 80s influenced, jump up House tunes. Introducing a bouncy synth bassline and swirls of intoxicating retro sounds and haunting horns, Punks Jump Up’s is definitely the one we’re most excited about hearing on the dancefloor. Blissed Out Nu-Disco hippy Psychemagik’s take on the tune wraps the original in a variety of vintage House sounds and a trippy Disco vibe. This is quite a package they’ve put together, and it sounds like these guys had a lot of fun playing with this tune, the results are certainly worth checking out.