Nov 17 2010

Pet Shop Boys…Grum…West End Girls…awesome!

Well, this is already vying for position as my favourite track of the year, it feels like I’ve been waiting all my life for this tune.

Nu-Disco über-producer Grum’s reMix of Pet Shop Boys’ ‘West End Girls’ features as B-side on the SynthPop duo’s new single ‘Together’ and, for me anyway, it’s an almost perfect meeting of everything I grew up with and everything I love now. I love the big analog bassline and the massive Dreamwave-esq pads and the fact that the song remains intact, but totally updated. This thing is one of the classics of the genre but sound fresh as fuck!

Pure, undiluted awesome!

♫ Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls (Grum reMix)

I swear I can hear a Korg Monotron in there too!

Pet Shop Boys greatest hits, ‘Ultimate’, and the digital single of‘Together’ are out now with the physical release, featuring the Grum reMix, coming soon.

Pet Shop Boys @ Beatport

Pet Shop Boys @ Juno

Pet Shop Boys @ 7Digital

Pet Shop Boys @ Amazon

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Nov 17 2010

Vice’s ‘The Producer’s series features Gareth Jones

Anyone interested in electronic music production should head on over to the Vice Broadcasting System and check out their new series ‘The Producers’.

Each episode of the series spends a little time in the studio with some of the UK’s most exiting producers and discusses their techniques and philosophies and how they approach making the ground breaking records they do.

The latest episode focuses on Gareth Jones, the legendary producer/engineer responsible for some of the classics of SynthPop including albums by Depeche Mode, Erasure, John Foxx, Wire, Einstürzende Neubauten and Mesh.

Check out the trailer for the series…

…and head on over to VBS-TV to watch the episode and catch the previous instalment featuring Sheffield producer Toddla T.

[Via Vice Magazine]

Nov 16 2010

Groove Armada reMix HURTS’ new single

HURTS’ new single is released this week and even though everybody seems to agree that ‘Sunday’ is perfect single material it is ‘Stay’, which is fair enough, it’s a pretty powerful track.

So, to the reMixes! The awesome surprise of the single is Groove Armada signing up for reMix duties, and the reMix doesn’t disappoint. Slightly less vocal than I would have liked the mix is nonetheless an enticing House track with an early 90’s feel to it. From it’s orchestral stabs to it’s floaty piano, to it’s killer digital bassline this is 1991 warehouse stuff!

♫ HURTS – Stay (Groove Armada reMix)

‘Stay’ and the album, ‘Happiness’, are out now.

Nov 11 2010

Parralox’s ‘Metropolis’ album

Australia’s beacon of pure SynthPop light in the darkness, Parralox, are releasing their third studio album this month.

‘Metropolis’ is a totally well crafted album that shows a definite progression in Parralox’s sound, slowly moving away from the generic Modern SynthPop (of which they were always better than the pack) to encompass more contemporary electronic music styles. Of course there is still shades of Depeche Mode et al in the mix, but this time around it all sound so much more fresh. This is an electronic Pop album that has come from the Modern SynthPop scene but can stand toe to toe with some of the greats of current ElectroPop or Indie-Electro, and that is a rare and special thing indeed.

Just check out ‘Don’t Listen To Me’, a top quality ElectroPop track that fuses twenty first century Electro production techniques with an 80’s influenced songwriting style that also nods toward Disco-Pop in a way that is pretty flawless. This could be the album that sees Parralox playing in the big leagues.

♫ Parralox – Don’t Listen To Me

‘Metropolis’ is released 19th November.

Parralox @ Conzoom Records

Parralox @ Amazon

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Nov 11 2010

Hear The Human League’s new single, ‘Night People’

The Human League recently débuted their forthcoming new single ‘Night People’ at a live show in Berlin and luckily it was captured by audience members with cameraphones.

Taken from the album ‘Credo’, set for release in March 2011, the ‘Night People’ single will come with reMixes from Mylo, The Emperor Machine and Villa.

It’s not possible to fully judge the new single from this footage, but it does give a clue as to what we can expect.

I’m thinking there is a bit of a ‘Sound Of The Crowd’ vibe going on here. We’re defiantly looking forward to this release, and catching The League live next month.

The Human League @ Beatport

The Human League @ Juno

The Human League @ 7Digital

The Human League @ Amazon

Oct 28 2010

OMD’s ‘Sister Marie Says’, new video

So, we’ve all heard Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark’s forthcoming single and it’s awesome reMixes, so now it’s time to check out the brand new video.

The second single from their recent ‘The History Of Modern’ album, ‘Sister Marie Says’ is available as a limited edition 7” that you can pre-order right now and has a refreshingly British video after all these soft focus Californian clips.

‘Sister Marie Says’ is out 15th November.

OMD @ 7Digital

OMD @ Amazon

Oct 26 2010

Violet Tremors

Violet Tremors remind me a LOT of early/mid period Cabaret Voltaire, except that they are two girls and (no offence to Richard or Steve) are infinitely more glamorous!

Musically though, there is a lot of Cabs to be heard in Jessica and Lorene’s Minimal Synth refrains. The likes of The Normal and Portion Control are probably an influence too. This is music for those of us who remember a time before SynthPop went to the disco. Where we are, here, SynthPop isn’t in a happy place.

The Los Angeles duo utilise old drum machines, analog synths and effected vocals to create a sparse and cold, yet strangely full of emotion, soundscape that should defiantly appeal to lovers of either the current Minimal Synth scene or the early Futurist experimentations.

Dark and Dangerous, this is music for the places you don’t want to be, but can’t help going.

♫ Violet Tremors – Between Us

♫ Violet Tremors – Violet Trance

Check out more from Violet Tremors at their MySpace:

Violet Tremors @ MySpace

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Oct 25 2010

OMD Vs. Monarchy!!!

We knew a while back that the amazing Monarchy we’re reMixing Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark next single, we just didn’t expect to be hearing it so soon, they’ve only just finished!

‘Sister Marie Says’ was the first material from OMD’s new album ‘The History Of Modern’ way back in December last year so we always figured it was on the cards for a single. One thing I like about OMD’s return is that they are picking really good contemporary reMixers. The last single boasted the likes of VillaNah and French Horn Rebellion and now Monarchy.

The pairing of OMD and Monarchy seems to good to be true and the result is pretty special. Monarchy seem to have really got their teeth into creating a modern sounding 80’s track and come up with a reMix every bit forward looking as retro.

Awesome!

♫ OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark) – Sister Marie Says (Monarchy reMix)

‘Sister Marie Says’ is out 15th November, taken from the album ‘The History Of Modern’, out now.

OMD @ 7Digital

OMD @ Amazon

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Oct 24 2010

electronic rumours mixtape: Pop-Fu 07 ‘Hold On To The Summer’

Hey! The weather’s getting shitty and I’ve got a long journey this week so I knocked up this rough ‘n’ ready Mixtape that I’ll share with you lot. There’s some awesome ‘pretend it’s still Summer’ tunes on there.

Check it:

01 StardonE – CT
02 Bag Raiders – Way Back Home (Original)
03 Gemini Club – Ghost (Hey Champ! reMix)
04 Walter Sobcek – Je Me Souviens (Paul reMix)
05 Starsmith – Knuckleduster
06 Russ Chimes – Never Look Back
07 Alfa – Sky Patrol
08 Pacific! – Narcissus (Club Edit)
09 Xinobi – Varial Kickflip
10 LIGHTS – Second Go (Echoes reMix)
11 Mark Ronson & The Business INTL (Feat. MNDR & Q-Tip) – Bang Bang Bang (Russ Chimes reMix)
12 B-Xentric! – Complete
13 Tesla Boy – Thinking Of You (Casio Social Club reMix)
14 LexiconDon – Student Body (Build & Clancy reMix)
15 Robyn – Dancing On My Own (Original Radio Mix)

Oct 23 2010

Pet Shop Boys – Together

This November sees 25 years since Pet Shop Boys exploded into public consciousness with their début single ‘West End Girls’. To celebrate the duo are releasing their third greatest hits album, titled ‘Ultimate’ alongside a brand new single.

The single, ‘Together’, is produced by ex-Xenomania man Tim Powell, is pure uplifting Pet Shop Boys with Neil Tennant’s signature deadpan, but hopeful, vocals and some euphoric lead lines.

Even more exiting, though, is the B-side of the single’s physical release. A reMix of ‘West End Girls’ by none other than Grum! I literally cannot wait for that!