Champs, Exclamations, Snobbery

Still can't be bothered. But today, I'm going to talk my blog up. Like any egotistical blogger would.

Hervè - Who Da Champ

Rarche is, obviously.

Housse De Racket - Oh Yeah!

Oh, are you talking about how awesome Rarche is again?

The Virgins - Rich Girls (Hemingway Remix)
The Virgins - Rich Girls (The Twelves Remix)

I should be bestowed with rich, virgin girls? I don't know what to say.

It's all happening so fast, you know?

Nothingness, Slumber, Resentment

Can't be bothered. Sick. I have nothing to give.

White Lies - Nothing To Give (M83 Remix)

I'm just so sleepy all the time.

Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Starsmith Remix)
Passion Pit - Sleepyhead (Neo Tokyo Remix)

And you kids don't treat me well, I'm not your blog toy.

La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (DatA Remix)
La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)

So tired.

Falkedom

I'll admit it, I'm a Fred Falke Fanboy. His production skills are unrivalled, he consistentally makes wondrously luxurious and dreamy tracks. In fact, the only time he doesn't hit the spot, is when he's paid to remix a song that wasn't really all that exceptional to begin with. He gets paid an absurd amount per remix though, so you can't really blame him (think in the thousands of dollars per remix).

I have a treat for you kids here, two of his original productions. Both possess Daft Punk like qualitites, in that they are upbeat and danceable, but also that they are incredibly repetitive and best left to play at parties/in the background. I also have a few of his more recent remixes, one of La Roux's 'Bulletproof' and his collaboration with Miami Horror on PNAU's 'Embrace', which made the tune a lot more danceable.
Fred Falke - Back To Stay
Fred Falke - Last Wave
La Roux - Bulletproof (Fred Falke Remix)
PNAU - Embrace (Fred Falke & Miami Horror Remix)

Relax and enjoy the ride, kids.

Love Long Distance

New Fake Blood. Up to scratch to what I've come to expect from him. Solid, dark, brooding, with stuttering and bouncing basslines, and, of course, the trademark name drop. Get it.

Gossip - Love Long Distance (Fake Blood Remix)

And quite possibly my favourite Fake Blood remix, still tossing up between this one and three others.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix)

"Fake Blooooood!"

The Sterehoes

Very interesting. I have trouble pidgeon-holing 'The Sterehoes'. Their music is hard to classify, it ranges from abrasive and harsh, to a pacific, almost pop sound. They seem to be influenced by artists ranging from Daft Punk to SebastiAn. Quite a contrast.

Of their more mellow songs, 'Wake Up' almost sounds like something Designer Drugs would create, albeit with a more American Alternative flavour. 'Urgent Drugs' has that tap-your-feet Daft Punk disco feel going on, while 'Red Yellow Blue' calls to mind faux-European Indie/Eurovision (?).

The others, are, well, somewhat cacophonous in comparison. 'We Keep It Real' sounds like something I would expect from someone called 'The Sterehoes', hostile and hard hitting. Grinding, crunchy bass, and off-key squeals remind one of SebastiAn, while auto-tuned female vocals are very Boys Noiz-esque. The Sterehoes' remix of Minitel Rose's 'Continue' displays aspects of Mustard Pimp/The Toxic Avenger. In other words, heavy handed snares and crashes, chopped up, warped vocals, escalating growls and thick slabs of bass. Ouch.

But the good type of ouch.

The Sterehoes - Wake Up
The Sterehoes - Urgent Drugs
The Sterehoes - Red Yellow Blue
The Sterehoes - We Keep It Real
Minitel Rose - Continue (The Sterehoes Remix)

Don't be a music snob, the music is a whole lot better than the artist name suggests. An act to watch.

Breakdown

Does not sound like Empire Of The Sun. Gone is the dreamy, smooth surrealism, replaced by something similar to a quaint nightmare. You know what I mean.

Empire Of The Sun - Breakdown

Still, Empire Of The Sun fans should take a gander at this.

Spiders

Metronomy quirkiness, just as you love it. This remix of Joakim's 'Spiders' is very Metronom-esque. Placid and peaceful plinking and plonking, wobbling chords, and unneccesary squeals galore. The other track here, a remix by Blackout Crew, makes me laugh. I imagine neon glowsticks and aggresively styled haircuts. A must for Metronomy fans.

Joakim - Spiders (Metronomy Remix)
Metronomy - A Thing For Me (Blackout Crew Remix)

Just watched a snippet of the American 'So You Think You Can Dance'. One of the tracks featured was a Metronomy remix. They spelt it 'Metrononomy'. Grrrrrreat.

Couldn't Help Myself

Please don't judge my blog by this. I emplore you. I just find it entertaining. I even made a ringtone out of it for you guys!

Sidney Samson - Riverside
Sidney Samson - Riverside Ringtone

"Riverside, Muthaf***er!"

Beasts, Flowers & Racing Clubs

The Prophecy foretold the coming of a mighty Beast. This beast possessed the power of Darkness, and was impervious to any attacks from the Crusaders of Light. But this mighty Beast had one weakness. The Flower of Arcanite.

The Prophecy predicted that the one to obtain the Flower of Arcanite would not be a Crusader of Light, but a mere boy. This boy would wield this great power, and smite the Beast. He would be the one to save the world from the grip of this Darkness. And when this task was done, he would be rewarded with a racing car. Vroom.

Digitalfoxglove - Beasts And Flowers
Empire Of The Sun - Walking On A Dream (Danger's Racing Club Remix)

That boy's name was...
Rahoul McLovin.

WhoDIB? : Kelly

Kelly, one of the jewels on the crown of Van She's 'V', has been lucky enough to get the remix treatment from M83 and Breakbot, both masters of making fascinating music. Add that to the fact that the vocals to Kelly are already wondrous, and the result is breath taking.

M83 makes haunting music, and this remix is no exception. It sounds somewhat prophetic, as if it was taken straight from the soundtrack of an art-house movie with panoramic sweeps. Melds synths and acoustics like a master blacksmith.

Breakbot takes a slightly different approach, and tries to make Kelly more danceable. He does this by adding funky beats, old-school drum beats (think NY circa 1970), and a more disco feel, along with some 'ooo-ing' in the background. One would think with all these auxiliary sounds, the original feel might be drowned out. Not at all. Breakbot makes sure of that.

WhoDIB? M83 or Breakbot?

Van She - Kelly (M83 Remix)
Van She - Kelly (Breakbot Remix)

Breakbot.

Tired & Stressed

I haven't blogged for a while. I've been inundated with a plethora of tests and new coursework from school. I'm still reeling from the complexity of that bastard of a Specialist Maths test (yes, I'm a nerd). I suppose I performed decently. Considering that one of the questions was actually impossible to do.

I've also noticed that several of my blog posts have been deleted, as well as assorted tracks from my Mediafire account. Mediafire has also come under fire (pun), downloading has been difficult lately and at one point the website was down altogether. More reasons for a sad Coulson.

But no matter.

Here's a little 80's synth fest. Hmmm. Something strangely odd about the order of the tracks.

Freeland - Borderline (GRUM Remix)
GRUM - Heartbeats (Edwin Van Cleef Remix)
Edwin Van Cleef - I Want You (Justin Faust Remix)
Justin Faust - Revenge (Russ Chimes Remix)

Can't put my finger on it.

Shooting Switchblade

Get your Shooting Switchblades here. $25 dollars for one. $40 dollars for two. Bargain.

The first one here is for all you patriots, it's 100% Australian. Fashioned in Sydney by a guild called Bag Raiders, then finished off in Perth by a master craftsman who goes by the name of Shazam. It has a light, festive feel about it.

The second, my friend, is pure American quality. No fakes here. Dark and heavy, this one is good for slashing. Or partying.

Bag Raiders - Shooting Stars (Shazam Dub Mix)
Heartsrevolution - Switchblade (Designer Drugs Remix)

Watch out, these are sharp.

Tesla Coil Boy

Tesla Boy, a Russian act that imitates the Synth laden Pop music of the 80's, plus all the fluro drenched retro hallmarks of 80's music you've come to love. Soft retro crooning, surrealistic echoes, gates of luscious synths, and occasional cascades of dreamy video game synths.

'Electric Lady' is my favourite listen, as it talks about making love to women. Great stuff. 'Spirit Of The Night' comes close, it talks about women. Great stuff too. 'Neon Love' is an epic, stretching out at 7 minutes, so not my cup of tea, but hey, it's Tesla Boy.

Tesla Boy - Electric Lady
Tesla Boy - Spirit Of The Night
Tesla Boy - Neon Love

Damn, that suited up kid who's sitting down is crazy.

Mission

Yeah, blow that sack of blue dye up.

Fortune - Mission (M83 Re-Mix)

And a thankyou to a reader for a delightful mixtape. Be happy, this song is brilliantly infectious (infectious in that it gets stuck in your head).

GoodBooks - Alice

I need a mission.

WhoDIB? : Bounce

Bounce was, erm, interesting. Sorta acted as an omen to the failure of MSTRKRFT's second album, 'Fist Of God'. But, nevertheless, two different remixes, both very competent, emerged from the lifeless generic body of Bounce. These came from Italian scene stealers The Bloody Beetroots, and the Rembrandt of mixing, A-Trak.

The Bloody Beetroots, change Bounce in the typical Bloody Beetroots style. Listen to the song, discard everything except the vocals, which end up being completely warped, reconstruct the entire song with harder, more abbrasive synths, and voila.

Insert Artist - Insert Song Title (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

A-Trak, on the other hand, pushes Bounce to it's very limits. He goes for a smooth, 70's dayum-what-chu-talking-bout aesthetic. Claps, break downs, impeccable sampling (try and spot it), some brass instruments, choir influenced cheers, and, most importantly, cowbells. Smooth.

WhoDib? The Bloody Beetroots or A-Trak?

MSTRKRFT - Bounce (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
MSTRKRFT - Bounce (A-Trak Remix)

A-Trak.

A Game Of Chess

"A game of chess... is like a swordfight... you must think first, before you move."

I think that picture sums up Proxy pretty well. A unique and thought invoking, yet blunt and somewhat traumatising look at what is now an established yet complex form of art.

Pretty nifty picture too.

Anyway, let's look into the brilliant and haunting mind of Russian producer Proxy, with his more recent work. 'Think First', which samples the 1979 Kung Fu film, 'The Mystery Of Chessboxing'. Brilliant stuff.

Meanwhile, '8000' and 'Indian Film' seem to have switched names. 'Indian Film' sounds like it's from the year 8000, while '8000' sounds like it's pulled from the newest Terminator movie, which was outsourced to India to save money.

'Who Are You? (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)' is, quite frankly, just noise. But damn good noise at that. I like it. Very Much.

Proxy - Think First
Proxy - 8000
Proxy - Indian Film
Proxy - Who Are You? (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

In Soviet Russia, you make the beats dance.

Round Up : July

I just noticed that Round Up: June was deleted. Go figure.

July has been dismantled. Assemble for August!

Top 3 Most Downloaded:
1. Mariah Carey -I'll Be Loving You Long Time (Designer Drugs Remix)
2. Daft Punk - Face To Face (Night Drugs Rework)
3. Villains - Thrilla

Commentary:
1. Erm. Not quite what I expected at No. 1. But, to be honest, who cares if it's Mariah Carey? It's a remix by Designer Drugs. And a damn good one at that.
2. Everyone loves Daft Punk, even though the majority of their remixes suck. On another note, keep reading Daft Punk fans, you may be pleasantly surprised...
3. This list would not be complete without at least one reference to the King of Pop. Michael Jackson, Villains, you make one hell of a team.

Top 3 Most Underappreciated:
1. Michael Jackson - Thriller
2. ZZT - The Worm (NT89 Remix)
3. Dragonette - Take It Like A Man (The Toxic Avenger Remix)

Commentary:
1. Thrilla did well, and it was only a remix. Grab the original kids.
2. To be honest, I kinda despise the majority of tech-house, but this one is dark, glitchy, and above all fluid and non-repetitive. Noice.
3. Unbelievably catchy chorus at 1:02.

Bonus For Rarchesters:

Daft Punk - Tron Legacy Theme

And yes, that is new Daft Punk.