I'll Be Off

Listen. I shall be off to Thailand, and I may not return (even though I will). From now on, the blog may be put on hold. Note the may. There may be input (but not from me). When it happens, you shall see.

French flair.

Noisia - Machine Gun
Make The Girl Dance - Kill Me (The Toxic Avenger Remix)
Boys Noize - Transmission (Mr Oizo Remix)

German technique.

MMMatthias - James (Sabotage Remix)
MMMatthias - James (ReKratz)

English class.

Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed
Ellie Goulding - Starry Eyed (Russ Chimes Remix)
Erik Hassle & Ellie Goulding - Be Mine

Scottish inventiveness.

Jump Jump Dance Dance - Show Me The Night (Grum Remix)
Goldfrapp - Rocket (Grum Remix)

Irish charm.

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn (Jupiter Remix)
Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn (Softwar Remix)

So toodles for now kiddos. I'll be back early March!
Oh, and that's my Doppelganger! Mad dog, has WeSCs. Red Urbanears are cooler though.

Round Up : January

January has been eradicated. Honour February!

Top 3 Most Downloaded:

1. Sissy Nobby - Lay Me Down (A1 Bassline Remix)
2. The Crystal Method - Drown In The Now (Danger Remix)
3. The Sound Of Arrows - Into The Clouds (Mille Remix)

Commentary:
1. Yes. A1 Bassline is back, and I'm glad to see it. 1:38, nice name drop and horror synth combo. Incorporating more glitch, as well as 'grime' into his remix makes this tune top notch. Oh, and keep a lookout for grime. Methinks next dubstep (but better).
2. Danger, danger! You're getting into dangerous territory, Danger! Danger, have you no sense of what is dangerous? Danger! But not at his finest. But still Danger. Danger!
3. This, my friends, is what Danger should be producing. Which means that it's bordering on being flawless.

Top 3 Most Underappreciated:

1. Cassian - Final Round
2. Allure - On The Moon
3. Barretso - Midnight Walk

Commentary:
1. As Mille is to Danger, Cassian is to Bag Raiders. This dude has got some serious groove going on is his songs, and this is one impeccable example! Whachaoww!
2. So alluring. Smooth, understated, and seductive.
3. Glitch 'n' synth, that's all you need. And Barretso, he knows it. So sit back, relax, and get Barretso'd.

Bonus For Rarchesters:

Fare Soldi - Tutto Tutti Sempre Subito (Justin Faust Remix)

Oh, and I'm sorry guys. You know, about the non-bloggage. This Round Up is kinda forced. But, never fear, more music will be here (On Rarche).

The Computer, It's Dead

Hi. My computer died on me. Probably too much of me using iTunes (or the fact that it was positively ancient). Transferring all my data took a while, and getting my head around all this computer nonsense took weeks. So, hopefully, I'll be getting a new (quad core) computer soon, and getting back to blogging (regularly).

There will be changes coming to this blog. So hang tight!

Cassian is starting to promote aggressively, you can see it all over Melbourne. Aggressively playing at various clubs, aggressively launching various EPs (one), and, of course, aggressively distributing various promotional music. Which is odd, as his music is not at all aggressive, but funkified and full of groove. Except that I'll Get Yeww! remix. Obviously bettered by this one.

Cassian - Friday Night
Cassian - Final Round
Classixx - I'll Get You (Cassian's I'll Get Yeww! Remix)

Checked out Yes Giantess yet? Rhyming artist name aside, these guys have got it going on. With connections to Passion Pit (some of Yes Giantess are former members), it's assured that these guys produce premier electro pop goodness.

Yes Giantess - The Ruins
Yes Giantess - Tuff 'N' Stuff
Erik Hassle - Don't Bring Flowers (Yes Giantess Remix)
The Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition (Yes Giantess' Return Of The King Remix)

Remember, changes!

WhoDIB? : Peanuts Club

Love Peanuts? Love this. Peanuts Club, has gotten much attention from various musicians and bloggers, including remix work, so Noob & Brodinski can be proud of their efforts. I'll be looking at the less popular, but equally polished remixes, since you've probably already heard the Beatacue one.

LA Riots are veteran remixers, and this track is no exception, showcasing their ever increasing arsenal of synths, editing skills, and somewhat pre-packaged sounding drum beats. As you would expect from LA Riots, the song thuds along at first, until the squealing synth starts to kick in.

Now, I've been keeping this little gem to myself until the right opportunity to post it came along, and here it is. Buttonmasher, a young man hailing from Melbourne, Australia, remixed the song in question many (blog) years ago, and, it's pretty darn good. Think bleeps, but lots of them, acting together, in synergy.

WhoDIB? LA Riots or Buttonmasher?

Noob & Brodinski - Peanuts Club (LA Riots Remix)
Noob & Brodinski - Peanuts Club (Buttonmasher Remix)

Buttonmasher.

Dangerous

Danger seems to be whacking out material to increase hype for his third EP, 09/17/2007, due out for digital release on the first of February. His remix of Drown In The Now, is almost entirely glitch with a base of a simple Danger track, which is strange for a Danger remix, but hey, it's Danger. 4h30 is very typical Danger, but I dig the heavier beats and occasional 90's house kick.

The Crystal Method - Drown In The Now (Danger Remix)
Danger - 4h30

Oh, look at this. Mille put out a remix too, which sounds very similar to early Danger, except it has a blissful intro and wonderfully peaceful vocals. Opinion? You know you want it. Basically, it's what I would prefer Danger to sound like.

The Sound Of Arrows - Into The Clouds (Mille Remix)

Return To Form

Danger continues to remix more popular artists, in this case, One Republic's All The Right Moves. Danger is moving further and further away from his signature sound, to a fuzzy, less engaging one, although that lovely Danger sound does kick in later on in the track. Personally, I don't think it's time to move away just yet, and that Danger has indeed not pulled 'all the right moves'. I am so witty.

One Republic - All The Right Moves (Danger Remix)

Damn. It's as if A1 Bassline read my blog post and said to himself "Rarche is right. What am I doing?". He did everything right, emphasizing a heavier, grittier dubstep, more glitch, and even the Rasta. Go A1 Bassline!

Sissy Nobby - Lay Me Down (A1 Bassline Remix)

He's back, and it's pure SebastiAn, experimental and destructive. The original track was 13 tracks of unlistenable noise, but luckily Too Many SebastiAns has provided us with a nice little edit.

SebastiAn - Threnody (Edit)

MMMatthias has returned to us with a glitchy, growling, and somewhat relaxing remix of Yeasayer. As you would expect, the entire melody is constructed from glitchy, rearranged vocals, random sounds, and occasionally 8-bit tunes. Very nice.

Yeasayer - O.N.E. (MMMatthias Remix)

Mr Oizo's Cheetas is, surprisingly non retarded. While this might be beneficial for the majority of musicians and their music, it's not for Mr Oizo, who we've come to think of as our loveable, crazy Frenchman friend. Come on Mr Oizo, we need more 'woops' and 'pew, da-d-da, je suis!' in your music!

Mr Oizo - Cheetas

Round Up : 2009

2009 is gone. Here comes 2010!

Oh, and kids. I was browsing at tracks to put in the Top 10 Most Underappreciated, and I was gobsmacked at how many top quality tunes had received relatively little attention. So, do yourselves a favour, and either:

1. Click on the names on the side of some of the artists you fancy.
2. Back track, and have a look at what I posted earlier in the year.
3. Checkout Round Ups only if you're in a pinch for time (one of the names on the side).

Top 10 Most Downloaded:
1. Lost Valentinos - Thief (Shinichi Osawa Remix)
2. Erik Hassle - Don't Bring Flowers After I'm Dead (Crystal Fighters Remix)
3. Kaiser Chiefs - Every Day I Love You Less And Less (Boys Noize Remix)
4. The Black Ghosts - Any Way You Choose To Give It (Fake Blood Remix)
5. Mr Oizo - Pourriture 7 (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
6. Sidney Samson - Riverside
7. Mariah Carey - I'll Be Loving You Long Time (Designer Drugs Remix)
8. Foals - Electric Bloom (Neo Tokyo Remix)
9. La Roux - I'm Not Your Toy (Jack Beats Remix)
10. Daft Punk - Fragile

Commentary:
1. Excellent remix, deserves to be at top spot. Goes off at 1:14.
2. Erik Hassle's music sometimes comes across as somewhat bland and austere, but Crystal Fighters added a variety of drums and buzz to bring out his voice. Great.
3. Very simple Boys Noize, very simple. But very good.
4. Ah ah ah ah, keum keu-keum keum keu-keum, for-or-or-or-or-or-or-or-or-or ey ey! You know how it goes. Pure glitchy goodness from Fake Blood himself.
5. Really not that good at all.
6. See above. But add more lol.
7. I don't care if it has Mariah Carey. It's damn good, and you know it! Designer Drugs did their homework on this one.
8. "It's just another hospital, it's just another, it's just another." with squealing, reverb, gristle and distortion to make this one tasty track.
9. Jack Beats destroyed this song. And, while some people view destruction as a good thing, I don't necessarily agree. Check out the much more polished DatA remix instead.
10. Daft Punk are a timeless duo. Fragile might possibly be a fake, but that doesn't make this any less alluring.

Top 10 Most Underappreciated:
1. The Hundreds In The Hands - Dressed In Dresden
2. Chateau Marmont - Maison Klaus
3. The Juan Maclean - One Day (Surkin Remix)
4. N.A.S.A. - Whatchadoin? (Villains Remix)
5. Edwin Van Cleef - I Want You (Justin Faust Remix)
6. Crystal Fighters - Xtatic Truth (Xtra Loud Mix)
7. Tiga - What You Need (Proxy Remix)
8. Clubfeet - Teenage Suicide
9. Little Boots - New Town Girl (A1 Bassline Attack Mix)
10. Keenhouse - Ari-Es (Hemingway Starlight Yacht Remix)

Commentary:
1. Featuring aspects of indie (plenty of guitar, subdued female vocals) and electro (a mixture of heavier reverberating bass and softer synths), this is one top notch track.
2. This is the type of song that we've come to expect from Chateau Marmont, the dreamlike, surrealistic synthfest that makes
3. Rocking out with 90's house influences, Surkin pulls it off with style and, most importantly, rave stabs.
4. A heavy remix from those kids called Villains, this features womping and buzzing bass in spades. 1:36 is groovy.
5. Justin Faust is an accomplished remixer. This is a prime example.
Bonus For Cool Cats:
6. That Crystal Fighters magic is everywhere, the heavy drums, the Spanish guitar and accents, deliciously european.
7. Vocals distorted so that they slowly but surely increase in pitch, leading to a 4x4 beat breakdown, Proxy style.
8. Ignore the depressing name. This is, without a doubt, one of the happiest songs I have heard for a long time. Think Passion Pit happy.
9. When A1 Bassline does things right, he does them right. This is a near perfect remix of New In Town (still don't know why he changed the title). Even the dubstep is decent.
10. Ever read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald? If that was a song, this would be it. Now, when a song reminds you of classic literature, it must be good. How fitting that the remixer is called Hemingway.

Bonus For Rarchesters:

Lushlife - Meridian Sound (Part Two) (Abacus Remix)
Radiohead - Reckoner (The Twelves Remix)
Bertie Blackman - Black Cats (Calling In Sick Remix)
Bertie Blackman - Black Cats (Shazam Remix)

Round Up 2009 : Top 5 Albums

A quick overview of the albums that made my year. Obviously, this list isn't exhaustive, and will probably change over time. But I'm just going to stick to now. Otherwise, I'm just thinking too much, no?

5. Little Boots - Hands
To be honest, I'm surprised that Little Boots' album Hands wasn't the success I expected. It's catchy, melodic pop, yet it wasn't catchy enough to catch on. Little Boots' vocals blend seamlessly with the synths, and, for pop, the lyrics aren't overly soppy or risque (though, admittedly, a few songs are). Regardless of it's lack of commercial success, Hands is still a fairly solid album, one that Victoria Hesketh should be proud of.

Little Boots - Remedy

4. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
Ahh, Phoenix. Your songs have been misquoted by people all over the globe, and you should be proud of it. The key? Being wonderfully simple. In a time where Frenchmen are using more and more electronic trickery, and making their music increasingly more complex and layered, Phoenix said no. And for this, their music stands out. Phoenix is one of the few bands that have managed to be accessible to the populace, yet simultaneously retain their indie-cred, which is no mean feat.

Phoenix - Lisztomania

3. DatA - Skywriter
From the velvety vocals of Sebastien Grainger, and the impeccable smoothness of DatA's production, comes Skywriter. The album has the ability to make you stare up at the sky in wonder, or turn your eyes to the dancefloor. Every track is amazingly polished, and one has to wonder whether or not DatA has stolen his crafting skills from the Greek god Hephaestus (probably not).

DatA - Skywriter

2. Passion Pit - Manners
If there's one album here that can make me smile, it's Manners. Seemingly created exclusively for summer, it's wonderfully charming and youthful, thanks to the heavy use of children for backing vocals. Definitely one for summer.

Passion Pit - Folds In Your Hands

1. Shadow Dancer - Golden Traxe
Golden Traxe is your number one album? You better believe it. Sounding like it's been taken straight from a live mix, Golden Traxe is intricately detailed in a way that other artists could only dream of replicating. From the wide range of electronic music genres it takes influence from, to the incredibly consistent and varied synthwork and distortion going on, and the abundant number of microsamples and glitches, it's clear that Shadow Dancer knows their stuff, and, more importantly, how to pull it off. Top stuff. Top album.

Shadow Dancer - Soap

Round Up 2009 : Top 5 EPs

A list of the top 5 EPs that really stood out for me. These EPs are, in my opinion, incredible and wonderfully consistent, sort of like a really good yogurt or ice cream. Damn I'm hungry. Here's to yogurt and ice cream (and good music) in 2010!

5. Erol Alkan & Boys Noize - Waves/Death Suite
A joint effort by the two biggest Turkish producers in the world. Enough said.

Erol Alkan & Boys Noize - Waves

4. Siriusmo - The Uninvited Guest
Siriusmo is one talented boy. Listening to his EP just tells you about the wide knowledge he has of music in general. Sure, anyone can make random synths, sounds and glitches, but it takes a lot of skill to make it addictive to listen to.

Siriusmo - High Together

3. Mustard Pimp - Cherry & Kiwi
Mustard Pimp! If you go through Rarche, you'll find Mustard Pimp is one of the most blogged about artists, as well as being one of the most highly praised. This EP is a prime example of their music : loud, abrasive, and in your face. Just how I like it.

Mustard Pimp - Cherry (Mustard Pimp Dark Remix)

2. Boys Noize - Starter
Remember what I said about needing a huge amount of skill to pull off glitch/Turkish producers? The first time I heard the glitchiness of Jeffer, I had it on constant repeat. That normally doesn't happen to me. Then a few months later, after having initially ignored Starter, I started listening to it a lot. Moral of the story is, this EP is good stuff.

Boys Noize - Jeffer

1. Fake Blood - Fix Your Accent
Blew my mind when I heard this. When I got my hands on this, I was expecting something similar to Mars. The Chicago House sound hit me hard, knocked me down, and made me completely forget about the type of song I was originally expecting from Fake Blood, which could be found in The Dozens if need arose. Say, that kid thinks of everything.

Fake Blood - Fix Your Accent

Round Up 2009 : Disappointments

By using the term 'Disappointments', by no means at all am I saying that these artists are terrible, or even that what they churned out in 2009 is. What I mean by disappointment, is that, like an underachieving genius, they could have done a lot better.

Danger : 09/16/2007 was underwhelming, and the most recent Danger remix of 2009, of Give It All You Got by Lil Jon, wasn't 'dangerous' enough, in the try-something-different sense, as well as the pun sense. Compare this to 2008, where Danger released a slew of top-notch remixes, and you'll see why he's in this particular Round Up.
2010? : Not entirely sure, but Danger should pull through with an EPIII and album next year. I suspect the reason why 2009 was such a letdown was because he was preparing for his new album, which should be an engulfing, surrealistic experience.

Danger - 88h88(80Kidz Remix)

A1 Bassline : A1 Bassline has the intros, the outros, and the build ups down (his build ups are top notch). So what has he done wrong in '09? Choosing dubstep for his drops. It's not that fidgety, gritty dubstep, but a rapid, fast firing type, which even though appeals to me more than most dubstep, it's still dubstep. But now it has shifted away from the rapid fire dubstep, to a high pitched, whooping type, which, quite frankly, destroys the entire track. It's a shame really, as I really enjoy his newfound style of glitched Jamaican Rasta vocals.
2010? : Emphasise the Jamaican Rasta, add more glitch, drop the dubstep, or at least make it filthier, and 2010 shall be a great year.

Little Boots - Remedy (A1 Bassline Get Hype Remix)

Bag Raiders : Bag Raiders had the EP of 2008. Both Turbo Love and Shooting Stars were faultless, truly. Bag Raiders also had some of the finest remixes of last year, in particular, their remix of Far Away by Cut Copy, which I now deem to be a perfect remix. Fast forward to 2009, and their productions are well below par, and too 'gangsta' for my liking.
2010? : Album coming out 2010. Should be impeccable.

Kid Sister - Pro Nails (Bag Raiders Remix)

Writing this Round Up hurt in it's own way, it made me realise how disappointed I was by some of my favourite artists. Come on guys! 2010 is a new year :)

Round Up 2009 : Mixed Bag

The term 'Mixed Bag' can be represented by a bag of lollies. Inside the bag of lollies are chocolate, jersey caramels, and fruit chews, but with them lie liquorice, industrial strength popping candy, as well as the occasional sweet proudly claiming that it has 'no poison'. All in all, the good and the bad are in the same bag.

Fred Falke : In a time where peaceful, dream-like synths are gaining in popularity, you would think that one of the behemoths of the genre would stick to it. Apparently not. Even though I applaud him for having, what we Australians call, the balls to change, I'm not too sure about his new sound. But Mr. Falke is wise enough to keep enough of his sunshine synth in his productions to keep people hooked, and by changing his sound he's opening himself up to new fans and horizons, so I guess you can say Mr. Falke is one smart cookie.
2010? : As long as he retains enough of his signature sunshine, 2010 should be a healthy year for Mr. Falke.

Burns - First Move (Fred Falke Remix)

The Twelves : I don't know if it's just me, but a lot of the stuff from The Twelves just sounds stale and unappealing to me now. On the other hand, sometimes it's absolutely brilliant, oozing funk and glitter. Even so, I shouldn't have to force myself to listen to the majority of their remixes.
2010? : Should be a stellar year for The Twelves, considering the amount of blog love they get. Although they haven't been churning out as many remixes lately, but this probably means an album is in the works.

Terry Poison - Comme Ci Comme Ca (The Twelves Remix)

The Bloody Beetroots : The Bloody Beetroots have had a very successful year. Warp was an incredibly popular track, as was their album (it was advertised here in Australia on posters, which is uncommon). Problem is, a lot of Romborama is crud, as are the remixes that were aimed at capturing a wider audience. However, The Bloody Beetroots still manage to occasionally put out gems that hit us hard or make us cry (not really), and remind us just why we fell in love with them in the first place.
2010? : Although it probably won't be as successful as 2009, 2010 should treat The Bloody Beetroots quite well, especially if they can afford to set Pioneer CDJ1000s on fire.

Proxy - Who Are You? (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)

Boys Noize : I have to be honest - I didn't like Power. Everything else that Boys Noize released this year was right on the ball, but Power just didn't do it for me. I found the whole album incredibly repetitive, and not catchy at all, which is a shame, as an album based on the Starter EP would have met all my expectations and more.
2010? : Seeing as he released an EP and an album this year, I think it's safe to say we can expect a rest from Boys Noize, or at least some more of his spiffy remixes and edits.

Chromeo - Night By Night (Siriusmo Remix) (Boys Noize Edit)

2010 will be a great year. I can feel it. Can you?

Round Up 2009 : Up & Coming

Expect a pearler of a 2010 for these guys, they deserve it.

Justin Faust : Everybody should dig Justin Faust. He has an enviable consistency, one that many artists struggle to achieve, as well as an almost perfect mix of dreaminess and the ability to make you tap your feet.

Bestrack - With You (Justin Faust Remix)

Crystal Fighters : I Love London should just be a starting point for these guys. They have that hectic, youthful sound down, as well as Spanish accents. Oh, and Spanish guitar. How can 2010 not be their year?

Pony Pony Run Run - Hey You (Crystal Fighters Remix)

Two Door Cinema Club : Two Door Cinema Club have that peppy, upbeat sound that is just so easy to love. Reminiscent of Mystery Jets, these kids know how to make a song that make you smile.

Two Door Cinema Club - Undercover Martyn

Marina & The Diamonds : The way for electro-pop darlings have been paved by acts such as Little Boots and La Roux, so expect Marina & The Diamonds to come storming in next year, with her catchy vocals and quirky sound effects aplenty.

Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood (Fenech-Soler Remix)

Mille : We might have someone here who can throw Danger off his throne, provided Danger doesn't pick up his game in 2010. That alone says a lot, as Danger is miles (I was tempted to use 'Milles') in front of other artists who have a similar style of music. But then again, even if Danger does kick in 2010 and keeps his throne, what's to say Mille won't share it with him?

Edwin Van Cleef - Overtaken (Mille Remix)

Proxy : Album coming out early 2010? Noice. The album will almost certainly cement Proxy's place as our favourite Russian avant-garde dance floor destroyer, as well as spreading his name to those who are less well informed.

Tiga - What You Need (Proxy Remix)

Mustard Pimp : Often referred to as "like The Bloody Beetroots, but better", I don't think that really does them Justice (spot the pun). They're maximal, but not too maximal, and that's how we love it here. Their recent signing to Dim Mak has almost guaranteed that a Mustard Pimp Warp equivalent will be made. Not that that's a bad thing.

Steed Lord - Take My Hand (Mustard Pimp Remix)

Classixx + Coulson

Here it is kids, the Christmas present I guaranteed you all. Sorry it's on Boxing Day. However...

It was once taboo to give out presents on Christmas, as it was considered a holy day (how we've changed). Most gifts were in fact given out on Boxing Day, and it was a more common practice to give to servants and employees, rather than people of a higher social standing. What usually happened, was that presents that the rich people received, or an item that they no longer had a use for, was simply repackaged, and then given away. Thus, the art of regifting was born.

Classixx - I'll Get You (Coulson Edit)

Servant, download this song.

Heatwave

My legs are being seared by the heat, and my feet are starting to melt. Sorry about the break from blogging kids, but Phillip Island called. Found me a dead penguin, being consumed by seagulls, an abundance of Kantuses, Maulers, Spitters, Chargers, as well as the occasional Templar.

Anywho, new music. Death To The Throne has a somewhat interesting track in I Only Have Eyes For You, the intro is engaging in it's own self-promoting way. Both Gentlemen Thieves tracks have a medieval-themed game feel, but that's brilliant in my eyes. Kid Adrift remix of Wolf Gang is buzzingly orchestral, a sound that I dont hear much of (maybe I should expand my musical horizons more).

Death To The Throne - I Only Have Eyes For You
Gentlemen Thieves - Contrapasso
Monsieur Adi - We Are The Romans (Gentlemen Thieves Remix)
Wolf Gang - The King And All Of His Men (Kid Adrift Remix)

Oh, present from me to you for Christmas. You might love it, you might hate it, but you better take it. Or else when you walk outside, someone will throw a fridge at you.

Those Fences

This track has been out for a little while now, but it's safe to say that it's quite brilliant. Neo Tokyo's signature distorted, techy glitches are paired with Phoenix's soft spoken vocals, and you might say that in this case, opposites attract.

Phoenix - Fences (Neo Tokyo Remix)

Neo Tokyo have been pretty consistent. Might be worth your while to scope out their other work.