Friday, December 4, 2009

The latest batch of sweetness

So unless you've been a scared ostrich for the past 6 months, you've heard about Duck Sauce, a collab of A-Trak and Armand Van Helden. More specifically, you've heard at least while weekend jamming:

Duck Sauce - aNYway
but probably not the original funky disco house jam
Final Edition - I can do it (any way that you want)

and the tight video


Also, I just picked up (via rcrd lbl) a Woven Bones jam. Imagine grungier Kurt Vile vocals deep with heavy reverb along with guitar distortion that rivals bangers that belongs in an apartment with a 100 sweaty northwest teenagers from the 1990's. They are touring the west coast/side/region of the US and I'm waiting for them to put their back towards the setting sun and make way for my way.

Woven Bones - If You're Gold, I'm Gone

There is also this Alan Palomo jam (why did I miss him when he was in town!) using Ed Droste's voice to overarch the melodic, andante, dreamy-eyed instrumentals. I don't know if the Lo-Fi is intentional, but it kind of sounds like something Pretty Lights would put out and only make a bootleg copy of.

Grizzly Bear - Cheerleader (Neon Indian 'Sega Genesis P-Orridge' Mix)

What else to unload, oh how about confirmation that Michael Jackson wrote some of the music for Sonic the Hedgehog 3? Wow. In a nutshell, he didn't give/get the credit because he thought the sound quality was poor in video game form relative to records/CD's as well as the whole children issue.

Not to ruin the video, but speaking of kids and Grizzly Bear and to make a Venn diagram of this post...

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving for Thanksgiving


Wow. This was an amazing weekend. Honestly, I think year after year my life gets better and better. You know, I always showcase people from everywhere else and hardly from Chicago. Our local scene is fantastic. All the random house parties, the neighborhood DJ's, the local celebrities, and even the local-turned-national celebrities make my nightlife a true pleasure to live in. Sonotheque is a dream now but my other favorites the Hideout, Smartbar, Logan Auditorium, Debonaire and Empty Bottle are still going strong. Lincoln Hall just opened up, we're getting a Beauty Bar, and the Empty Bottle is opening a new place in Logan Square that has a place to nap? There's a new record store in my hood, I discovered Johnnie's Beef in Elmwood Park, I just ordered two Sergio Mendes and Brasil 65 LP's. Oh, and my roommate is great.

Although I still think Moneypenny together are just ok, divided they conquer my flabbergasted feet. Highlights from the weekend are:
Darkwave Disco DJ's
LA Riots
Rose and her flygirls at Dragonlady Lounge
Mother Hubbard (Chess Hubbard)
Bald Eagle (Chris Baronner)
Willy Joy
Hey Champ DJ's
Million $ Mano (Emmanuel Nickerson) even though he just hosted, he is still tight.


Prime dancing


Woo!

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Chicago

I saw on my clock that it's Friday right now, but it's only just after midnight -- not before. I was worried that I was going to miss LA Riots and my Darkwave Disco dudes at Smartbar. This weekend has quite the compressed schedule into a couple of days. Just a quick calendar rundown now:

Right now I'm missing New Wave night at Neo. All my buddies are tryptophaned out.

Friday
10pm - My friend Mike Biederman is playing at Uncommon Ground.
10pm - NOMO at Schuba's
11pm - LA Riots and Darkwave Disco DJ's at Smartbar.

Saturday
8:30pm - Salt n' Pepa revival at Dragonlady Lounge featuring Rose Perez!
11pm - Life During Wartime at Hideout with Bald Eagle and Mother Hubbard
12am - Dim Mak dance party at Empty Bottle with Steve Aoki, Million $ Mano, Willy Joy, Moneypenny
12am - Nitzer Ebb at Double Door?? Wow.
2am - Neo.

Note that you can also see most of these on the right column. I don't know if anybody ever uses it (as no one ever comments) but chances are that I'll be attempting to show up to them. Be busy, folks!

In the meantime, check out the video. It's a little fetishy, so be forewarned.


Here are some jams to hold you over. I rediscovered a great site called NightMagnets by finding this post. Download everything off of it. (Read it too). Here's a smattering:

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Heads Will Roll (James Iha mix)
Empire of the Sun - Standing on the Shore (Cassian Remix)
Datarock - The Pretender (Holy Ghost Remix Radio Edit)

All these foot-stompers should be on a Moneypenny mixtape. Not that I'm keeping my nose up because those pair are really good DJ's, but they should dabble in tunes that aren't just last month's hipster essentials. That was kind of mean; I should take that back... later.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Where is Cut Copy?



Occasionally along comes an artist whose work is so intertwined with certain facets of your life, particularly those that have become your foundational bricks, that a mere smattering of their samples can bring about both the savory reminiscence and the sting of repetition. It's been some time since I saw Cut Copy and much longer since In Ghost Colours came out. Naturally to assuage my selfishness, I hope that they are working hard on:

- Coming back to Chicago
- Making a new album
- Making sweet remixes
- All of the above

Fortunately for me, I've found a couple of gems that they have been putting their pen to. The latest of which (last few months) are:

Munk - Back Down (Cut Copy Jackmaster Remix)
The Juan Maclean - Happy House (Cut Copy Space is the Place Remix)
Mercy Arms - Kept Low (Cut Copy Remix)

Looking at their myspace, they are doing the DJ circuit in Australia and NZ now until the end of the year. Discogs' only 2009 entry is their remix of Move by CSS. Hypemachine gives only old mixes and other people's mixes of Cut Copy. I guess I'll have to keep waiting for something to happen. Here are some more from months / years past.

Kaiser Chiefs - Never Miss A Beat (Cut Copy Mix).... can I repost this enough times?
CSS - Move (Cut Copy Remix)

Also, while pursuing these folk I found I Thought Of Numbers from 2001 -- quite a departure from their current polished melodically moving sound. This stuff comes out of the early 2000's electroclash introduction which Bright Like Neon Lights also takes some cues from.

Cut Copy - Rendezvous
Cut Copy - Sitting Down Standing Up

Enjoy!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Remembering being chilled out



So I just got the blue Memory Tapes LP. It is great. This guy, Dayve Hawk needs to come into town for sure. I don't know if you're into sparsely dancy, electronic, dream-pop, but after a quality eve of finding a Hugo Boss suit (named The Connery on the tag) that fits me perfectly on the super cheap at consignment (had to brag) and some quality Cesar's and hookah, Memory Tapes is all kinds of fantastic right now. Here's a mini-mix from Aug09:

Memory Tapes - Magic Sequence

01. clip from See Magic bonus disc
02. Memory Tapes - "Green Knight"
03. East Hundred - "Hammerhead (Weird Tapes Version)"
04. Memory Tapes - "Bicycle (garage boombox take)"
05. clip from Seek Magic bonus disc
06. Memory Tapes - "Plain Material"
07.
08. Fools Gold - "Nadine (Memory Tapes Version)"
09. clip from Seek Magic bonus disc

(tracklist from p4k)

It is some sort of wonderful. Dayve is a very prolific artist with Wierd Tapes, Memory Tapes, and Hail Social all under his belt. Hail Social isn't around anymore unfortunately, but here's a track that I dig. Pulsating with melodic overtones and a simple yet effective bassline.

Hail Social - Paralyzed
also,
Hail Social - Heaven (Anoraak mix)

You'll recognize Anoraak from the Valerie Collective of folk. More winners. Dig through their folks' stuff.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Cute Jams

I get the feeling this blog is very male-centric, which I'm ok with naturally. Not that these are necessarily for the babes, but I think they have more feminine appeal than say... Soulwax? Give them a listen.

Devendra Banhart - Baby
Fats Waller - The Spider and the Fly
Girls - Laura
Candi Station - Stand By Your Man

I think it's important that you tell people where you found specific items in hope that they will utilize those sources for their future music pursuits. No idea about Devendra, but Fats Waller I was looking for Ain't Misbehavin' on hypemachine and came upon this, Girls I found from my friend's now-retired radio show on cfuv, and Stand By Your Man I was reminded from from the always awesome Alanna. Granted you are probably not going to be able to pillage from Alanna, but it is all the more reason to seek her out and extract what you can of her music and film knowledge.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Exhibit A: More Vitalic

I'm feeling very anxious right now. I've got so much energy that I decided to... blog. It is a gorgeous day (gorges!) and although I already had a promenade on the boulevard du Logan, I need more. I saw my friend Kevin last night with his brother and cousins, I had brunch with Ileya and her husband today -- who else is visiting Chicago now?

Since I was listening to the D is for Disco mix, it's high time I clean out my cupboards of all the albums from the last month or two I've been holding out on you guys with. Exhibit A is Flashmob. I can't really say that it's typical Vitalic because I only have one other album to base him off of, but I can say like OK Cowboy there is a healthy mix of what I would relegate into a dream-acid-jam category as well as the more intense hair-flaunting, armpit-licking, visage-punching intensity I (you) know and love.

Vitalic - Still
Vitalic - Poison Lips

Sweat Rag



It was this day last year that I started writing this post about a mix album with this man with a mane inside that I got back then. I immediately ripped it and lent it out to my cousin who kept it ransom for about 6 months. That's ok. That's ok.... and then I finally got it back and realized what a fantastic mix it was. Wow. I say that I'm starting in general to grown out of the whole uber-dancy genre, but I think that its just that it's retreated into the closet now since at clubs it's getting stale (think Soundbar and Vision, not to be confused with:

David Bowie - Sound and Vision (David Richards Remix 1991)

Back to the point, so I got my D is for Disco, E is for Dancing in the mail, complete with an Aussie perspiration cloth. It is some kind of wonderful. Dare I use the dreaded Nu-Rave to describe it? Plenty of pulsing distortion keys to propel your hips in their natural direction. On disc 2 (the E-disc), it is a jam without fail. Don't believe me? You really have no reason to but just in case:

5. DJ C - Juce (feat: Jorge Stylo)
6. Brodinski - Bad Runner (Crookers Gone Electro Remix)
7. Underworld - Ring Road (Fake Blood Remix)
8. M.I.A. - Jimmy
9. Digitalism - The Pulse (Derdiedas Remix)
10. Shit Disco - I Know Kung Fu (Dabid Rubato Remix)
11. Beni - My Love Sees You

Eines Snippette des Jams

Yeah yeah, some of the songs are a little stale but you really can't blame my laziness in writing this post can you? Don't answer that.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Halloween Jams

I love Halloween. Escapism? Excuse for ostentation? A method to differentiate and filter out the whores? No, it's obviously the music... not that these are necessarily just for the weekend of the 31st. Speaking of which, daylight savings is on Sunday morning. Whoever thought of putting it there was a genius.

PNAU - Donnie Donnie Darko
Clinic - Harmony
The Rakes - Terror
Sufjan Stevens - They are Night Zombies!!!...

I've always try to play this song every year post-Denver:
North American Halloween Prevention Initiative - Do They Know It's Hallowe'en (Wiki about it here)

This year, can we just please, please not play Thriller at every party... especially the banger version?
Well.. maybe just a little bit but mixed in:
Michael Jackson - Thriller (instrumental)

also def Halloween worthy:

The Knife - Silent Shout

The 'crowning' piece of my costume this year with my roommate still needs to be found... tomorrow. What's your costume?

Balki vs. Balki

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Stumbling through rock and roll



This morning a buddy of mine asked how I found a certain link. No idea, only that it probably was a result of looking through ffffound or google images. Thinking about it made me think that I should record internet paths and perhaps retrace steps later on. While looking for Devo's 'Girl You Want' after hearing it at The Gossip show (which was badass by the way even though I got twice-groped) I found this joint and furthermore an excellent resource for classic rock n' roll (NOT classic rock): anything from garage to surf to Chubby Checker-ish, lo-fi, 'The' bands. Examples include:

Devo - Girl U Want
The Elite - One Potato <-- The Jam
The Pleasure Seekers - What a Way to Die
The Rockin' Ramrods - She Lied
Supercharger - Sooprize for Mr. Mineo
Sam Cooke & The Soul Stirrers - I Need you now

So just from that one Mummies post (which I want to believe is a real compilation album) I've been on an old rock n' roll kick right for the past week. I'm going to completely pillage Debbie's stuff.

Friday, October 16, 2009

New News about Old Folks

I recently received an email from mog about how they are going to offer their own version of a music subscription service (see Napster / Rhapsody) but for $5/mo. I don't know how they're going to do it, but maybe they figure not to make as much money on selling music, but rather attract people and suck them into the mog life and continue to rely on ads.

It worked for me.

I haven't really looked at mog in a while other than the weekly digest emails that they send out which are nothing compared to actually browsing the site and doing discovery by myself. Enter the current update on old friends:

New LCD Soundsystem
Jimmy is working on the next album as announced last week and the sneak peek is already here. You can stream it but not download it? We'll just see about that..

LCD Soundsystem - Bye Bye Bayou

Bloc Party to break up
Maybe I'm just perpetuating rumors here, but it makes sense to me. Considering that while on tour Matt Tong had to go to the emergency room due to a collapsed lung makes me think that he can't keep up doing the riffs that they want to do. Notice the intensity of the drumline in Silent Alarm vs. A Weekend in the City and Initimacy which started to use drum machines. I'm just happy I went to a bunch of their shows during the course of their lifetime. Matt was is fantastic.

Flaming Lips to cover Dark Side of the Moon
You know what I'd love more than this is if they were to do their entire show doing this version that I haven't even heard yet. I understand that 'Do You Realize?' is a religious experience, but conceptualize a Coyne version of 'On The Run'. Wow.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Come to Chicago already

Among the many other reasons to learn French, I've never heard Vitalic speak...


I've ordered Flashmob and it's on its way over across the Atlantique. Can't wait.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The By-gone Days of Lipgloss



When I was living in Denver, dating my then girlfriend, and being even more picky of music, there was a place called Lipgloss where all the then indie hipster kids would hang out. They even had a deal that if you drove your Vespa to the club you would get in for free. It was, and still is, located in La Rhumba at 9th and Broadway. DJ's Michael Trundle (whom my ex went to high school with apparently) Tim Cook, and Tyler Jacobson would totally kick everybody's ass with sweet dance music and there was cheap booze and there were ridiculously hot girls (coat check girl on the right) that I would never talk to and it was always a fantastic time. They frequently were giving away shit and always between 11-1130 at which point the music would stop and they would make an announcement, which was my cue to immediately book it to the DJ booth and get whatever CD they were giving away that day. (That's how I discovered Bloc Party.) When we first started going there, they had 2 boxes in the middle of the dance floor. People would put their drinks on them, but they were meant to be danced on and there wasn't some bouncer shooing you off because you were a dude. Rocking out and posing with Larry across the room was pure delight. After I returned to Chicago I vowed to find the Lipgloss equivalent, but it was too unique. The closest I found was Darkwave Disco in 2005 and then my love turned to electro...

But back to Lipgloss. My iTunes fell haphazardly on Moving Units and I remember that they were one of the frequenters of the tracks to hear there. So, here's my little tribute to the days of yore:

Moving Units - Anyone
Moving Units - Between Us and Them
Bloc Party - Helicopter
Enon - Disposable Parts
Ms. John Soda - Go Check
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #3 (Power Out)
The Faint - I Disappear
Annie - Anniemal
David Bowie - Rebel Rebel

Oh the reminiscence... "Drinking alcohol without the olives, is like making love to a woman without a breasts." - old guy to me before trying to get me to introduce him to Christi and Rachel.

UPDATE: How could I miss this song?? This is probably the quintessential track of Michael Trundle's..

The Stills - Still In Love Song

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Hot Tix

La Roux is coming to Chicago on 21Oct to Lincoln Hall.

Buy tickets here.

By the way, all of the shows that I'm going to are underlined on the column to the right. So.... you should come with me to stuff.

This weekend just keeps getting better.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Best show this year



I bought a Fever Ray ticket a while back knowing that I probably wouldn't have the opportunity to see her again. My affinity for Karin Andersson because of The Knife was up there and I thought Silent Shout was a decent album, but I definitely would not have put it at #1 back when it came out. All expectations were crumbled.

Fever Ray is haunting
Fever Ray is a dream world
Fever Ray is putting me in a trance

I had to be sneaky to take some pictures using the phone since the staff (at Karin's request) wouldn't let you take any pictures. I thought that was rather lame, but after seeing what the show entailed I now understand. Right now I'm in conflict in as to whether or not I want to divulge the scenery to you, dear reader, because I have never experienced anything quite like it. So, let's compromise.

Fever Ray - When I Grown Up

SPOILER ALERT


more photos

You will notice a multitude of things in this photo. Lasers juxtaposed with your grandma reading lamps, a man (#3 from left) with feathers protruding from his chest, a dark blob of cloth in the middle (Karin), and not noticeable is a man behind the lamp right in front of me. He has a large hat and seems like he is doing all the programming (maybe the lights too). Most of the show was enshrouded with fog which made me feel like I was on the Swedish tundra and then sneaking into a crystal concert hall watching some dark religion's evening entertainment. The scene, whether in my mind or on stage, was perfect for the pulsating music and lights combined with Karin's vocodered demon-voice only to be confirmed when the fog was blown away.

This thing was better than Of Montreal and on par with Flaming Lips or Super Furry Animals in terms of scenery and concept, but was the polar opposite in what in conveyed which I found refreshing. Fever Ray was uplifting not because it was fantastical and whimsical, but rather because it wasn't cartoonish and you could be sucked into it.

Stand in front and go see the show.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

We've Been Waiting a While



Deep from within the crystal caves of southern France emerging from his cocooned chamber of foot-stomping, leg-writhing, positively asymptotic electric bliss comes Monsieur Arbenz, Mr. Vitalic. Oh my. There is a new album coming out and even though my foot is sprained and swoll from Logan jogging, it is going to fall off on November 3rd while my landlady next door complains to her upstairs neighbor about the bass for the second time.

Oh my.

Minimix preview. Clicky.


cred


Vitalic - Your Disco Song (Extended)
Vitalic - See the Sea Red

Monday, September 21, 2009

Worth Jamming


Eleni


Nothing overly underappreciative to say about these tracks other than some quick recent pieces that I've picked up:

A-Ha - The Sun Always Shines on T.V. (extended)

Julian Casablancas - 11th Dimension

Vicious Pink - Cccan't You See <--

Actually, the Vicious Pink track I've been searching for a while now after hearing it on a random mix. I feel like it's a worthy addition to the fag jams. The repetitive sample contrasted with the smoothed out backing vocals always works. One of these days I'll put together a song just to show off all the things I've learned about making pop music. Contrasting, combining, and juxtaposing a 'smoothed out' sound rather than one that is more staccato is a fantastic effect that Vicious Pink did very well here. Exhibit 2:

Soulwax - E Talking (album version)

Notice the bongo's and synth chords with the over-emphasized, crescendoing sustain for ~16bars and then go into the jug-jug-jug-jug base line. Just before the transition they reduce all the other parts of the track to ~solo the sustained synth. That's hot.

Monday, September 14, 2009

I'm a sucker


cred: punkreas
Every time i'm listening to a song and I surf to punkreas, this guy shows up. He's always right on.


Every now and again I talk to some far off friend of mine, and being the music pusher that I am, I feel obligated to share some stuff with them that I figure that they would dig. My most recent trade (20min ago) was with Sabrina, a real character. I gave her some Memory Tapes and she gave me Shadi. Shadi Toloui Wallace has a beautiful voice. Notice that I didn't say sexy because I want to preserve the innocence that is my friend. I haven't listened to the album yet, but if this Strokes cover is any indication of it, I need to get it right now. By the way, shouldn't those guys be making a new album or something? I guess they aren't running out of money yet..

Shadi Toloui-Wallace - You Only Live Once

Oh I can't sit on this one all by myself; it's too catchy.

Memory Tapes - Plain Material

This either. Clicky! Video!
Memory Tapes - Asleep at the Party

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

La Roux mon La Roux

So I can't tell you how much I love this girl and this album. I think the CD laser is going to burn through it by the end of the month.

Not only is she beautiful, but her voice pierces my heart with femininity darts.

However, (there's a however?!), yes however I don't think she's matched up with the right production people. Already I've got 20 different remixes, with 10 just for Bulletproof, that different people have mixed. Her voice and lyrics are fantastic, but the current instrumentalism behind her is lacking. I can understand it's synthpop and I love that sort of sound, but sometimes it is just downright cheesy (Cover my Eyes, As if by Magic). After seeing the same thing for the video for 'I'm Not Your Toy', I almost feel that whoever is managing Elly is taking advantage of her talents.

Decent video:


Bad video:


Great Video:


AWESOME:


WAIT
According to La Roux's myspace, she's supposed to be playing at Schuba's on 21Oct. I don't see anything yet, but I will be there for sure if it's the case. Checking tomorrow.

UPDATE
I emailed the booking manager at Schuba's and he tells me that she's scheduled to play Schuba's new venue. It is occupying the space where the Three Penny Cinema on north Lincoln avenue used to take up. Excellence.

Saturday, September 5, 2009

Hard Con

After reading about the new album by Pissed Jeans on Sub Pop and this guy saying that it's best album of the year recorded by any label (Sub Pop here), I found myself desiring to put up some of the more intense stuff that I love. This is the foot-breaking-because-you-stomp-so-hard and two-minute-sweat-generation-four-minute-pass-out music that I'd need 3-4 timeouts during a show in order to recuperate.

The Randumbs - Gas Pumper

White Rose Movement - Love is a Number

Volt - Testbuild

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Hands off! Dance off!


5min wake up bike ride at the company gym and a red bull later, work was still fading me. Luckily there is the Accord and the Bang Gang DJ's (another post). After seeing my downstairs neighbors take the dog out for a spin, that leaves me power on the 200W amp...

Yello - Oh Yeah

(You will recognize that from Ferris Bueller). Still not satisfied as the song that kind of goofy in its entirety (sampling is great of course), I needed to kick it up a notch.

Boxcar - Free Mason

80's ladies and purveyors of classic fag jams will love this one. If someone is interested in opening up a discotheque with me whose digital effects consist of massive 7-segment displays and a programmed, backlit dancefloor sign me up. Neon is a must. Once we get there, the first playlist will consist of:

DVAS - Eternity (Beyond Forever)

Jan Hammer - Payback (DVAS’ Nash Bridges Edit)

Grace Jones - Williams’ Blood (Aeroplane Mix)

Funky Family - Funky Is On

K.I.D. - Don’t Stop

Force of Nature - I-ight

Kris Menace - Metropolis (Serge Santiago Italo Boot Edit)

DVAS - Le Tino (Radio Edit)

Tangerine Dream - Le Parc (DVAS’ Norman Tuttle Edit)

The Korgis - Drawn and Quartered (DVAS Edit)

Zombi - Zapphire (Escort Remix)

Danny Howells - Right Off (Faze Action Remix)

Fallout - The Morning After (Sunrise Mix)

DMX Krew - I Won’t Forget

Hot Cold - I Can Hear Your Voice

To really put yourself there, close your eyes and click...

DVAS - Panoptic Animations

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Midnight mixtape wednesday


cred


You know how Sunday is supposed to be named after the sun? Monday after the moon, saturday after saturn, thursday after Thor, what about the rest of them? I'm glad you asked.

They are all named after pagan symbols and gods (for those too lazy to click)
Sunday - Sun
Monday - Moon
Tuesday - Tew
Wednesday - Woden
Thursday - Thor
Friday - Frigg
Saturday - Saturn

ok, how about that mixtape? basically it's what i have been listening to for the last hour or so (with the shit removed for you, naturally).

Empire of the Sun - We are the people
!!! - A new name
Thunderball - Solar
!!! - Yadnus
Vega - No Reasons
White Lies - Death <-- I should have saved this for later
White Stripes - Jolene (Electric Ladyland Sessions)

K, that was in honor of Mike showing off fridaymixtape to me.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

Sundaze

I should probably throw up my Lolla picks for Sunday. Man, that Friday post took me long enough to do that I don't want to do anything so epic for the other days. By the way, winners so far in order of excellence:

Diplo
Miike Snow
Santogold (I don't care that its not her name anymore)
LA Riots
Hollywood Holt
Million $ Mano (Yo, you plugged your boys, I know that's great, but I came to see you.)
DarkwaveDisco DJs
Crystal Castles

Notice I didn't mention Depeche Mode. They decided to play a lot of their new album. My my my, does it suck. Old? Busted? I hope not. Day and night comparison to them at Coachella. They killed it there.

So, what's on tap for Sunday? I'm glad you asked:

Deadmau5 (Perry's 8:30pm) or The Killers (Chicago 8:30pm)
MSTRKRFT (Perry's 7pm)
Boys Noize (Perry's 6pm)
Lou Reed (Budweis 6:30) ahhhh, so much conflict!
Passion Pit (Citi 5pm)
The Hood Internet (Perry's 3:30)
Kaiser Chiefs (Bud 2:30pm) maaaaaaybe
Car Stereo (Wars) (Perry's 1:30) or Bat for Lashes (vitaminwater 1:30) Ahh x2!

Damn I need to get there at 1:30? Shit. See you there! Go afterparties!

The XX are smart



Have I mentioned that the internet is great? Good ole wearehunted told me about The XX. They have it right. Probably the easiest way to describe them is Lykke Li if she had a dude with her and they danced in a candlelit room solo with a wooden dancefloor and they are dressed to the 9's

The XX - Basic Space

The XX - Crystallized

Enjoy.

Tracks stumbled and found through Punkreas though... after wearehunted.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Whom to see Saturday edition

In true style of doing things at the last minute, here's the proposed course for Sat at Lollapalooza. Apologies for the lack of detail. Trust me on these though:

Miike Snow (1:30, Vitaminwater)

Miike Snow - Cult Logic <-- Winner

Santogold (5:30, Playstation)

LA Riots (6:30, Perry's)

Diplo (7pm, Perry's)

Major Lazer - Hold the Line

transitions well with (duh)...

The Trashmen - Surfin' Bird

Dick Dale - Miserlou (Pulp Fiction intro)

Yeah Yeah Yeah's (8:30 Bud) or get ready for afterparties

Afterparties.

I'm going to throw this out there too because it's too tight.

Holy Ghost! - I will come back (Classixx Version)

Oh hey non-paragraph form. Let's throw a Teddy III shot in here for good measure.



Oh La Roux, why did you cancel on Lolla?

La Roux - Quicksand (Beni's sinking at 1.56 mix)

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Whom to see, whom to see...

Lollapalooza is this weekend, and I've been garnering some research in order to figure out my route. Naturally I'm looking back at prior gatherings and being reminiscent. I'm very lucky to have been to so many great shows at these festivals. Here are the current winners that I can think of in 5min in no particular order:

Daft Punk (Coachella 07), feet so tired from dancing
Spank Rock (Coachella 07)
Depeche Mode (Coachella 07) sneak
Out Hud (Intonation 2005), a religious experience
Flaming Lips (Lollapalooza 07, Pitchfork 09, Monolith 08)
Justice (Coachella 07, Coachella 08)
Kraftwerk (Coachella 08)
Prince (Coachella 08) very talented
!!! (Coachella 07, Lollapalooza 08)
Of Montreal (Pitchfork 07) Kevin Barnes' wife in a gold leotard...
Klaxons (Pitchfork 07 Coachella 08)

I'll give you the advice, but naturally this list is very Con-centric. I'm trying not to put up a band's remixes no matter how good it is (We Are Scientists - Chick Lit (Danger Mix)... Ay Ay Ay!) since obviously they won't be playing those at the shows. By the way, have you utilized hypemachine's mp3 player? I just really starting using it just now. Now, here it is in a true betrayal to proper chronological order:

Friday August 7th

Depeche Mode (8pm Chicago Stage)

No contest. When I saw them at Coachella last year, they put on a fantastic performance. Two UFO's of electrobrilliance to put forth their amalgamation of massively pumping masterpieces and breath-inducing jams. Dave Gahan's resonating voice is def in my top 5 all time male vocalists. Again, no contest.

(waiting and pressing to get closer to DM) (6:45-8pm)

A-Trak (Perry's 6-645pm) or taking a bathroom break
It's not very flattering to be pitted against a port-a-potty... and lose. However if I don't have the urge to purge then I'll stop by and check out A-trak. You know, if I remember correctly, there are some stages that are not listed on the program schedule especially the dance tent(s). Maybe I'll check that out instead. In any case, maybe my company will want to eat dinner or something. Ha, sorry A-T.

Crystal Castles (Playstation, 5pm)

nicked

...or...

Fleet Foxes (Vitaminwater, 5pm)

nicked


I've seen Fleet Foxes before and I wasn't crashing down the doors in order to see their show. After seeing it however, with their chatty cathy antics and hearing Robin Pecknold perform 'Oliver James' and melting into the person next to me I'm a fan.
Crystal Castles however, I have not seen. I've heard some less than favorable things about their live show in terms of their audience interaction, but I have higher hopes. Plus, it's dancy electronics versus more acoustical vibes (and relatively stinky audience members) and dance tends to beat chill like scissors vs. paper.

Hollywood Holt (Perry's 3:45pm)

Yeah, I just saw him at Sonotheque on Friday, but the guy's stage presence is remarkable. He's slightly shorter but the energy he puts out in jumping up and down on stage and going absolutely nuts is a fantastic sight to be seen.

Now we get into the realm of exploration. Most times in the early afternoons of the concerts are great because they are a chance for trying new things. So we have a couple of options here.

The Virgins (Citi, 3:30pm)
Indie-pop that is worth mentioning. Depending on who I'm with at Lolla, I may check them out.
The Virgins - Rich Girls

Darkwave Disco (Perry's 2:45pm)
The DWD Conspirators - Photo by Tyler Curtis
My old standby. The reason I go to Sonotheque. The reason I listened to bangers. The reason I love the electronic dance. It's another guaranteed show even though I haven't been to Darkwave in a while (actually I don't think they do it anymore). Truly though, I feel like it's the old me of 2005-2009. Oh shit, am I getting old?

White Lies (Bud 2pm)
It's tricky for me to go see a band that I haven't heard before a couple of times, but that's why I'm doing what I'm doing right now. The couple of songs that I have heard just now are interesting enough for me to check them out. Again, it is the vocals that are attracting me to these guys. I think the guy's voice sounds like a cross between of Paul Banks of Interpol fame and The Killers' Brandon Flowers. I don't know who the gal is on the cover song below, but winner too. Downside of these guys? Very poppy and overly refined.
White Lies - Death
White Lies - Death (Chase & Status Mix)
White Lies - One Ones Who Know (Arctic Monkey's Cover)

Amazing Baby (Citi 2:15pm)
Yeah, you know... these guys haven't done it for me. I feel like I should see them just because they are in town. They were supposed to be the next MGMT according to this guy but they may afford that more to the fact that they are buddies with them. I think the blogworld response to them has been super hyped and their association to hipsterdom doesn't help their cause in my world either. Eh, you make the decision:
Amazing Baby - Supreme Being

Dental Appointment (Dr. John 10am)
No seriously, I need to go to the dentist in the morning.

Nothing else is really catching my attention in the morning. Maybe I'll just wander and try not to tempt myself with buying stuff at the Virgin store.

(Hmm... now I have to do Saturday and Sunday. Next one...)

"Smashing Greg, Simply Smashing"



Hopefully this post isn't getting deleted immediately. I found this guy while looking for a little icon to make bulletpoints on another post. The above shot is one taken by Greg De Stefano. I think it's amazing as usually Mr. Mario isn't some angry character trying to actually smash people into smithereens but bounces on those goomba heads with a smile and a wink. Looking at his other stuff, the use of personally costumed photography looks good. This one's for you Sam & Mike.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Kurt Vile's splinters



This morning prior to heading out, I'm checking out one of my buddy blogs, Cold Splinters. Jeff, has a penchant for really chilled out, really good music that is oft guaranteed to put me in a quality relaxed mood. The concept behind Cold Splinters takes the outdoors and puts it in a practical/spiritual/emotional light that continuously makes me desire for a doppelganger life in Yosemite (with easy access to snowboarding of course). This one he put out by Kurt Vile is no exception.

Kurt Vile - Overnight Religion

I can also see why he likes the song as the style is akin to what Jeff would play too: primarily lo-fi, reverbed/delayed vocals with a progressing guitar riffs. I can't actually upload the tracks I have of his because they aren't mastered yet, but believe that when he actually releases his album that you will want to pick up a pair of copies.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Neglection and Distraction


cred: Robin McKendrick Pesceone via Neo 30th anniversary pics on F'book


I got a Valerie Compilation mixtape some moons ago and never really did a proper post on it primarily because I didn't think it was all that great. I have to say, the human element amongst the boop-boop-beep-beeps of the track sends me into guaranteed gyrational korper-movements. The Valerie folk on the tape have the electronic part on lock, but it's the lack of vocals that really distressed me. Enter the Maethelvin Mix.

Maethelvin - MTLV Time Travel Mix

-Tracklist-
Casco - Cybernetic Love
Kasso - Dig It
Angie St. Philip - Light Up My Heart
Exposé - Come Go With Me <----
Nuance - Take a chance
Future World Orchestra - Captain Coke
Combo - Just Change (Loose Shus Remix)
DVAS - Society
Maethelvin - Delight

Big big holy shit. This is pure mental extraction of my personal delights robbed from me while I was unsuspecting to create a concoction consisting completely of my desire to be born again but in 1963 with infinite supplies of Dep. The last track is def in the Intro Body vein. Speaking of which, a quasi-reunion tour is forthcoming.

For your portable YouTube DJ playlist:


And the real thing (update 25Jun11)

Expose - Come Go With Me by jpdc11

Monday, July 20, 2009

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Meine Liebe ist La Roux

La Roux - Quicksand (BENI's Sinking at 1.56 mix) <-- Blast right now

Let me tell about the things that I should probably keep to myself:

1. I want to fondle La Roux's hair but only if it snaps back to the proper new-wave-feather-to-the-side style.
2. I want to dance with La Roux to La Roux.
3. I want to make a comforter 35 acres in size with Elly Jackson's voice so I can wrap myself in a ball while I'm melting into bubbling pool of ecstasy.

And for those who haven't been don't pay attention:

La Roux - Tigerlily

Turns out that the guy doing the quasi-Thriller voice at the end of the song is actually Elly's father.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Cinematheque



Betty Boop just sounds so much sexier when played through Funktion-Ones.

Sonotheque has a new monthly gathering headed by Joe Bryl and his penchant for artistic development. I missed the first one, but have gone to the last two (including tonight's). In a nutshell, Joe shows film that normally is not screened that he personally feels has merit to get people watching it not simply as an alternative to normal blockbusters. And in the spirit of abnormality, seeing Jean Isidore Isou's Traite de Bave et d’Eternite (Treatise on Venom and Eternity) makes it a Con's Pick primarily because of the parallelisms between Jean's character David and myself: a cocky, 'spoiled', mid-twenties guy who lusts for women who have substance even if society may deem them obtuse in figure. But that is not the film's purpose.

Part 1 of the film is Isou's theory that cinema has been knocked down to the lowest common denominator of shit, where shit is defined as the all glitz and glam of depression-era and post-depression era film meant to transport people to an idealistic and therefore unreal world. Consequently, the world's shit is his Taj Mahal masterpiece. He means to destroy cinema such that the individual elements are 'divided and conquered, as in war': those elements being video and sound. He propounds rules for this film and for future films which (I can't remember them all but) are:

- The display has nothing to do with soundtrack
- The video is nothing but old filmreels that could be old out-takes, loops, blank film with scratches whose only purpose is to exist as nonsense
- The only music available is that of Lettrism, which is again meant to be a lack of music however likens itself to atonal rhythmic sensations of pre-historical Indian culture (I saw it in a documentary) crossed with the knights formally known as the Knights who say Ni

Part 2 is David's love story with respect to various temporary loves ultimately concluding with Eve, painting the picture of a spoiled jerk who is compelled to accelerate to the climactic pleasure of a relationship only to find that the downward plunge into complacency resulting in his lover being completely infatuated with him is more than he can handle and pushes her away in hatred only to bring her back not necessarily due to his loins.
Part 3 is a summation of his story and also where the experiment in cinematic destruction plunges from an audio-visual disconnect of quasi-coherence to total nonsense (which gets boring).

I would probably want to see the movie again to explore the cultural references it cites, like Lettrism and Ubu Roi by Alfred Jarry, as well as picking up the relevant quotes to my life: "To truly love mankind is to detest it", "every person who has changed the world has been a spoiled child", "those interested in the opinions of others are never themselves, but rather are their neighbors."

So, how does David relate to me? First off, almost formulaically, because I want what I can't have, the best thing a girl can do to pique my interest is to say no to me. Next, I can't stand unintelligent women and because it is so difficult to find an equal-or-greater-than-me individual (again, ego) I can forego the popular beauty rubric and accept someone that has my personal definition of aestheticism. Furthermore, I'm rather disgusted with the world right now and how local/global politics and more importantly global economies have been manipulated to the will of a few men. The movie gives me hope in that it urges me to do something about it, only that on a global scale I feel so helpless. The result is I need to be more active locally as well as succeed in business (even though I despise money but not as much as injustice) so that I can gain an influence beyond the scope of Chicago.

I feel like I've given away the movie, but it is long enough and with enough intricacies that one would still find it interesting. I would suggest learning French before seeing this movie even though I saw it with subtitles. Personally, I loathe subtitles: you are not watching the movie but rather watching the text flicker with some background image. Isou specifically wants you to watch the visual babble while you contemplate his characters speaking to you; it is as if he is specifically trying to distract you so that you are forced to concentrate intently on what the message actually is and when one is staring at the words, which are meaningful, the visual effect is lost. Perhaps someone can dub it in English in the future.

Friday, June 26, 2009

4sec samples

I've realized that my new favorite thing is getting a group of about 15-20 people and just taking over a random dive bar that otherwise would have more bartenders than customers. Playing pool and conversing this song came on the jukebox

Tina Turner - I Can't Stand the Rain

right after

Alice Cooper - Feed My Frankenstein

Tutti gusti son gusti, but it's no secret that I love the 80's pop sound bleeding over into italo disco. I don't care how much flak I get for putting these up. The songs in their entirety aren't exactly what I'd listen to, but rather little snippets: the initial vocal chord of Alice Cooper, the intermittent synth power chords with Tina Turner, and her arpeggiated bass line. Truth be told, I like this version better as a song

Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand the Rain

I do like parts of Tina Turner's voice on the track because it reminds me of a black Alison Moyet. Maybe the track harks to my deep desire to constantly jam to Yazoo with its minimal backing track thereby accentuating the her vocals.

I didn't like hair metal until I started listening to WLUP in the summer of 2000 driving around in my dad's 1987 Camry that would overheat in the summertime and then you'd have to crank up the heat to full blast to get it to cool off. I took that car to see Bon Jovi in Tinley Park then listened to an all Bon Jovi set on The Loop afterwards. After a Scorpions concert or three, it further crystallized the 80's in me.

Side note to Jimbo Baggins:

Remember when we drove back from the Bon Jovi concert and we saw the construction worker guy driving in front of us throwing sandbags on the horses? He kept missing until he finally got one, we honked, he yelled, we gave thumbs up, he smiled.


Honestly the only reason this song is back on the radar for me is because I recently saw Wayne's World again and forgot how sweet Alice Cooper is in it.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Canadance

Granted I'm still smoking the same hookah from before, I can't in all honestly do two posts about chill tracks; that's not me. I figure it was time to delve into the more upbeat stuff that I received some time ago from the Victorian era region.

Handsome Furs - Legal Tender

Dan Boeckner's voice reminds me of Philip Oakley of the Human League. Sorry, ADD here. Human League = 80's -> octavian chord progressions. In the same vein of the same playlist from the same gal this track is worth mentioning

Metronomy - Holiday

Metronomy - A thing for me

I don't really want to write about these songs. I am too focused on lower appendage perturbations. Where is that impromptu dance party that I keep trying to start?

Wow. I could never write for Pitchfork if I keep this up.

Where there's fire

Whenever I smoke the hookah nowadays, I'm reminded of that one evening where I took my first trip to Neo and then came back to watch Blade Runner on mute, listen to dubnobasswithmyheadman by Underworld, and smoke. It's too bad that no one was there to accompany my retreat into my personal relaxation chamber that was my living room. Right now, my body is drained from an evening of egotistical happiness, 5hrs of sleep, a morning of biking on Father's Day, mother's steak, but I have a restless mind of self-reflection. I tried to nap but whereas my korperteil is tired, my brain is not: hence hookah.

Múm - Behind Two Hills,,,,A Swimmingpool

Múm - We Have a Map of the Piano

The internet has been out at the place for about a week now, and I don't blog at work so I figure I write some stuff in textedit (notepad) to pass the time. Mum is one of those groups that is heavy on the ambient chill, meaning there is a flurry of background noise (to me, but some can argue that it is DnB) with the overtones of simpler, slow relaxation in the foreground that you can nod (off) to.

Styrofoam - It Wouldn't Change a Thing

Styrofoam - Forever, You Said Forever

Exhibit B is Styrofoam. I find similarities in peoples faces all the time as if God ran out of genetic permutations and localized them enough such that I could discover them. It is more that certain folk trigger a familiarity and even though I say "Hey isn't that Cheryl?" I should really be asking my companion of that moment "Hey, that looks like Cheryl, no?" However, auditorily, I got it right with Styrofoam and my then companion in late college verified (she was good like that); it is a project by Arne Van Petegem with Markus Acher, (part of The Notwist). The structural concept is similarly in line with Múm's style although the tone is rather melancholy. I wonder if there is a genre name for these guys. (Wikipedia says glitch electronica)

Now if you excuse me, I will retire to my radishes...

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Make a new album already

Gawd, I never though I wouldn't ever want to hear that song again and just had been tactfully avoiding it, but I heard 'Kids' last night at the Hungry Brain. After about 15sec I noticed a small rush to the jukebox to try and figure out where the button was or at least dump some dollars in and make a wish for it to end.

Oh hey MGMT, what's up!? Didn't see you there. Yes I saw the video you just made of your #1 smash hit. (inspiration). I have to say that babies actually crying because they can't act isn't really my bowl of pudding, but your ending animation was excellence.



This doesn't really fly 100% with the MGMT thing, but here is probably the first coherent blog post I've read on HRO that didn't use alt-bro-2k10 language to excess. And speaking of meme's,

The original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ
The mp3: Play him off, keyboard cat.

Another cutsie-poo video

First of all: Rose, we're really sorry for missing your birthday party.

Second, here is a video invite to a wedding. Maybe I'll crash it.



I just had a concept for an art show. Sam was just putting tacky paper on the back of a Michael Jackson puzzle in our place that has been up for a while, but the paper is what you would use normally to line your cupboard shelves. As he turns it around, he exposes the puzzle. Now, what if the entire show was of paintings with a normal pattern on the one side, however it is your job as a viewer to turn around the painting and look at the other side, which has the real artwork. It is a bit like unwrapping a present, however I think it'd be a joke for me just to stand there and look at people looking at the art and not understanding why are they at a gallery opening for shelf lining.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Anything is better than Girl Talk

I'd have to say that I was within the whirlwind of hype that is Girl Talk. I was interested in the concept of mostly hooks and only 20sec of any song. However, it's like eating just the frosting off a bunch of cupcakes: you never get into the substance. As a result, your teeth (brain) rot. It's great for the ADHD youth of the nation but why promote it? I shouldn't be likening Pretty Lights to Girl Talk, but he does plenty of sampling and seamless puts them all together. I guess a better comparison would be to an earlier RJD2 who used primarily all samples (versus now where he writes his own stuff). This sound is similar in groove, downtempo, chill step, whatever to RJ.



Good news for you, all of Derek Vincent Smith's stuff is available for free at his website. Why? I don't know; I'd probably buy an album and play it for the babies. Give the guy some money, folks. In the meantime...

Pretty Lights - Cold Feeling

Monday, June 1, 2009

Patrick Watson

This guy is rather neat. I heard about him here. He definitely has that dreamy, floating sound. Go reverb! It's time for bed, so this mini-set is perfect.

GAH!!

Ok, so I knew about Flosstradamus playing at the Burlington way back when and I either didn't go there because:

a) I was doing something I thought was better
b) The last Flosstradamus set I saw at Sonotheque I wasn't impressed with
c) I said 'Eh, fuck it'

Well hearing from this guy about the sexy results that ensued sent me in a rage of disappointment for about 5sec... apparently DIPLO showed up and started to PLAY A SET that night. FML.

Ok, enough dwelling on the past, let's reminisce instead. How about a choose your own adventure? Would you rather:

a) Take Charge at 16Hz


b) Conquer the Wind


or

c) Shoot and Drive Away via Giorgio Moroder

P.S. Remember, a Stamos boner, is not an awkward boner.

P.P.S Thanks TNUC.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

Resourcefulness



O'Spada - Time

Our first track comes from Swedish group O'Spada, dubbed due to lead vocalist Julia Spada. 'Time' sounds like classic disco house except without the cheese. It's probably redundant for me to claim this to be a great track when it's me that posting this on my blog called my picks. This is a great track. However, when I first heard it, it was a lo-fi, live version and I just imagined being in this dark and sweaty VFW hall that we broke into for one night to throw this jam of a party... rebroadcast on AM radio.

Speaking of lo-fi, what are your thoughts on it? Annoying? Classic? Hearing 'Time' again makes me almost prefer the grimey version because of the image it provokes. I liken it to reading a book versus watching a movie; you are casting your own perceptions of what a given moment is like and how the sound really would sound if the production was glossy format. With old jazz/blues recordings, I feel like that is the sound that is proper for the time, almost a part of the tune's credibility. Naturally, the other side of this is that if I heard a song before and are hearing it again on a shitty 32kpbs MP3, I'd throw a fit.

Back to the tune, I feel like it has too many stop/starts in it. Luckily for me (and you) they put out a remix comp so you can sleight your own hand at it.

O'Spada - Time (producer remix pack)

---

The Radio Dept. - David

Track 2 comes from these guys. This should be on your personal picnic mix to play after you've eaten too many PB&J's and you stare at the sky in your poodle skirt or high pants, whichever you prefer. The strings, high-pitched synth vamps, and bells give it just the right amount of sugar especially when coupled with the dreamily distorted vocals. >>This is a great track.

P.S. I didn't plan for this, but these guys are Swedish too.

Friday, May 29, 2009

New resource


source

So I was checking out my analytics one day and I saw that I got a hit from wearehunted.com. What is it? Basically whereas traditionally charts rank their music according to record/mp3 sales, these guys blogcrawl and try and figure out what people have been talking about and they base their rankings on that. Interesting concept: instead of looking at the economic side of music, it takes into account what all the fanboys are saying. Anyway, it turns out that La Roux is up there and I'm part of the cause. She's great!

I've come to appreciate good vocals in music now. Not so much the content, but the delivery. This is in contrast to opera or other classical music where the goal is to achieve a sort of perfection therebywhich everyone starts sounding the same. Elly Jackson (La Roux), Hope Sandoval (of course), Stephen Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), Alison Moyet (Yazoo), Morrissey, and Laura Marling specifically on young love. There are more, but let's not advertise everybody just yet. You know if a voice is good when you can close your eyes, nod your head, and feel enchanted with goosebumps and want to go to their next book reading written in Italian or Portuguese with lots of vowels.

P.S. Just found a new blog whose last like 10 posts align perfectly with my tastes. Winner: offtheradarmusic.com

Like Sita Sings The Blues, that's all.

Monday, May 25, 2009

expansion of new Desires (part 1)

My musical tastes are expanding. More specifically, I am utterly tired of bangers. I think I've mentioned it before that I've been getting more and more into is chiller downtempo (but not necessarily electronic) tracks. Specifically it has lately been The Magnetic Fields.


source

The Magnetic Fields - All The Umbrellas in London

The Magnetic Fields - Underwear

I actually was first introduced to Underwear via Dedric, alongwith he added

The White Stripes - Handsprings

Not exactly within the scope of this post however it is a fantastic song.

Anyway, I'm not saying that I no longer appreciate the hard hits... hardly. I think that as of late I'm more attracted to the slower grooves especially by Fred Falke, Hope Sandoval, Badly Drawn Boy, Chad Van Gaalen. It's probably a reaction to the popularity of the harder stuff. Now, a more important question to myself is why am I repelled by the popular? I'm not actively trying to put my nose in the air (most of the time), it just turns out that it's part of my personality. I guess if it is an innate quality, I'm not going to start going to delve into my childhood to figure out why I became me (my grandma custom-made my clothes, my ma made my lunches from polish ingredients, I was in the IB program, my dad knew the answers to all my questions, all my friends were all different races...). Ok diary, that's enough of that.

I think I said it before when speaking of this that this is my prediction for the next trend in electro-indie-pop. It's true; the saw wave with distortion has its limits. Hell, distortion itself has its limits before the stuff all starts to sound the same and starts to border with just looping a sound bite to a 64th- or 128th-note (yes, that effect transition is used a lot). What about that transition in other instruments? Done that. That hard/forceful stroke with the bow on the violin, that hard growl vocals you hear in blues, same with saxophone. I wonder how one would take those transitions and put them into electro? DEF the saxophone. There needs to be more of the soulful jazzy sax tracks in electro (case in point 'Hearts on Fire'). But in terms of a loop -> distortion there would need to be some analysis done of the sax growl. For one, it is a singular note, but how do you analyze the timbre? Man, I've always wanted to make my own synthesizer.................. dedric?

Sunday, May 24, 2009

A day being wasted?



I really really wanted to do a vinyl rip of Zombie Nation's Zombieliscious. Lo and behold, I look at the bottom of the vinyl sleeve and there is a little card for getting the mp3's. Fantastic! Please don't stereotype the guy from the old song that has become uberklassik-overplayed. (Did you know that it was a remix of a game song from within Lazy Jones on the Commodore 64?)

Anywho, for some reason I want this album to be the next OK Cowboy for me. It doesn't have the hard-hitting distortion, but rather more rough melodies con driving beats. Some of it even sounds like it's meant for bboys. Hmm...

Zombie Nation - Filterjerks

Zombie Nation - Get It

Zombie Nation - Supercake 53

By the way, please go get the rest of the album. It's begging for your attention. And your feet's.

Maybe now that it's 7pm I should go outside a little more and perhaps crash a bbq somewhere. Or I could just deliver a loaf of pork loin. Have meat will travel.

It is a crime!

WHY! Why have I not put this song up yet. AAH!

Yazoo - Don't Go (Whorehouse remix) Vinyl rip

Not only is it Yaz, it's massive dancy. You>> download now. Naturally it's hard electro clubby.

Followup

If you are in dire need of a conversation sound effect, here is easy access to my favourites:

Rim Shot
instantrimshot.com

Waa waa
sadtrombone.com

Price Is Right epic fail:
bombombombomwooooo.com
4 Boms, 1 wooooo.

Bull Post

Whenever I have issues as to what to write about here but want to do it anyway, I hope I don't end up putting up some bull post on whatever. Mild inspiration last night by ddrake making me take another gander at motelmoka as well as being a social recluse at my own party caused me desire to start blogging.

Glenn Frey - You Belong To the City


Granted I'm not even watching the video right now and just keeping it there as background noise.

So I bought this painting the other day for too much money. My tax return check came just in time. I feel like it would be too pompous to post how much I actually got so I'll leave it at that. The painting is supposed to be Loki, Norse god of mischief. Now, I'm no expert on Nordic mythology but I like it. I was going to say that he doesn't look very norwegian but that's because he doesn't have blonde hair. He also looks like Captain Hook as a spectre, or at least that's what I've been telling people. I imagine in the future hanging it up in my future house with my future kids running around at night and coming upon it. What the fuck am I listening to? Pink Floyd - Free Four? No thanks. You know, I've been listening to Pink Floyd all morning thanks again to ddrake for getting me to dnload "in through the out door" by Led Zeppelin. It was a natural transition. Jeez, I need something better. Here we go.

The Beta Band - Little Bird

How about a repeat of some of the Oink playlist from last night?

Blur - Coffee & TV

King Tubby - Silver Bullet

Faded Paper Figures - Track 06

Manu Chao - Bongo Bong

New Order - True Faith
^^ much better in this mixed version

Lali Puna - Faking the Books

There. Much better.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Vinyl Rip

While having the old compy hooked up for the flyer art, I figured it was time to rip a vinyl. When the needle started to constantly skip, I cleaned the platen (no dice), then I cleaned the cartridge (nothing) and adjusted the weight (nope). You know what worked? 3-in-1 in the two tone arm bearings. God I love being an engineer.

UMC's - One to grow on

Excuse the scratchiness. Need to figure out how to filter that out...

It has that definite jazz groove like most classic hip-hop and in another track on the EP it has Large Professor on it. The story was they were playing this at Gramophone and I had to have it. And here it is... 4 years later.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Daft Punk Daft Punk Repost Repost

I def have been missing out.



This post has given me a lot of information:
A) I don't check the blogs enough
B) Daft Punk bloggers are putting out a remix compilation
C) I just found 9 new blogs

First of all, the superfrancos put out a remix album but exclusive to Japan (why does that happen all the time?) and it seems like folks got a little unhappy at the fact that they didn't live a Tokyo trainride away from the record store. As a result, this group of blogs did something about it: each one of them picked a song (or got dealt) a track and it's their job to find a producer to remix their particular track. The datebook reads 19May to say who is their producer, and put out a 128kbps version and then 20May put the song out... just in time for the weekend. Sonotheque are you listening???

Second of all:

01. Human After All —> Chosen by Disco Demons
02. The Prime Time Of Your Life —> Chosen by Data Sapiens
03. Robot Rock —> Chosen by The Cold Cut
04. Steam Machine —> Chosen by Cream Team
05. Make Love —> Chosen by Sheena Beaston
06. The Brainwasher —> Chosen by Danger! Danger!
07. On/Off —> Chosen by The Lemur Blog
08. Television Rules The Nation —> Chosen by Noise Porn
09. Technologic —> Chosen by Pretty Much Amazing
10. Emotion —> Chosen by Binary

That's it. Excuse my tighter pants.

20May09 Edit:
Here it is: clicky.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Chilled out

It's about time to go to bed so I need some nappy time tunes.

The Magnetic Fields - Take Ecstasy With Me
The original to the lovely cover that is always perfect. I actually think this track is better than the cover because it captures the dreamy sensation better (by being less dancy). By the way, I just listened this song 3 times in a row. Wow, what if Hope Sandoval sang it?? I'd be in a heaping pile of swoon.

Amazing Baby - Supreme Being
My temporary Cut of your Hands connection said that these guys are the next MGMT coming out of AUS/NZ. Interesting. Funny how I just bothered getting this song yesterday while recombing through the blargh X months after actually doing that interview. Anyway, I think that when I heard 'the next yadda' comment I was looking to basically hear more tracks by MGMT. Keep your mind open, people.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Diesel Desi

Another video that I think is tight. And Sam tested and tested and tested and tested and tested

Friday, May 15, 2009

A New Hope

I've found a new music resource and his name is Kyle. Kyle is not hyped up on electro like I am but prefers the more (relative) slow jam. I can't delve into description as to what he's recommended so far, however he has given me a super tip: her name is Hope Sandoval. Former lead singer of Mazzy Star, she has one of those voices that makes your body melt like a candle. I retreat all my reality into her sound. I've heard her voice before, but never took the time to research as to who she was. Here are some favorites currently:

Hope Sandoval - Clear Day

Hope Sandoval - Cherry Blossom Girl (cover of Air)

The Chemical Brothers - Asleep from Day

Thinking about it now, it sounds like she never fully experienced a vocal coming-of-age; she has a sultry, young voice. Don't call me a creep until you've listened.

Did you really believe this was going to be a star wars post? So did I...

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Recent acquisitions

People have been sending me stuff and I've been pillaging hard drives and sucking the life out of the my circle of blogs. Below are the fruits of my laziness thriftiness resourcefulness.

Major Lazer - Hold The Line (LehtMoJoe Remix)
Quasi-dancehall remix of Toto's Hold The Line. If I were to DJ with this track, I'd just sneak in about a 1:30 of it for a mashup set (if I did mashup sets). Good.

Chad Van Gaalen - TMNT Mask
From the same guy who brought you this excellent ultra-creepy video comes this jam track for driving/biking. Everytime I listen to this I think of the original TMNT movie and how I would blast the stereo when I was 7 to the TMNT cartoon theme song. Personally, I prefer the 'real' life lingo a la Malibu.

Jet Taylor - Output One-Two (Demo)
I got sent this. Indie dance winner. Waiting waiting waiting for the mastered version.

Health - Triceratops (Acid Girls Remix B)
It doesn't quite have the pure Megaman-nery of Adventure, but it comes close. Perhaps if he added the distortion keys and a had a real drum machine the two could merge into a single member of video game dance fantasy.

Speaking of which, there is a mariokart contest combo dance party at the Congress tomorrow eve. $1 to watch, $5 to compete. I'm going to kick all of those 15-year-olds' asses.