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.

A path divided

I'm in the midst of an mp3 purge. I've taken on a lot of blog bulk and I hate deleting music, but I don't want to capitulate into getting a new computer / upgrading the HD / etc. So while sifting through this, I found a bunch odd stuff (maybe next post) but I also came upon and idea for auto-DJing. The concept is basically you preprogram your sets and this program would capture your track paths as a sort of roadmap as to how to mix automatically without you there. The result would be a database of cues and mixes done by yourself, or your favourite DJ's or randoms. You'd have all of your songs that you like in a list and the program puts the same sort of effects, loops, cutoffs, etc that, say, Devlin and Darko use. Granted this is all cheating, but instead of downloading mixes done by folk that sound the same every time, you are playing music that is can be more entertaining based on how the DJ's have done there various performances. A sort of choose your own adventure.

Example:

From a Soulwax mix (Radio Soulwax #5), these 3 tracks work together well.

Junkie XL - Check Your Basic Groove
New Order - Confusion
Super 2000 vs. Daft Punk - Around the World

However, I would not put 'Around the World' there, but rather work Gerri into Confusion's bassline:

Gerri and the Holograms - Gerri and the Holograms
Santogold - Anne (Switch Mix)
Santogold - LES Artistes (XXXchange mix ft: Movado) <-- Fantastic

which come from the Diplo Dub of Santogold. Now, since these both come from mixes themselves, they have 'paths' of their own, it's just that you forked your way from one to another. More popular songs will have more deviations (like Around the World) and that path might lead you to some other interesting (you know if a guy likes Daft Punk as much as I do, he might have something else up his sleeve that I'm unaware of).

This is what I'm getting at:


I don't know, it sounds like an interesting product if someone were to make it, but what DJ would sign themselves up for it to give their secrets away and who would judge what makes a good transition? Ok, how about something smooth now instead (again a la Radio Soulwax #5)...

Dennis Edwards - Don't Look Any Further
TLC - Unpretty

Oddly enough, on the mix, these two precede the Junkie XL track from above.

Soulwax Offshoots

Naturally, you should be listening to mixes not only because the DJ is fantastic, but also to garner new tracks. Radio Soulwax has been a fantastic provider of both. I don't know why it took me so long to look these guys up, but maybe it's because I focus my attention too much on people like Vitalic or Disco this and Disco that. The Undertones are the kind of guys where they should play it at Lipgloss in Denver or now, the Hideout dance party in Chicago (or if you remember, Pure Pop for Now People from 2003-2005). They are an Irish group of power pop / punk who apparently have the perfect album according to this guy (whom I should read more of). Here is the track from get your yo yo's that Radio Soulwax uses.

The Undertones - Teenage Kicks

Now, time to get their album... and if you haven't yet, get get your yo yo's out!

Oldie

I have to post this one.

Cut Copy - Going Nowhere (Digitalism Remix)

I first heard it on Radio Soulwax's Get your Yo Yo's Out like 2 years ago coming back from my first Coachella. Wowee! Took me some time to find it though...

Man, it's such a good mix, here is every last bit of it...



Radio Soulwax - Get Your Yo Yo's Out part1
Radio Soulwax - Get Your Yo Yo's Out part2

I'm blogging this on a Sat night, that's how good this thing is.

Pete Tong & Soulwax

Soulwax was doing a popularization spot with Pete Tong for their movie Part of the Weekend Never Dies (which is really good by the way if you love Soulwax like me) and it got posted online. The first 4min is like an intro/interview, but the rest is good music to be sure. If you get a chance to find the DVD which is only on sale now officially in the EU, definitely get it. Me being the slave to dance music forced me to pre-order it 3 months ago when I found out about it. Half of it is a following of their tour and interviews with various who's who's in the electro world (Tiga, Erol Alkan, Justice, etc.) and basically tied together by James Murphy. The other half is a video mix of a set from all around the world. I recommend turning the subtitles off since you can (maybe just because I feel like I have ADD and can't help looking at them). Shit man, rent it! Get it! or Find me!

Live on Radio 1 with Pete Tong

temporary fix

Blogspot barfed my posts yesterday from existence, but at least I'm not the only one that it affected.

Here are the links that I had that were worthwhile:

The Kooks - Kids (MGMT Cover)

Katy Perry - Electric Feel (MGMT Cover)

The Yellow Bellies - I Kissed a Girl (Katy Perry Cover)

MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Edit)
Different from the previous version posted, which is a live version. This is out of the studio.

M.I.A. - Paper Planes (DFA Edit)

Mariah Carey - I'll Be Loving U Long Time (Designer Drugs Remix)
This is the mix that got honorable mention, but didn't win the remix contest due to not being like the other stuff on the radio.

Oh blogspot. Redeem thyself!

Too Long

Ever since I read that hipster article, I've been trying to distance myself from the electro genre. But shit, who am I kidding? Why deny the polish in me of bangers?

So without severe introduction...



Busy P - Pedophilia (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix)
MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Nite Version)
M83 - Graveyard Girl (Yuksek Rmx)
The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy Hey Girl (2ManyDJs Remix Ver2)

Playing Live

So last night I went to the Empty Bottle with a little group of folk and made it to about the door to check out Guns n' Bombs. I guess they had just came on, but everyone outside was saying that there wasn't anybody really inside, let alone people dancing. My prediction was incorrect... I guess everybody had gone to darkwave. By now it was about 12:30 and it wasn't worth it to go. Interesting.

Furthermore, there was a guy from Abe Vigoda that we were talking to was basically slamming New Rave in general saying that it it's annoying, isn't original, and just a strange phenomenon in general. People were expecting me to really dig into this guy because they know that I really like the stuff, but what he was saying was true. There is a lot of stuff out there that falls into the genre that gets repetitive. I don't know how true that is for GnB, seeing as I do think their remix style has some originality. Thinking about it today, there is a rift between the punk crowd and the electro crowd, which could be an easy excuse to explain away the guy's comments. However he said that Justice just uses Ableton and that's basically it. Really? ...really? Looking online this morning, I see similar info here and here saying they use Ableton, a microKorg, a Lemur, and some pioneer cdj's. I don't know what I should think about that. For comparison purposes a la the googlepedia:

Justice:
Live:
Ableton
JazzMutant Lemur
Korg microKontrol
Pioneer CDJ-1000's
Studio:
Apogee Ensemble
Cubase SX
GarageBand
cre.dit

Daft Punk:
Live:
Ableton Live
Behringer BCR2000 MIDI controllers
(4) miniMoog Voyagers
Studio:
Roland TR-909, TR-808
Emu 3, ARP Odyssey, AMS Phasers
Among other stuff
cr.ed.it

Soulwax:
Live:
Regular drums and crazy synths for Nite Versions.
Studio:
Uhh.. watch this:


By the way, one of the girls in our group, Eleni, said the #1 song in Brazil while she was there was this:

Saturday

Welcome to today. Pitchfork is upon us, however I sold my tickets and am going to my 2 friends' bday party that starts at 4. The theme is Keith Richards with a wooden leg. Anyway, I've been on a Soulwax kick on here so here's another little segment to get you going tonight. It's only 7min long altogether, but it's a true winner so play it in the middle of whatever set/playlist you have and not at the beginning... you can't blow your load that fast.

Soulwax - Saturday Set ...off of Hang All DJ's 5

The Venue

There's a new venue around town appropriately called... The Venue. The only reason I know about it is because the Smashing Pumpkins are playing there. I don't think I'm going. Their opening lineup for August seems to suggest that they're the new Tinley Park: Bette Midler, STP, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Billy Idol, Liza Minnelli, Kenny Rodgers. By the way, where is this place located? Horseshoe Casino. Wow. Now when you want to see Ratt you don't have to go to the Radisson Hotel and Star Plaza right after the discount art expo with the $10 paintings. Ok, ok... this is not a pitchfork review. The place hasn't even opened yet. But if you're cougar hunting, you've got a new place to do it.

For something a little lighter, go to www.bekanyenow.com. Can you guess who sponsored the site?

P.S. I don't know why but I was really craving this song this morning:

Chromeo - Fancy Footwork (Guns n' Bombs Remix)

If you look on the right column in going out, those guys (not chromeo) are going to be playing at the Bottle on the saturday eve of Pitchfork. Darkwave is a standard, but I'm guessing that with Johnny Guns Love coming back into town, all the nutty coked-up hipsters will be at this one. I'm all for that American Apparel promenade.


So in the process of just typing up this blog, so much music has gone past. So play these two in order, both from 50,000,000 Soulwax Fans Can't be Wrong:
#1 Valletta Fanfares
#2 Requiem For a Hit (Soulwax Edit)

and you can't forget about the original version of this song Benni Benassi made a career from:
#1 Who Made Who - Satisfaction ...mixed into
#2 Franz Ferdinand - The Fallen (Justice Edit). Both of these are from 2ManyDj's Get Yer Yo Yo's Out.

And for my ambassador for foreign relations, A.G.J., The Turkish Satisfaction

2manydj's Video

Every time I go to LA, I give Amoeba a stop and search for some 2manydj's mix cd's (slightly legitimate bootlegs, but $25 a pop). I probably should just do the forum thing and get it from random internet folk for zero, but I guess I'm lazy. Anyway, seeing Soulwax perform at Coachella and 2manydj's in Chicago (same people by the way) for the first time(s) was a life changing experience (more on that later). Now they are making a video of their experiences of traveling, partying, and dj'ing. Link plus teaser:


footnote - TheFastLife

Another aside, Partizan (the folks putting the movie out) makes me think of Pias and Citizen, which are who put Vitalic out. Why the guy hasn't had another album in out in a long time is beyond me. Here is the track that got me hooked on him +1, both off of OK Cowboy

Vitalic - My Friend Dario
Vitalic - Repair Machine DiscoMix

And now since it's halb zwolf on a school night, here's a chill track that I found through Erol Alkan's Bugged In Mix. Good night.

The Concretes - Miss You