First off, let me extend a big thanks to all of you who emailed offering to restock anything I lost when my computer crashed! Kyle “Kid Color” Woods, Black Holes, Red Threat, Monsta Records, neOn, Hot Biscuits, and everyone else…it was so great to have you all immediately offer to help and was insanely appreciated. Most everything is back to normal at this point. Whew.
Which means on to the fun stuff. Andy Caldwell’s new single “Freq Nasty” is about to drop, and as a teaser I have for you the Wolfgang Gartner remix. I love Wolfgang’s straightforward electro and I can see this remix working in a multitude of arenas/formats. Not as hard as some of his previous productions (i.e. “For The Love Of Girls”) but still packs enough punch to slide in at peak hour.
Andy Caldwell: Freq Nasty (Wolfgang Gartner’s Funk Nasty Mix) Download
Ok, I hope these will satisfy you all for the next few days while I build my laptop back to where it used to be…sigh. Well, this tune at least brightened my day so hopefully it will do the same for yours. Bob Sinclar’s newest remix is of Trinidad’s Fireball, whose song “What I Want” has become a number one club hit all across Europe. The original of “What I Want” was written with dj/tv host “TC” Callendar and Trinidad music producer Richard “Char Su” Ahong. The song became a hot favourite for Carnival 2007 in his home country of Trinidad and Tobago. Of course, now with Sinclar adding his signature touch, the song is hot again and frankly, I don’t care if people think Sinclar is cheese, it still makes me want to dance. (File is not 320 -gasp- but a forgivable VBR file that sounds pretty high quality).
Bob Sinclar Presents Fireball: What I Want Download
Mansion is back yet again, this time with an old school touch. “99 Sudbury” contains classic bits from Eddie Amador’s “House Music” and is a great throwback track (with a couple updated touches such as a synth line midway through). Bring on the keys, the strings…99 Sudbury.
Ok we all know the drill. Take well known song, combine with DJ Kue, get electro-ridden transformation with fun breakdowns that ride the original tune. Yup, here’s another one and this time it’s his take on Steppenwolf’s “Magic Carpet Ride.” I’m fond of this one, the production sounds cleaner than some of the earlier songs that were sent over…nice and punchy with snippets of the vocal laid throughout.
Now how about this, new tunes from Jen Lasher, the DJ/producer who has been all over the musical map, from goth/industrial to breaks and now electro house. “Kiss The Sun” still retains some of Jen’s background with dips into breakbeat, but on the whole shows the direction she’s heading in. On the whole I like the song, but I feel like an element is missing, as if it needs another drum line. The remix, done by Aaren San is considerably thicker and rock-driven with heavy guitar lines and even heavier synths.
Jen Lasher: Kiss The Sun (Aaren San Remix) Download
Lastly we have another remix from BSBTRGDClub, who seem to be quite the recent regulars here. One of their newest tune is a take on Avalon Omega’s “Break Beats.” It’s everything we’ve come to expect, downright ignorant synth lines with hard hitting snares, chopped vox and a drive that just won’t quit. What’s not to like? Too many drinks and 4am here I come…
After playing Crobar Saturday night I was pretty much in bed all day Sunday…aided by the fact that I didn’t go to bed until 10 in the morning. What was nice though, is that when I woke up, the rain had stopped. For those of you not here in Chicago, it’s pretty much been raining for an entire week as we got the hurricane remnants swept up our way. So today it’s crisp, sunny, and I am up and awake (thank you Starbucks) and ready to post. BTW, not to be self indulgent, but here is a video of me playing my newest track at Crobar the other night.
My friends neOn down in Vegas just sent me a track recently and already we have another one to post! This time they take on Teen Wolf’s “Fukt,” taking just enough of the vocal and backing with solid ascending synth lines. Quite a nice take on the track.
Steve Gerard hit me up on AIM the other day and sent me a slew of tracks. A Chicago native, Gerard produces under his own name as well as alter-ego Twist ‘n’ Pull and has two upcoming releases with Peter Presta (of Apple Jaxx records). Two of the remixes he sent over were M.I.A. tunes - both very different but good in different ways. His “Boyz” interpretation is a little long for my liking, but tough and quite different from other remixes I’ve heard. The “Paper Planes” remix is brighter and bouncier with a break that slides into the original for a good minute.
M.I.A.: Paper Planes (Steve Gerard Remix) Download
Kilowatt (a.k.a. New York’s Micprobes) has just gone on tour and will actually be in my fair city on the 17th playing the weekly Wednesday party Syndicate at Debonair Social Club. In support of the tour, he’s sent over his newest tune, a remix of Crystal Castles’ “Crimewave.” I really enjoyed listening to this tune - the higher lines give it a dreamy quality despite the crunchier bass.
I got a mix in my inbox the other day that I really enjoyed. I mean, really enjoyed. I debated putting it up at all as it’s not typical of what I would post here in this blog, but after passing it along to Kyle from Hot Biscuits and having him say it would be a shame to not post it…I relented. The mix is by Wayne S and as he notes, “is not for the new electronic music lovers. This was made with a mature audience in mind.” I can see where Wayne is coming from, but I think new and old electronic music lovers alike will dig this. It’s utterly smooth, well put together, sophisticated and has a lot of depth to it.
Tracklist:
1. Dark Globe: Future’s Coming (DJ Fex Mix)
2. Matt Samuels: Start to Finish
3. Steve Mill: Wipeout (Johan Vermeulen Mix)
4. NewHeart: Walk in the Light (Yenn Mix)
5. The New Yorker: Escalator (Morgan Page Mix)
6. Escadia: Polyphonic Intersection
7. Urban Breathe: Great Floor
8. Dima: Look! (Hugo Dias Mix)
9. Johan Vermeulen: Do Not Cross
10. Dirty Disorder: Vermince
11. Vinny Troia and Shawn Mitiska: House Revisted
12. Duskie J and Kosmas Epsilon: Beautiful
13. Jaytech: Solero
You asked for it, you got it. More Paul Anthony and ZXX has arrived, and this time they cover the Jungle Brothers’ “I’ll House You.” This rivals my favorite Paul Anthony and ZXX remix of Daft Punk’s “Around The World.” Just take a gander at this latest remix - when the bassline kicks in around two minutes it starts to rock, then the vocal bumps back in with rolling hi hat patterns that just set the whole track off. I cannot wait to play this at Crobar Saturday night.
Jungle Brothers: I’ll House You (Paul Anthony and ZXX Remix) Download
I love my tough as nails tunes and I have been getting plenty in over the past couple of days…yesssss (said with Napoleon Dynamite inflection). Speaking of which, total side note but I was listening to some Nadastrom this morning, totally jamming in my kitchen with some coffee…and jonesing for some new material. Dave Nada, you better send something over soon - I mean, the A Millie remix is bananas…I just want more.
Miscellaneous Chocolate has sent over material in the past, and IMO, the tracks keep getting better. “Make Some Noise” is a straightforward electro banger that’s sweet and to the point (4 minutes is about all we need now anyway, right?) The original is complimented by a Thrills remix that drops into a nice breakbeat about midway through.
Miscellaneous Chocolate: Make Some Noise feat. OC Notes Download
Miscellaneous Chocolate: Make Some Noise feat. OC Notes (Thrills Remix) Download
Mansion, the group that recently sent over the MSTRKRFT remix, is back with an original called “Break Back.” I absolutely love the simplicity of this tune, it reminds me of part Swedish House Mafia, part Lazaro Casanova. So many songs feel overproduced, and the beauty of this track lies in its simplicity.
CJ Allen, a buddy of mine in Vegas, is one half of group neOn and after going through some feedback on one of their recent tracks…they sent over a version that made me jam out in the headphones. They take on Public Enemy in this track, complete with layers of complimentary synth lines, crisp hi hats and sweet breakdowns that are actually interesting and won’t leave your dancefloor waiting around for the drop.
Public Enemy: Harder Than You Think (neOn Remix) Download
Holy trackiness. This remix of Techijo and BSBTRGDClub’s “Vertebrae” by Mom & Dad (aww) is an auditory slap to the face - repeating vox stabs and a hard synth that just doesn’t let up populate this tune. Definitely peak hour material. The change ups are incredibly interesting - love the outro on this one as well as the change in tone during the main break.
Techijo feat. BSBTRGDClub: Vertebrae (Mom & Dad Remix) Download
And back to the beginning with a Thrills track. This remix by Culture Prophet is awesome (for lack of a better word). Everything is solid, great pattern changeups while still keeping the vibe of the remix intact…though my favorite part is the nice vox/synth programming popping in around two minutes.
I’ve posted tracks from Paul Anthony and ZXX before, the Indiana duo of Dirty Fabric Digital who love making big-room electro bootlegs. I was over at their house yesterday and they slipped this remix of Lil Wayne’s “A Millie” onto my hard drive before I left. It’s awesomeness - just watch your dancefloor when the track gets to about 2:20. I’ll have some more goodies from these two in the next few days as well, so make sure you check back soon for that.
Lil Wayne: A Millie (Paul Anthony and ZXX Remix) Download
I can’t believe it’s September already. It feels like Summer has just breezed by this year. At least some Summer-esque activities were snuck in over the holidays. A nice boat ride, a bbq with friends at the house last night…nothing beats simple pleasures. It was nice to hang with promoters, DJs, band members, etc in a setting removed from where we normally see each other. I had more fun playing card games with everyone around candles in the backyard last night than I have in a long time. By the way, we made this for the party last night and it was AMAZING.
And on to the music. Toronto’s Mansion has reworked MSTRKRFT’s “Bounce” and given it a completely different feel. By stripping the track down and focusing on chunky undertones, the rework actually reminds me something I would have heard here in Chicago years ago. I dig.
