My latest article for TimeOut Chicago on Midwest native Thom Svast… I encourage you to read it, this guy has been through more in his life than anyone else I know.

BEATS TO REMEMBER

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
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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.

Mansion: 99 Sudbury
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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.

DJ Kue: Carpet Muncher
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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
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Jen Lasher: Kiss The Sun (Aaren San Remix)
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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…

Avalon Omega: Break Beats (BSBTRGDClub Remix)
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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)
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The Aoki we all know and love is a crazy, vodka-wielding, crowd surfing DJ who plays the hottest “where-did-he-get-those” tracks. Right? Unfortunately, Aoki only brought the performance to Chicago’s Crobar on Friday night, and not the tunes. While he was able to rile up party goers by standing on tables and holding his bottle of Belvedere aloft like a battle flag, he also got us all cocking our heads and looking quizzically at each other.

read my full review for URB here

Additional photos not featured on URB below. By the way, my shirt says “Whisky Makes Me Frisky.” WOOOOOO! Oh yeah, and please enjoy these Weird Science remixes as well. I feel the need to post these after last night to re-affirm to myself that Aoki rocks my socks.

Snoop Dogg - Sexual Eruption (Weird Science remix)
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Young Love - Discotech (Weird Science remix)
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Bloc Party - Helicopter (Weird Science remix feat. Peaches)
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Peaches - Boys Wanna Be Her (Weird Science remix)
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Sorry for the absence, it’s been a crazy week! I spent Christmas in Ohio with my boyfriend’s grandmother learning family recipes for yummy eastern European favorites like pierogi, poppyseed roll and kielbasa with kraut. YUM. Then, straight from there to Mexico where I played at Nikki Beach and Z-Tai in Puerto Vallarta. I would have posted from there but unfortunately I contracted a bad case of food poisoning from some pork tacos. I spent a good portion of my trip fevered with an IV in my arm

In any case, I’m back now and in good health, just in time for a party-hearty NYE! Before I jet off to my gig at the James Hotel, I’m giving you all some of my favorite tunes from this year. They are in no particular order and I think you should have some of these already…they are favorites for a reason! See you all next year-thanks for reading the blog, more to come!

Justice - D.A.N.C.E.
Download (direct link)

AC Slater - BanGer
Download (direct link)

The Dirty Secrets - 5 Feet Of Snow (Miami Horror Remix)
Download (direct link)

Boys Noize - And Down
Download (direct link)

Thieves Like Us - Drugs In My Body (Designer Drugs Remix)
Download (direct link)

Dragonette - I Get Around (Van She Vocal Mix)
Download (direct link)

Shiny Toy Guns - Le Disko
Download (direct link)

Tim Deluxe - Let The Beats Roll
Download (direct link)

DJ Antoine - This Time (Klaas Remix)
Download (direct link)

Le Castle Vania - Tigertron (Toxic Avenger Remix)
Download (direct link)

“Allright people, *cracks knuckles*, this is it. Astra Moveo is an unbeliveably hot, unbeliveably unheard of dance indie band that’s about to rock your world (pun intended?) Made up of Christophe Eagleton, Tyler Hayden and James Cromwell Holden, the trio sounds more like a soap opera cast than a raging band, but don’t let the names fool you, these three know what they’re doing.” read more