The Postal Service Remixes

Seeing as the UK postal service is back up and running, it seemed only fair to check HypeM for any news on The Postal Service's will-it-or-wont-it-happen second album. Zilch. Nada. Nothing.

Their first album 'Give Up' released back in 2003, was a collaboration between Death cab for Cutie's Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello from Dntel who got their name from posting back and forth bits of music to each other to make the album. The mix of Gibbards indie vocals and melodic guitar riffs with angelic electronic beats makes for one of my favourite albums of all time.

I'm trying to keep the fire burning with a couple of remixes of my favourite tracks. This squelchy effort from Mexicans with Guns doesn't mess around too much with the daydreaming original and has a somewhat dubby feel.

The Postal Service - We Will Become Silhouettes (Mexicans With Guns Remix) / (Y.S.I)

John Tejada's version of 'Such Great Heights' has a glitchy, deconstructed and echoey vibe:

The Postal Service - Such Great Heights (John Tejada Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Distortion. Noise. Destruction. Overdrive

The title says it all really, i put up a Fukkk Offf track a few weeks back, this time round Fukkk Off has had some remix treatment from distortion lover Le Castle Vania. The synthy rock remixes arent necessarily 'in' right now, but this doesnt stop LCV's effort resurrecting my deep down love for rocky, growling bangers.

Fukkk Offf - Rave is King (Le Castle Vania Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Too much Turkey!

After a variety of dodgy presents (a notepad with a picture of a kitten on it..?), too much xmas turkey and alot of watching TV im awaiting the end of xmas spirit and eagerly looking forward to the NYE onslaught.

If your down Landan way check out Jack Beats / Toddla T / Scratch Perverts at Fabric for NYE - expect bass, beats and good times. Too warm you up check Jack Beats cheeky mix :

Jack Beats Fabric Mix 08:

1. Digitalism - Home Zone (Proxy Remix)
2. Laid Back Luke & Atrak - Shake It Down
3. Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix)
4. DJ Mujava - Township Funk (Boy 8 Bit Remix)
5. DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano (Joakim “Piano Debout” Remix)
6. Mr. Oizo - Gay Dentists
7. Mystery Jets - Half In Love (Foamo Remix)
8. Rye Rye feat. Count & Sinden - Hardcore Girs
9. Audio Bullies - Dope Fiend (Tommie Sunshine and Udachi Remix)
10. Project Bassline - Drop The Pressure (Jack Beats Remix)
11. Herve - Who Da Champ
12. AC Slater - Jack Got Jacked (Jack Beats Remix)
13. TC - Wheres My Money (Caspa Remix : Jack Beats re-work)
14. Piddy Py - Giggle Riddim
15. Skream - Fick
16. Chase and Status - Saxon

Rusko's Radio 1 Essential Mix

For something more crazy try Rusko's Radio 1 Essential Mix:

1. Rusko feat Clipz - Scareware
2. Jakes - Rock The Bells
3. Rusko - Gogogadgetrusko - Sub Soldiers
4. The Quemists - Dem Na Like Me (Subscape mix) - Ninja Tune
5. Stenchman - Prime Time Swine
6. Rusko - Jahova - Sub Soldiers
7. The Prodigy - Breathe (Numbernin6 mix)
8. Rossib And Luca - Dont Cry Soundboy
9. 12th Planet - 68
10. Jonny Osbourne - Rudeboy (2008 mix)
11. Rusko - Mr Muscle - Sub Soldiers
12. Tc - Wheres my Money (Caspa mix / Jack Beats mix) - D:Style
13. Skream - Meta-Lick
14. Skream - Horny - Tempa
15. Enur and Natasja - Calabria (Bomberman mix)
16. The Others - Kingpin - Subsoldiers
17. Redlight and The Voodoos - Superkurl
18. Stenchman - Run Rabbit Run
19. Chase and Status feat Kano - Against All Odds (dubstep Mix) - Ram
20. Rusko - To Da Floor
21. Kid Cudi - Day N Nite (Rusko big trombone mix) - MOS
22. Rusko feat Crookers - Oy!
23. Jakes - Modem - Hench
24. Rusko and Diplo - Major Lazerr
25. Rusko - Woo Boost - Civil Music
26. More Fire Crew - Oi - Go!Beat
27. Skream - Murderer (VIP)
28. Rusko - Period
29. Benny Page and Zero G - Majestic
30. The Others - Bazooka - Dub Police
31. Unitz - The Drop Vip - Dub Police
32. Katy Perry - I Kissed A Girl (Rusko chapstick mix)
33. Benga - Bengas Off His Head - Tempa
34. Skream - Dutchflowers (Rusko Babylon mix) - Tempa
35. Doctor - Raise He Temperature - Souljazz
36. Chase and Status - Saxon - Ram
37. Marcus Visionary - Black Panther Riddim
38. Distinction and Kromestar - Zappah
39. Rusko - Lets Go
40. Rusko feat Lutan Fyah - Soundguy Is My Target - Subsoldiers
41. Caspa - Louder (VIP) - Subsoldiers
42. Skream - Woinky
43. Benny and Vincenzo - Burberry Boy
44. Chase and Status - Eastern Jam (VIP) - Ram
45. Rusko - Hammertime - Subsoldiers
46. Reso - If U Cant Beat Em (Rusko VIP) - Civil Music
47. Rusko feat Virus Syndicate - Dirtydirty
48. Dz - Down - Black Acre
49. Zero G - Ranzom
50. Leon - Bring It On (Rusko mix) - Island
51. Skream - Fastlane - Tempa
52. Rusko - Do U Wanna Have A Party
53. Giant - Rocker
54. Kidsister - Pronails (Rusko mix) - Atlantic
55. Bun vs Ill Bill - Choppa
56. Kid Sister - Switchboard - Atlantic
57. Benny Page - Liar Liar
58. Rusko - Moaners - Subsoldiers
59. Rusko - Cockney Thug (Buraka Som Sistema mix) - Subsoldiers
60. Marcus Visionary - Flying Dubs
61. Benga - Night (Buraka Som Sistema mix)
62. Rusko - Mr Chips - Subsoldiers
63. Rusko and Clipz - Rats In The Kitchen
64. Rusko and Clipz - Rats In The Kitchen (Clipz mix)
65. Pendulum - Showdown (Clipz mix) - Warner
66. Clipz - Offline (VIP)

You can catch Rusko and DMC champs C2C this NYE playing at Don't Party in Manchester, around 100 tickets left is what i hear on the grapevine!

Apparat + Telefon Tel Aviv

It's rubbish hearing about things way after everyone else - it also means i have missed out on months of listening to German producer Apparat, who makes the most beautiful atmospheric electronica i've heard in so so long. Im a big fan of these floating, 'spacey' technoey tracks you can just close your eyes and melt into. His track Arcadia seems to be one of them, with delicate guitar and pulsing bass guiding angelic vocals. For something thoughtful try:

Apparat - Arcadia / (Y.S.I)

For something glitchy and sexual try :

Apparat - Arcadia (Telefon's Tel Aviv Remix)/ (Y.S.I)

Also look out for the fantastic Boys Noize remix.

Man Like Me - Punks Jump Up

You can count on Punks Jump Up for a number of things: one being that they will be DJing in London on any night you decide to go out, and second, they always produce remixes in a disco-style of varying quality. This track throws caution to the wind a little with a summer carnival, calypso feel that puts a grin on your face.

The cheery vocals and steel drums of the intro are beefed up with a warbly bass line and baile claps. Makes me craze the summer like mad..!

Man Like Me - Carny (Punks Jump Up Remix) / Y.S.I

Herve + N.A.S.A

Herve is to remixing what christmas dinner is to the festive period - somewhat predictable in content but satisfying none the less. I have always had a soft spot for his cheeky, dance inducing electro remixes and his work on NASA's Money doesnt disappoint. Look out for the ragga vocals that float through the centre of the track - a real party tune.

N.A.S.A - Money (Herve's 'Dungeon' Remix) / Y.S.I

Sex With Robots - Burlesque Special

Sorry i've been away for a while. Did you miss me? Anyhow... theres a big night on tonight at Sex with Robots, at the roadhouse, Central Manchester. Consisting of Scottynaispas and founders / fellow residents $$$ and Oscar Wildstyle from Modernaire. Its $$$'s birthday, and for fun and festivities he has decided to hire some burlesque dancers, an awesome light technician and various other fun things, including human scrabble.

Get yourselves down there, its free in and will be rocking 11pm - 3am. Get there at 11 or so to avoid disappointment, its been one in one out for the last couple of months so you snooze you lose.

Sounds like :

Zombie Nation - Forza (Fukkk Offf Remix) / YSI

Thanks to the peeps over at Brrrln

Getting Down at the Warehouse Project

Im feeling a little fuzzy after last nights Warehouse Project, which was the Erol Alkan and friends night. With a tantalising line up of :

Hercules & Love Affair Live
Franz Ferdinand Live
Erol Alkan
Diplo
Switch
Riotous Rockers

Room 2:
Beyond The Wizards Sleeve
(Erol Alkan & Richard Norris)
Rub N Tug, Micron, Andro

I actually arrived at around 11.30, and caught a fair bit of Franz Ferdinands set, who seemed OK - pretty energetic, which got everyone moving around a bit. They did of course play the obligatory 'Take me out' which made everyone ceremoniously pogo around the dancefloor like a penguin. I hardly blame them, considering it was absoluteley freezing in and around the dancefloor!

Erol started his set around 12.00 with his usual style of big electro / technoey tracks, but his set leaned more towards the techno side of things this time round, with Popofs 'Motherfuckin Bass' Remix, ZZT's Mind Dimension and Duke dumonts remix of the Mystery Jets 'Two Doors Down' being particularly memorable tracks for the set.

Diplo however played a much more varied set, but some absolute crowd pleasures to keep things liveley. With tracks like Paul Johnson's 'Get Down':



Some other notables, Dead Prez's 'It's bigger than hip hop', varying Ragga remixes, a smattering of his own productions with a hint of Crookers thrown in for good measure ;-) His mixing was really tight, which left things niceley for the ginger ninja.

Switch did suprise me a little bit, playing less of his trademark fidgety, wonky stuff and was playing more upfront electro.. he didnt really impress me with his track selection, and in my opinion just played what he felt like rather than what the crowd wanted to hear ... I left around 4.20 or so, but supposedly Erol back on stage and livened things up a bit by dropping Phantom II at 4.30, im gutted i left a bit early...

All in all the night was awesome fun, and was really impressed by Diplo - also this was the first time i had seen him, so will be checking him out again soon. Erol and switch were less impressive but still dropped some awesome tunes throughout the night.

Bingo Players - Get up (Diplo Remix) / Y.S.I

Jackinori Gets Ill in November

The promo guy at Venga dropped me a mail with Jackinori's latest jam 'Get ill', which features a nice Dubjack remix, and 'The Groove' on B-side. It also reminded me about his November mix, which might end up being a regular post here. The mix itself is a nice blend of old and new, with a similar fidget feel to the last mix, but some cheeky entries such as Switch's awesome work on Divine Gosa and a tasty Jack Beats remix. Get your speakers Jackin !

Jackinori - Get Ill E.P Promo / (Y.S.I) (Fuckin mint...!)

A1 - Get Ill (Original)
A2 - Get Ill (Dubjack Remix)
A3 - The Groove (Original)
A4 - The Groove (JakZ Remix)

Jackinori's November Mix 002:

Tracklist:

1)Defunct! - Welcome Back (Daniel Carro Remix) [Destination?]
2)Chris James & Lee Dearn - Torcida Cumbia (Mightyfools Remix)[Potty Mouth]
3)Lee Mortimer - That thing (dub version)[Cr2]
4)Steed lord - Its what you do to me(Jack Beats remix)[CD-R]
5)Jackinori - Freak Y'All [Static Jack]
6)Fatboy Slim Vs. Riva $ - Rockafella Starr [CD-R]
7)Shinichi Osawa - Star Guitar (Jaymo's Beware The Gator Mix) [Data]
8)The BodySnatchers – I Like What I See(Hijack remix) [Passenger Records]
9)Nadastrom - pussy [Dubsided]
10)Filthy Dukes - Tupac Robot Rock (Oliver $ Remix) [CD-R]
11)Aniki - Hip-Hop Thrilla [Sick]
12)The Yank - We can't be stopped [Movement music]
13)Radioclit - DivineGosa (Switch Remix) [CD-R]
14)Tom EQ - Skewer [CD-R]
15)Jak-z - Get ya ass up [CD-R]
16)Groove Allegiance - Ramp It Up (HiJack Mix) [Splank]
17)Jackinori - The Groove [Venga]
18)Jon Kennedy feat. Mr. Eyez - Jakk'd 'n' Skrew'd (Jackinori remix) [pivital records]

Love for Sax

It's miserable outside, and i want to dispell the doom and gloom with a funky tune. Nothing better than Mr. Oizo then, with his Saxophone and slap bass number from the much hyped Lambs Anger.

Mr. Oizo - Cut Dick / (Y.S.I)

Treasure Fingers Disco Vibes

The peeps over at Fancy sounds have recently thrown up a post with a tasty track from the Treasure Fingers. The Brooklyn boys have that awesome retro 80's disco vibe... you know casio keyboards, vocoders and all that jazz. Its difficult not to compare their sound to a certain Chromeo.. but hey shoot me, i like Chromeo.

This may also be due to the fact they are signed up to A-trak's (Chromeo's Bro) Fools Gold record label.

Designer Drugs offer up the remix treatment, with a swooping synthy intro and vocoder-style vocals jumping striaght into a bouncy, crunky beat. A real funky, disco-tastic beaut.

Trasure Fingers - Cross the Dancefloor (Designer Drugs Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Foamo + Urchins

You have probably heard of Foamo, hes making heads turn right now with his take on a darker buzzy side of electro which is really foot-to-the-floor, fresh stuff.

A releative youngster at 21, Foamo - real name Kye Gibbon is currently occupied on a big tour to showcase his bangers in clubs round the globe, culminating in a NYE party in Australia (the lucky bastard) before coming back over to the UK.

Mystery Jets - Half in Love With Elizabeth (Foamo Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Also check out Urchins version of Movin It Over Here which is a squidgy, buzzing remix with bouncy bass, simple drum pattern and echoey build ups of glitchy vocals.

Foamo - Movin it Over Here (Urchins Remix) / (Y.S.I)

The Glitch Mob

My good mate Fibre hooked me up with a mixtape of a group called The Glitch Mob. Originally from America, the glitch crew are 4 man group that rock a 4-way Ableton live setup, dropping electro-hip hop, big beats and dubby bangers... It just sounds fucking good, like the apocolyptic darkness of a Matrix soundtrack.

The group consist of edIT, Boreta, Ooah, and Kraddy and already seem to be pretty big in the U.S selling out 2,000 capacity venues. They are also visiting Manchester tomorrow for the notorious Warehouse Project which has a similar capacity. It will be interesting to see how they fare on this side of the water... By the sounds of the mixtape, im sure it will be a walk in the park.

The Glitch Mob - Blowin out the Soundsystem Mix

Guess whos back

Some say hes half man half beast, some say hes Erol Alkan's Grandma... Others call him Fake Blood.

Having seen the guy at the Warehouse Project, i can without hesitation say he was one of the most fun electro DJs i've seen in a loooong time. Scratching (YES SCRATCHING!) and mixing seamlessly over bouncy, chunky electro bangers: he truly rocked the dancefloor.

Check his trademark style in a rework of Hotchip's 'Touch Too Much'.

Hot Chip - Touch Too Much (Fake Blood Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Drums of Death

Theres always a lot of love for something new or a bit quirky in electro.. We are a fickle bunch that get through sub-genres like a pack of wotsits. Genres come and go until they get done to death and then we all get bored again. The dubstep influence can be felt heavily in electro production of recent, carving out a new path for electro sounds in general. Gone are the days of Justice, the distorted pioneers of recent years.. They have been nudged aside to make way for wonky, cheeky and grimey bass.

Drop the lime is gaining status all the time and does so for his originality and ability to try new things. Drums of Death is no different, merging bassline, electro, grime, garage and dubstep into crazy concoctions of sound. It seems fitting that Drums of Death makes a great effort of remixing DTL's 'Hear me', melting the housey vocals with careful orchestral builds, stompy bass and mischevous scattered drums.

Drop the Lime - Hear Me (Drums of Death Remix) / (Y.S.I)

Stay on the scene

I like the relatively unknown, and its always welcome to hear a few new sounds. Mom and Dad, is an American youngster that is just starting out on the scene and has already made an impression with his cheeky party vibes and this remix of James Browns Sexmachine.

I wonder what the Funk pimp' in the sky would have to say to this...?

Mom & Dad - Sexmachine / (Y.S.I)

Mowgli Makes Music

Straight back in with some weird wonky bits for you.. Mowgli is another UK based house producer that has a sound filled with big beeps, air horns, cut up vocals and sharp claps (no not that type ..)

Mowgli has a darker style of wobbliness and likes weird animal type noises, CVonS-esque computer game bleeps and vocal snippets that drive most of his funky, grungier reworks.

Armand Van Helden - Shake that Ass (Mowgli Remix) / zShare

Also check his mix:

Mowgli - October Mix (right click save as)

01. mowgli - funk you
02. mowgli - amore
03. marc houle - meatier shower
04. idiotproof - gorilla
05. idiotproof - gorilla (siriusmo's ass of baboon remix)
06. groove armada - get down (donni remix)
07. solo - the big stef
08. dj blaqstarr - shake it to the ground (vonstroke remix)
09. blatta & inesha - blow up (hijack remix)
10. mowgli - bassline
11. epills road (tool edit)
12. zoo brasil - technic

Jackin' Beats

Google sent me a message on friday saying take this post down.. but i like him so hes back! Jackinori is a Manchester based house producer and has that cheeky distinctive fidget style, with squeaky beats and a much more up front ravier style than his favourite DJs Switch and Jesse Rose. Hes pretty new to the game, but has done some banging remixes to date. His Star 69 remix has been getting banged out at Sex with Robots for some time now.. and we think he is the nuts.. Drop by and say hello over at his Myspace.

Fatboy Slim - Star 69 (Jackinori's They Fuck Remix)

Also check Jackinoris mix - its hot !



1) oliver $ - Double whoppa
2)wongo - work that
3)Jackinori - freak yall
4)jaymo - on the grind (jak-z remix)
5)natty jack - jackin da garage(hijack Remix)
6)Jackinori - the groove
7)ac slater - jack got jacked(jack beats remix)
8)mightyfools - eat the drummer
9)mom and dad - on my mind
10)dubjack - this sound
11)Dubjack - twitch(jackinori's schizophrenic Remix)
12)Audio Bullys - Flickery Vision (Rusko's Staying Awake Remix)
13)Aniki - Introducin B4 (Original Mix)
14)wiley - summertime(bart B more remix)
15)Jak Z - Can't Think Of A Name
16)Armand Van Helden - Shake That Ass (Mowgli Remix)
17)Lee Mortimer - Moaning & Groaning
18)mightyfools - let me
19)edu k -raver lovin
20)THE PRODIGY - SMACK MY BITCH UP [BASS WEAZAL REMIX]
21)jackinori - Get iLL(partypeople)
22)3 Is A Crowd - Take It Back (HeavyFeet Remix)

Rock the Lime

After a mad weekend of drinking and partying im pretty worn out... yes i know its thursday.. but lucky for me - it's nearly weekend again! Last saturday was the Annie Mac night at the Warehouse Project featuring:

Annie Mac
Kissy Sellout - Band stylee (blergh...)
Herve and Sinden (only sinden showed up)
A-Trak
Surkin
Drop the lime

So after a promising line-up, but some unfortunate cancellations (damn you A-trak!) my two highlights were Surkin, who played lots of funky 80/90's old skool which got the crowd going and Drop the Lime who played a dirtier set in the smaller side room.

Im generally a fan of Annie Mac but she didnt quite do it for me, the drum n bass put me off a bit... Drop the Limes sketchy mixing skills were overshadowed however by his awesome bassline / garage / dubstep tracks that really made the room sweat - he had good energy, and definately was my favourite of the night. Next up: Chibuku night with Justice, Fake Blood /Yuksek and friends....!

Rex the Dog - I can see you, can you see me? (Drop the Lime Remix) / zShare

Mighty Fidget Fools

Mightyfools, signed to fidget label 'Potty Mouth' are up next. The Chicago based label have seen releases from established producer Hi-jack, The Bulgarian, kings-of-the-scene Crookers and UK newcomer Andy George. The Mightyfools are certainly in good company right now.

Got you interested? Thought so.. The dutch duo consists of Andy Samin and Jelle Keizer, who find there brand of fidget madness incorporated into many DJ sets and mix-tapes right now. Their style takes a raver flavour and combines it with jackin' beats, bouncybits and squelchy basslines for a full on party vibe.

Mightyfools - Hey Babe / zShare

Mightyfools - We Want / zShare














Also try the tasty Mightyfools September 08 mix:

01. DMX - Up in here (Mightyfools Remix) [cdr]
02. Scott Cooper & Andy George - Jump & Twist
03. Crookers - Jetso
04. Will Smith - Miami (Laidback Luke Bootleg)
05. Bounce Camp - Big Dancin
06. Mightyfools - We Want [Potty Mouth]
07. Top Billin’ - Shake My ass
08. Mightyfools - Hey Babe [Potty Mouth]
09. Calvertron - Stumble (Mightyfools remix) [electric sushi]
10. Mightyfools - Super Sexy (Lee Mortimer remix) [Venga Digital]
11. Bryan Cox ft Kelevra - Leanin ‘n Swervin’ (Mightyfools remix) [Crux]
12. DJ Kue - Don’t get high (Breakdown remix)
13. Don Rimini - Rave On
14. P Diddy - Bad Boy For Life (La Mode Fuckup)
15. Warboy - London Gettin Dirty (Mightyfools remix) [A New Hope]
16. Duke Dumont - When I hear Music
17. Kelevra ft Drusif - Raggamuffin (Mightyfools bmore mix) [KrunK]
18. Debonair Samir ft Masta Ace - Jeep Ass Gutter
19. 740 Boyz - Bump Bump (Booty Shake)
20. Machines Don’t Care - Spycatcher
21. Aston Shuffle - Stomp Your Feet (Bloody Beetroots remix) (Kazaam End Edit)
22. Les Petits Pilous - Wake Up
23. The Proxy - Dance In Dark
24. Bloody Beetroots - We Are From Venice
25. The Body Snatchers - Call Me (Blende remix)

Oh rainy Manchester... How i missed you

Hi all, after returning from a brief holiday.. and a pitiful exscuse for a tan, i am back to bring you some huge new tunes. Listening to excessive traditional spanish music, and an outdated ipod i have been itching to get back to the UK, and get back on the filthy tunes again.

First up is Malente, a German producer that errs on the side of techno and breakbeat, mixed with rolling basslines, dark electro synths. A prolific remixer of sorts, Malente writes for German blog Berlin Battery and makes VERY club friendly tunes. Would you expect anything less ... ? I dont know if its mild stereotyping, but i seem to assume Germans just love disgracefully dirty tuneage.

I havent heard any electro-ey breakbeat for ages and this re-edit of Per QX's mix of 'Flash Gordon' has re-wet my appetite. The almost cheese vocoder intro and simple drum roll builds nicely into a chunky beat, and jagged electro stabs.

Revolte - Flash Gordon (Per QX mix / Malente Re-edit) / zShare

Im assuming by the title, that this next remix took 1 hour... therefore you must listen! More of a bouncy flavour, and some vocals by an 'unknown' group who sound very much like the Audio Bullys..

Dope Fiend - Dope fiend (Malente's 1 Hour Remix) / zShare

Worm Power!

One last thing before i jet off, (Tiga and Zombie Nation tag team) ZZT's - The Worm has been floating around for a couple of days now. I've been waiting eagerly for this since it was featured on the Earle of Alkans top 10..

You might remeber Justices remix of Lower State of Consciousness track that blew up on the blogs last year and true to form, ZZT's next track its a huge synthy banger that im sure will be getting hammered in the club throughout the later part of the year.

ZZT - The Worm / zShare

Holiday time!

I'm going away for a week - to lanzagrotty oh yeaaa! I will also probably return with mild sun-stroke and cheap sunglasses, but you cant win em' all. Do not panic, Scottynaispas will be back shortly and will get back on the posts ASAP!

To tide you over for a while, try Diplos remix of Radioheads dark, moody Reckoner. Not a very sunny track, but who cares. Diplo seems to be a busy man right now and the intricacy of this shoe gazer works nicely - Tight production as per, with a suspensful, disjointed working well with the haunting vocals of Thom Yorke interspersed throughout the downtempo track.

Radiohead - Reckoner (Diplo Remix) / zShare

One day i went to Lidl...

Im not down with UK Hip hop grime scene (if you saw me you would understand...) but this guy is fun and his track Lidl makes me smile.

Currently rubbing shoulders with M.I.A , Afrikan boy - the 19 year old rapper based in SE London makes grimey sounding tracks but with a cheeky flow..

Sounds like : Sway crossed with a Grimey bassline

Afrikan Boy - Lidl (YSI)

The Warehouse Project

The Manchester music scene is becoming very exciting for dance music again. There has been surge of interest in the Manchester club nights and some recent projects see a new intimate techno club Spektrum opening, run by the Sankeys lot, we get to see Santogold and Massive attack for free and only last weekend we saw the return of the mighty Warehouse Project. Since starting out in an abandoned Boddingtons Brewery in 06' the string of big-name club nights have steamrolled their way into being the biggest club night in the UK. The Manchester only event located in run-down city locations have provided some of the most memorable club nights for me in the last few years.

Boasting mammoth line ups from genres including DNB, Breaks, Hip hop, Electro, Minimal, Techno, Indie, Progressive.... there is definately something for everyone. My bag is definately more down the electro route. I have my name down for three nights in particular - notably:

- Annie Mac's night that includes Herve / A-Trak / Surkin / Drop the Lime and Toddla T on 25th oct

- Justice, Busy P, Mehdi and Fake blood / Yuksek!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sold out)

- Erol Alkan and Switch / Diplo on 29th .

Its gonna be big guys - cya there ;-)

www.warehouseproject.com

Run Hide Survive

I cant think of a good reason why these guys arent bigger than they are. Maybe because they are busy with their clubnight, Club Pony. The Run Hide Survive Dj's consist of Mike and Luke, and base their succesful club night in DQ's in sheffield (ive been to see Brodinski there - it was ace).

Mike from RHS played at Sex with Robots a good year or so ago, and this was the first time i'd heard his up front production style. With their killer track Dyson officially up for release on 12" on the 29th Sep, expect a huge jump in popularity for the Sheffield duo. The track does what it says on the tin.. It's like an electro fuelled dyson, with a swooshing, huge bassline that has been knocking around the blogs for a good few months now.

The RHS boys even had a primetime set down at The End, Londons supremo electro club - things are looking up. Check out their top remix of pop gimps the Kaiser Chiefs - 'Never miss a beat' - Its fucking mahooosive!

Kaiser Chiefs - Never miss a beat (Run Hide Survive Remix) / zShare

Crookin' Awesome

Seeing as my last crookers post magically disappeared - either by my own retardedness or some greater force out of my control, i must post again.

I went with my girlfriend to see the kings of wonk last friday at Hannah Hollands 'Trailer Trash' night, and they were as per usual.. wicked. The location was great, in a car park with one floor for bar / toilets and a second slightly raised car park area for the dancefloor. It had a really good atmos, although the soundsystem was a touch quiet.

I was pleasantly suprised to hear a much more varied set than most of their Crookers remix heavy sets... I think they played for just over an hour and a half, and although we were dancing amidst a sea of trannies and weird androgenous scenesters, the London gig had a real buzz.

Some notable tunes being of course Proxy's blinder Raven, and A-traks remix of boys noize's Oh! They even played Mujava's - Township Funk ;-)

David Guetta ft Thailand - Joan of arc (Crookers Remix) (YSI) / zShare

Sex with Robots Freshers Do!

Freshers week is definately not about going to the local scream pub and licking naive freshers faces... Maybe it was, but you've grown out of that now ... right? Anyways Manchesters freshers week will be kicking off in full force tonight, so expect awkward groups of people standing in circles, plenty of snakebites, puking and possible fornication.

The whole point of freshers is to get to know people, and get pissed. BUT.. this doesnt mean you have to go to some shitty pop night, theres plenty of good stuff happening in Manchester, so get exploring.

Sex with Robots is going off on Tuesday... With our warm up party at the Drop Inn in fallowfield from 8pm-11pm followed by our pals the Prostitutes and Policemen DJs.

11pm - 3am is the crazy madness at the Roadhouse in Picaddilly - Free entry so dont miss it! Last week was one in one out, so get there early.

Oh and a little snippet of whats in store:

Yuksek - Deladeu2 (YSI) - zShare

Mujava - Township Funk

Have you heard of S. African Techno or Kwaito? Nah, neither have i..

Released today on "This Is Music/Warp", Mujava's - Township Funk has been a huge club track and is finally getting public release today. Originating from South Africa, Elvis Maswanganyi aka Mujava has become an overnight success with his stripped down meandering techno track. Popular with Hot Chip and Erol to name a few, this is a good warmer or late night 'trip-them-out' track.

The synth is really infectious, i think you'll agree :

DJ Mujava - Township Funk / zShare

Also try L-Vis 1990's darker Dubby effort:

DJ Mujava - Township Funk (L-Vis 1990 Kwaito Dub) / zShare

Becks get it right in Manchester

On the 6th September i was lucky enough to go and see Massive Attack and Santogold for free. Yup zilch...

It was part of the two-day festival / self promotion brainchild of Becks beer, who dubbed the event Becks Fusions. The friday laid host to a fairly indie line-up of The Presets, Midnight Juggernaughts and Hercules and Love Affair.

The saturday though rain soaked, had a bright combination of belgian indie group Das Pop, New York's coolest export, Santogold and homegrown electronica legends Massive Attack.

Plied with multple beers (Only Becks was available) i had a great time listening to Santogold with my friends, she was exactly how i expected her to be. Cool, a good stage presence and on note with pretty much everything she sang. The only distraction being her DJ and keyboard players who didnt seem to fit in with their white shirt/trouser combo and bow-tie? Maybe my eye was distracted by her awesome, neon all-in-one jumpsuit. Track of the set - Creator.. awesome warbly bassline and i love the screechy intro.

Massive Attack to me, were one of those bands that you wish you could see before you get too old to care. After having actually seen them play for around 2 hours, i found them to be very 'atmospheric', but they didnt really grip me or keep me interested. This may have been because i loved Mezzanine, but didnt really have an interest in much else of their work. Their rendition of Unfinished Sympathy was amazing. They are obviously a talented band, and combined with the visuals of the UVA, it was quite breath-taking. The music, however seemed a bit repetitive and dare i say it boring at times.

The Festival went down really well, there was plenty of room, not much of a beer queue and plenty of decent music. Not bad for free eh? When im out, quite drunk and listening to music at 10.30 at night i want it a bit more uptempto. Id probably save Massive Attack for a day time slot at a festival, and keep the night time for raving.

Santogold - Say Aha (Tepr Remix) / zShare

Dubstep Jams

When it comes to Dubstep, im verging on the unknown. It makes me uneasy / excited when i hear music that reverberate my insides like dubstep can. Its slightly frustrating when i listen to dubstep, i cant pinpoint a track name or artist - I guess that's just experience. But for now - im happy to go with the flow and get my dub-on. Dubstep tracks are becoming more and more common in a variety of club sets, and i can only see that as a good thing.

Dubstep is hitting the world on a big scale, with pioneers like Caspa & Rusko spearheading the Dubby onslaught around the world. Right now, London is the place to be for this new bass heavy genre. With a strong influence from a mish-mash of music styles - reggae, DNB, hip hop and grime to name a few, their are some serious talents to be heard.

Chase & Status are no exception, they have been succesfully producing Hip-Hop and DNB, recently signing to Andy C's Ram Records. With an album expected for next year, their track 'Eastern Jam' has wet my appetite. In this bangra style track, C & S have turned their hands to filthy Dubstep, creating a huge juddering bassline cheekily minlged with 'bollywood' style vocals to a devastating effect. If this is my starting point, expect alot more Dubstep posts in the near future.

Chase & Status - Eastern Jam (Indian Dub) / zShare

Swedish Electro Mafia - Exclusive Blende Track & Mix

When you listen to a Blende track, a few words come to mind - filthy, banging, dirty, violating. I like the way he makes the most outrageous sounds, and is so unassuming, calm and friendly - a stereotypical Scandi! Hailing from Sweden, Johan Klereby a.k.a Blende has established himself as a prolific remixer and producer of awesome bangers. With his huge remix of Seduction's 'Ironie' being the first track to perforate my ear drums - ive been keeping a close eye on his tracks. You can buy alot of his music at Juno - Also check his myspace here.

I managed to get my hands on an exclusive remix of Swedish Techno/house producer Adrian Lux's track Strawberry. The indie vocals twist niceley over crisp drum hits, growling guitar synths and a wonky rolling layer underneath the drums. Very tasty!

Those Dancing Days & Adrian Lux - Strawberry (Blende remix)

Also check Blendes heavy summer mix, with brilliant opener from The Who remixed by SebastiAn, followed by the usual in-your-face synths we all know and love:

Blende Summer 08 Mix - Tracklisting :

The Who - Baba O'Riley (SebastiAn Edit)
M83 - Graveyard girl (Yuksek remix)
Martin solveig - C'est la vie (Goose remix)
Dilemn - Brazen boogie (Blende remix)
Don Rimini - Ohow
Grum - Go back (Le Caste Vania remix)
Blende - Breaking Bones
Busy P - Protect & entertain (Crookers remix)
Grum - Love disco
30Hz - Me crazy
Mike Movement - Ebf (Blende remix)
Joakim Garraud - Rock the choice (Sebastian ingrosso remix)
ACDC - Back in black (Fisk Remix)

Expect big things... Already being played by the likes of D.I.M, MSTRKRFT, Kissy Sell Out and more - Blendes dirty remixes are real primetime dancefloor killers.

Friendly Fires

Im a bit behind with the whole Indie scene at the moment. The closest i get is hearing a remix. After hearing Klaxons "Atlantis to Interzone" remixed by 100 different producers im not that fussed about listening to the original. The same goes for a lot of the indie bands out there.

There are some exceptions that are hard to ignore. I like the twinkly-ness of the Foals, Late of the Piers weirdness (Just watch the "Bears are coming" video...) and the retro fun of the Mystery Jets.

You may have spotted a trend here... anyways - relative new-comers Friendly Fires from St. Albans seem to fit this niche style that i like. They have quite a dark, melodic sound - check out the bleepy, floating "On board" which reminds me of a certain Hot Chip. My favourite track however, has to be "Jump in the Pool" which has a much 'spacier' sound that just hits the spot. Cant wait for the remixes....

Friendly Fires - Jump into the Pool

A1 Bassline Bangers

Its weird. When i think bassline, i think craig david style garage or chavs on the back of the buss belting out chipmunk music through their nicked mobile phones. Maybe im just out the loop?

"Justice" esque - big distortion electro is all good and well when i want to work up a sweat... But I like something a little different every now and again - who was it that said variety is the spice of life? I like producers that do something a little cheeky, weird or intriguing - I first heard Switch, and i was like "what the fuck!?" Its a good feeling to hear something unique.

I never thought Bassline-y electro would work in a club.. but its a great bit of wobble to play after some dirty electro. Wideboys and A1 Bassline tunes seems to be on constant rotation, and it gets people dancing! A1 Bassline remixes are my favourite, being mainly jittery, garagey fueled bangers. A1 Bassline is the brainchild of one half of ravey group Partyshank.

Here A1 remixes house producer Andy George's "Big Dipper" to devastating effect:

Andy George - Big Dipper (A1 Bassline Refix)

There is also a great mix on Trash Menagerie which is definately worth a listen!

Les Petit Pilous - Not suitable for kids?

Don't mistake them for a delicious, child sized fruit yoghurt - Les Petit Pilous are a french technoduo, and are seriously full on.. I mean face-melting stuff.  I found them through the boys noize myspace, to which they are a part of the succesful label owned by Alex Ridha. They did a few remixes which caught my eye, including an attempt at Cold light by the Yeah yeah yeahs. I was hooked, and subsequently found Puzique and D.I.M - what a treat.

My favourite track has to be Jolie Fille, which is a nuclear war of noise, energy and squealing synths. It seemed to be a favourite of Erol's for a good while in 07', getting regular plays in his often distorted techno-ey sets. 

Check out their myspace, theres a track called Paris naked that is just fuckin mental - definately 

a prime time club banger. I like LPP for their utter dark, twisted style - often I stick to tracks that are more acceptable or popular - when i have a burning urge to drop Nice bird.... Maybe i should just go with my gut instincts!

Les Petit Pilous - Wake Up 

Les Petit Pilous - Nice Bird 

Les Petit Pilous - Housi (just a preview)

Bruce Willis is dead

We all know Mr. Oizo, the bearded Ed Banger legend, who has been immortalised for his 90's levi ad soundtrack "Flat beat". Not only is that an absolute banger still, i keep forgetting that it got to number one in the UK charts... haha.

I saw Oizo a while back in manchester, and his DJing style is, shall we say "unique". Never before have i seen some mix beyonce into psytrance into SebastiAn and get away with it. People were moshing about like madmen.

Oizo seems to ooze cool, he doesnt really try to be in the limelight - hes just awesome. Creating glitchy weird bangers like transexual and the saxophone spazzyness of patrick122 makes me happy.

This newish tune, which seemed to do the rounds a little at some of the summer festivals is a bit harder, with almost a panicky - siren fueled beat. I like it, although i dont know if i could pull it off in a mix with the pizazz of the man himself.

Mr. Oizo - Bruce Willis is dead

8-Bit Basslines

I cant remember how i found Boy 8-Bit, nor whether long hair is fashionable again, but what i do know is that he probably one of my favourite producers / remixers out right now. He sits nicely between a sea of filthy bangers and wobbly basslines that are populating the DJs playlists right now.

Taking his name from an 8-bit megalosound sampler he used to make tracks, hes gathered quite a following in the last year or so, and for good reason... His background and passion for dnb, garage and bassline sounds can be seen to melt through his tracks, whilst adding cheeky 8-bit sound with an ease and style that is often crudeley attempted by others. 8-Bit's remix of the Black Ghosts 'Anyway you choose to give it' brought him to the attention of the bloggers, with floaty gameboy-esque interludes complimenting the fuzzy bass lines and splashing cymbals.
With a growing back-catalogue of remixes, Boy 8-bits remixes of South Rakkas Crews 'Mad again' and bublegum pop prince Mika's 'Lollipop' are personal faves offering clever breakdowns and rasping garage-y basslines. His remix of the Bumblebeez 'Rio' takes a slightly different direction, with a more echoey, dreamlike intro driving the vocals, followed by a hip-hop sounding synth and topped off with a smidge of Boy 8-bits trademark bass.

Mika - Lollipop (Boy 8-Bit Remix)

Bumblebeez - Rio (Boy 8-Bit Remix)

Actionherve

A quick post is needed for my old fave Herve. Hes continuing to churn out wobbly beasts, and his trademark style still hits the spot. I wonder ..... how long it will be until i get bored of him? Well i hope its a good year or two before that happens.

Anyways.. Herve AKA Joshua Harvey is known by a multitude of aliases: Action man, herve, the count of monte crystal etc etcbut this doesnt detract his tradmark wobbly, bassy club tracks. Favoured by the likes of Switch / Erol and Annie Macs radio shows hes already a favourite in the electro scene.

If hes not working on remixing other peoples tracks hes probably chumming around with Sinden or playing at Bugged Out nights and the like. His recent remix of Kidda's - Under the Sun has a summery buzz that cant be missed.

Kidda - Under the Sun (Herve Remix)

A crowd pleaser from Hannah Hollands Field Day set:

Jesse Rose and Actionman AKA Herve - Take it to the Club

And a slick remix of Bloc party:

Bloc Party - Mercury (Herve is in Dissaray Remix)

A-Trizzy

I first heard A-Trak 3 or 4 years ago when i got my first pair of turntables (i was really into hip-hop back then), whilst I was looking through DJ Battle. I stumbled across A-traks battle rotuine, he seemed to be pretty slick:



In between winning DMC titles and more recently touring the world with Kanye, A-traks all-round DJing skills have been turned to production. What a treat... He is now schmoozing with Ed Banger crew members Mehdi and Busy P to name but a few, which has no doubt has influenced his creative juices.



A-trak has succesfully turned his production skills to the likes of Digitalism, Simian Mobile Disco, Boys Noize and of course Kanye West. A-Trak has the ability the combine melodic drum beats and chopped vocals with growling, punchy basslines. They work in such a way to produce tracks worthy of any dancefloor.

He has also recently been involved in the Nike "Running Man" series, a group of mixes from various artists including LCD soundsystem designed to "accompany jogging workouts". Its definately worth a listen - combining hip-hop, electro, electronica and techno across a seamless mix. The fact a giant such as Nike are backing A-trak shows just how big he is likely to get... Whether or not he will keep producing electro or not remains a mystery, but im happy to jump on the bandwagon while he does.

Digitalism - Idealistic (A-Trak Remix)