Merry Frenchmas

As my mimosa buzz fades away and my family begins to tinker with their presents while the turkey cooks, I would like to take a moment to share a holiday gift with you this rainy afternoon. Today we have a Christmas-themed post from the past. Le Knight Club, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (1/2 of Daft Punk) and his collaborator Eric Chedeville, released funky French house gems in the period shortly after Daft Punk changed dance music with their timeless Homework in 1997. These two tracks are off the duo's first 12". "Santa Claus" works a shiny synth line through filters over a relentless shuffle house beat, while "Holiday On Ice" features delay-effect synths reminiscent of "Around The World". Enjoy this with an extra dose of egg nog and enjoy your holiday everyone, happy solstice! Peace & Love.

Le Knight Club - Santa Claus

Le Knight Club - Holiday On Ice

So many hoes we LAPPED UP

Cross-posted at Mind Grapes

I think Jimmy and I are putting together some kind of end-of-year thing, so before we did that I wanted to drop a few rad songs that probably won't make my 'best-of' or whatever we end up doing.

As we all know, there are a few everyday situations where music is of the utmost necessity: riding in a car with your dudes, seducing a lady, going to second base with a lady, smoking pot, going all the way with a lady, etc. One of these situations, and one that is, I think, too-often overlooked, is getting ready to go out (is that girly? How about: I don't care).

By "getting ready to go out," I mean, of course, all those little things that occupy the hours between 8 or so and 10 or so--taking a shower, heating up your leftover tacos, putting on your clothes, waiting for your buddy to call you, drinking a couple beers, and then maybe a couple more. And because this time is so crucial to having an enjoyable night, it is of the utmost importance that you are jamming to something that will lift your spirits, engage your mind, and get you super-amped. This means that a lot of the gnarly music that I listen to is basically out--no Peter Gabriel (except "Solsbury Hill"), no Blue Nile, absolutely no Vangelis (OK, maybe "Chariots of Fire").

Fortunately, I have the perfect getting-ready-to-go-out song, and because I'm a nice guy, I'm going to share it with you. Use it sparingly and wisely, but I guarantee, jam this before you head out on a Friday night and you are guaranteed to have a good time.

Wiz Khalifa - Say Yeah

This song also has a dope video fyi.

Action Jackson

Despite his pedophilic tendencies and eroding facial structure, MJ is easily one of the most important figures in music of the last thirty years, but who doesn't know that, honestly. And while "Billy Jean" is still regularly slapped behind rap tracks by lames looking to get an immediate response from the crowd, others have more tastefully paid tribute to Jackson's musical legacy.

Off of Tim Sweeney (of the incredible Beats In Space radio) and Tim Goldsworthy's (of DFA) new 12", whose collaboration is T&T, come with two massive edits (or versions or something) of two classic tracks by Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. While many editors nowadays are scraping bins for obscure gems to spin out Sweeney and Goldsworthy pick two of the most well known disco/funk tracks ever made, "Superstition" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". In the latter, the funky bassline is replaced with buzzy whirling acid synths and "don't stop the rhythm..." echoes throughout a massive breakdown, keep on!

Michael Jackson - Don't Stop (T&T Version)

Next is an edit by Holy Ghost! of "Get On The Floor" I found when I stumbled onto this blog the other day, Off The Radar. Far more minimalistic than the T&T remix, Holy Ghost! hardly touches the track until the breakdown in the middle, where the reworking shows its magic. Holy Ghost! has been racking up quite a few great remixes this year, most recent being this dubbed gem of Curses! featuring The Juan Maclean and Nancy from LCD Soundsystem, here. But enough of that, here is the dance-floor-filler from the hot up-and-comers from Brooklyn.

Michael Jackson - Get On The Floor (Holy Ghost! Edit)

Lastly is nothing new but one of my favorite re-edits by Todd Terje under the Tangoterje moniker. His edit of "I Can't Help It" might be his best behind Diamonds Dub. Terje takes Jackson's voice and throws it through some kind of filter that makes it sound crispy coming out of your speakers, while adding enough percussion to groove out a lovely breakdown in the middle.

Tangoterje - I Can't Help It

Lastly, I was turned onto this video the other day by my friend over at Robots In Heat, and I couldn't help but share it. Take classic Jacksons disco, add effects from Tron and a 3 minute extended ending that truly makes the video feel like an acid trip. I cannot believe this is from 1980, it is too good.

Balearic Soundtrack: Claremont 56

I've been in a balearic mood lately, meaning as the weather turns cold here and the fuses in my apartment begin to blow with all the space heaters running, I prefer to daydream about doing loads of coke on my yacht off the southern coast of France or dropping anchor off the coast of Kauai, diving through the lava tunnels by day and dancing around a bonfire on the beach as the sun sets. Claremont 56, the UK label started by Paul Mudd last year that has been pumping out beachy balearic vibes with verby guitars that Max Essa's Back To The Beach EP couldn't quite capture, that serve as the perfect soundtrack to my tropical daydreaming.

Smith & Mudd, is the collaboration of Mudd with Ben Smith, another UK resident have released the majority of the material on the label, which are mostly 12"s of tracks from their album Blue River that came out a year ago. Lexx channels the Mac and takes one of the best jams off the album, turning it into a dreamy jam you play on your yacht, the Wet Dream, after dropping anchor offshore from a deserted white sand beach in the Caribbean, then stripping down and diving into the crystal blue water.

Smith & Mudd - Shulme (Lexx Remix)

Returning from your swim as the sun sets you head into town and towards a bar on the water lit up by Christmas lights in the distance. Deep sounds emanate from inside and as you get closer the moon emerges from behind a cloud and you notice linen-clad tan locals also headed towards the bar. The sounds grow bigger and the buzzy synths begin to hum a steady rhythm. As you walk through the door the DJ puts Mudd & Pollard's "Scaffold". The track surges and wanes like the surf you can hear outside the bar and the echos of pianos and guitar begin to coerce you into a slow dance as the floor starts to heat up and bodies pack into the tiny space.

Mudd & Pollard - Scaffold

The energy is contagious and the dance party is on the brink of exploding into madness as the DJ drops the beat and comes in with The Night-S-Press "Dance". A beam of blue light turns to the disco ball and silhouettes of dancing figures are illuminated against columns of light shining forth from it and smoke fills the room.

The Night-S-Press - Dance

The dancing continues until the sky turns pale and the exhaustion of dancing for the last eight hours begins to wear on everyone in the room. As the sun breaks the horizon, the ambient version of Blackbelt Andersen's "Lørdag" comes on and the tired bodies begin to file out of the room and wander back to their abodes around the island. You return to your yacht and fall asleep only to awake in the late afternoon in time to do it all over again.

Blackbelt Andersen - Lørdag (Ambient Version)

All the music on this post is from the Claremont 56 label. The Night-S-Express "Dance" comes off of the incredible new compilation CD Originals, put together by vinyl experts Balearic Mike and Moonboots. The rest are off of the Shulme (Lexx Remix), Scaffold, and Lørdag 12"s, and are all truly lovingly crafted and genuinely felt.

Drugs to Take Music To

I busted Andorra out today, you know, digitally, on my iPod, to listen to on the PATH train coming home, and all I could think was: what a good motherfucking album. And: this dude must own a lot of Beach Boys records. And: I bet he does a lot of shrooms. For real! The whole thing sounds like a road trip up CA-1 with your buds freshman year of college, tripping on some deserted beach and trying to cook refried beans over a poorly-built fire. In a good way! 

You feel me, though: Andorra spills out in the best way, too full of energy and good will, sloppy drumming and watery keyboards, like taking drugs when you're 16 and writing down the corny shit you say ("We are the earth... breathing"). The last track, Niobe, is my favorite, but it's not really like the rest of the album--it's more E than shrooms, to be corny about it, pushing forward, darkly, with purpose, maybe, but without direction, going full speed ahead, like a motorboat on the open ocean, into blank silence, emptiness, horizon, and the end of the album.

Caribou - Niobe

Sauna Diplomacy

I've never been to Finland, but I always figured most people who live there spend most of their time ice skating, and building sleds, and, I dunno, killing reindeer. With knives. You know--rosy-cheeked, hardy people who were good at, like, making hot chocolate, and skinning bears.

Well let me tell you: this is not the case. Apparently Finns mostly just have a lot of casual sex and spend a lot of time in the sauna. Sometimes Finnish politicians and businessmen will drag people to the sauna and refuse to leave until negotiations are finished and terms are settled. How cool is that? This country has as many people as Atlanta, and they kicked Russia's ass in WWII. Like, majorly.

Anyway, this joint is from a Finnish band called Regina, and they sound like a bunch of sweaty, slutty motherfuckers, and not in that trashy French electro way, either. Think Studio, but a little colder, a little less dubby, like they just came out of their little steam hut and want to groove in some log cabin by the moving light of a big fire, windows all fogged up, before heading back out into the dark, watching their breath hang in the air on their way back to the sauna.

Regina - Näinä mustina iltoina (Schmamix)

BTW, it's also a Christmas song.

In Flight Delight

I have been obsessed with Aeroplane since they first appeared with their self-titled track on Lindstrom & Prins Thomas' Essential Mix two summers ago. Since then the Belgian twosome has racked up quite a few amazing remixes, my favorites being for Low Motion Disco, The Shortwave Set, and Das Glow. While they deem their sound simply as pop, I find their sound to be quintessential nudisco, glimmering synths, powerful percussion and breakdowns inspired by modern dance music. Today I am happy to share with you an amazing new remix they just released of the incredible Grace Jones' new track "Williams Blood" off her new album Hurricane. What struck me most about this track is how much darker it is from previous Aeroplane material. That's not saying much as most their stuff glitters electric brilliance, but the towards the end of this track they use the first overtly acid synth I've ever heard in any of their other tracks and it perfectly turns the song into a swirling monster. Anyways, just give it a listen, you will not be disappointed.

Grace Jones - Williams Blood (Aeroplane Remix)

7 Trx + Intermission

So today marks a great day as I have finally purchased a domain for my blog. Seeing as that I have been posting for nearly 3 months now I figured it was time to rid my followers of the heinous burden that is third party file-sharing sites. Divshare was good for its purposes but now I can safely direct you to the tracks I choose to share directly with my new domain. And in order to celebrate this occasion I have decided to share with you a track off of the incredible new album by Dan Lissvik (one half of Studio) called 7 Trx + Intermission. The album came somewhat out of nowhere, heralded only by an email I received from INF a few weeks back announcing its release. I quickly ordered it and it came in the mail just last week. As many followers will know I am a huge fan of Studio so my opinion may seem partial, but this is an incredible record. While it lacks any vocal components, the album consists of 9 meticulously crafted, beautifully produced instrumentals that take the Studio-sound in a more psychedelic direction. I find it funny because I've had a few conversations of late over whether the nu-balearica sound is beginning to fall flat, and while I agree there certainly are a lot of copycat acts putting the pieces together to form tracks with guitar + reverb + dubbed out percussion, Studio continues to amaze me and Lissvik has certainly not disappointed here. Enjoy this jam, one of the more upbeat tracks from his album.

D. Lissvik - Track 4

Also, on the ILM board for Studio this video popped up in the discussion of the new album and I thought it was too classic not to share. From what I've heard it was made in the studio while making the album, which makes sense given its simple nature, but it's beautiful nonetheless.

Track 5 From 7 Trx + Intermission from INF VIDEO on Vimeo.

To Believe A Lie Is The Only Crime

An interesting thing happened yesterday, I had a track taken down and Blogger sent me a notice saying it had been in violation of the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). The track was Tom Croose's edit of Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again." I don't know what brought this on, whether it was the Fleetwood Mac tag or what, and the file was removed from divshare too so I guess it wont be up anymore. But in the process of figuring out what was going on I contacted Tom Croose and he said it was totally cool that the track was up (he seems like a really nice dude too). He ended up sending me a few mixes and said more remixes and edits are on the way. Here is a link to his Stoney Baloney Mix recently posted at ISO50 and he is also one half of Worst Friends, a tropical balearic group with a Studio-like feel. I will be sure to keep you informed if his current projects as I find out.

Today we have a track from the first Bumrocks LP, El Bum. Bumrocks is the wonderful site hosted by two Chimneys out of NYC, Andre and Jeremy (one half of Tropical Computer System), that posts obscure gems regularly while hosting tracks from a very respectable list of guest bumrockers, the most recent being the UKs Phoreski. Their new LP features many mysterious tracks and reworks by a number of people ranging across proto-techno, disco, and more ambient downtempo textures. Our very own local vinyl guru The Beat Broker appears on the LP so I only found it fitting to share with you his masterful dub of Jeanne Shy's "Night Dancer". Enjoy this and check out the album here or I'm sure they have it down at Amoeba, it's worth every penny for those of you with a taste for the obscure.

Jeanne Shy - Night Dancer (Beat Broker Dub)

For a change of pace I've been listening to a ton of Italians Do It Better recently because Johnny Jewel is truly a genius with the production skills. Maybe it's because it's the perfect soundtrack for my walks to the train every morning in the melancholy San Francisco weather. Either way I have two tracks for you today from IDIB and you can track down a third soon-to-be-released dark synth masterpiece on ARAWA by newcomer Twisted Wires here. For now I have new/old Glass Candy off their new Deep Gems: Singles, B-sides, and Rarities which is basically some unreleased tracks, but mostly remixes/alternate versions of tracks off of their amazing album B/E/A/T/B/O/X. If anything this release is rather dancier than their other stuff, but Ida No's haunting voice and lyrics still keep the mood wonderfully dark. This is the most dancey of the tracks and sounds similar to the vibe Gang Gang Dance achieve, but Jewel keeps it in his own style. I cannot force I cannot fight, the beat's alive.

Glass Candy - The Beat's Alive

Taking it down a knotch on the energy level, I picked up this 12" the other day of another IDIB project, Nite Jewel, aka Ramona Gonzalez out of Los Angeles. I heard this a little while back and it spurred me to purchase the 12" when I saw it. It's a slow mover with a similar feel to Glass Candy, but a charming walking bassline that keeps your head bouncing. Enjoy!

Nite Jewel - What Did He Say

Things Are Gonna Get Easier...

So tonight Sebastien Tellier comes to town tonight and I couldn't be more stoked for the French pop god's arrival. The show is at the Mezzanine, tickets are $15 I believe (you can purchase them here) and I think doors are at 9PM. San Francisco DJs Blackshag, BT Magnum and Safety Scissors will be in attendance as well so come early and stay late for them. To commemorate this occassion I've decided to share with you a track from a Low Motion Disco 7" I picked up this summer. The track is my favorite thing Tellier has done, but if anything him singing "ooh child, things are gonna get easier..." in a ridiculous French accent makes me laugh out loud. Everything on Sexuality is much better but for those of you who haven't heard it, here is Tellier's remix of Low Motion Disco's "Things Are Gonna Get Easier."

Low Motion Disco - Things Are Gonna Get Easier (Sebastien Tellier Remix)


There are quite a few other shows this weekend as well. Tomorrow night Chicago house godfather Marshall Jefferson is at the Elbo Room in the Mission for the monthly .b.o.d.y.h.e.a.t. party, tickets are $10 and the party starts at 10PM. I will most likely be attending this party, but before that I'll be heading over to Paradise Lounge for their Holiday Party. Booze should be cheap and the DJs should be good and it's FREE with an RSVP so if the recession's got you down and you don't feel like blowing all your cash Friday night, that could be an option too!

Then on Saturday night local krautrock endeavor Jonas Reinhardt is playing at the Hemlock Tavern with Tussle and Explode Into Colors. Tickets are $7 and the show starts at 9:30PM. But if krautrock isn't your Saturday night scene, Gemini Disco is throwing their regular party at Underground SF in the Haight, and although I've never been, I might attend post the Reinhardt show. Tickets are $5 and the show goes til 2AM.

Gobble Gobble

Before I sit down and enjoy my turkey dinner I would like to share with you a mix I made last week for my good friend Randell's radio show at UCSD. He is a strong ally to the balearic, disco and house contingent, playing great tracks weekly. He is particularly a fan of all things Daft Punk (in fact we attended the church of robots in Vegas last October together), regularly posting their remixes and all sorts of other music that Bangalter and Guy-Manuel have conjured up over the years. A short while ago Randell asked me to put a mix together and so I came up with this downtempo disco-rockish minimix and I thought I would share it with you on this day to give thanks. Randell played the mix on his show on Monday (his show is every Monday at 3-4pm and you can stream it here), but for those of you who missed it or would like to listen again here it is, enjoy and have a lovely turkey day!

Blow It Slow Minimix

Tracklist:
1. Woolfy vs. Projections - Carry On / Permanent Vacation
2. Les Edits du Golem - Pyramide / Golem
3. The Salsoul Invention - Soul Machine (Additional Edits by Dølle Jølle) / Eskimo Recordings
4. Major Swellings - Swingende Bjeller / Noid Recordings
5. Ian Hunter - Bastard (A Mountain Of One Rework) / Not On Label
6. Lovefingers - Kentucky / RVNG Intl.
7. Unknown - Sir Mr Dr Love / Golf Channel Recordings
8. Vangelis - Let It Happen / Vertigo

Most of these tracks are edits or reworkings, and for those interested "Pyramide" is an edit of Ahmed Fakroun's "Nisyan" and "Swingende Bjeller" is an edit of Hot R.S.'s "Slow Blow". I'm pretty sure the Lovefingers track is an edit, but I do not know the original and I am also not sure of the original of "Sir Mr Dr Love", so if you can help with identifying them I would be much appreciated!

Come With Me On A Permanent Vacation

It's finally getting colder here in the city and despite the warm weather of last weekend, it is feeling more and more like fall. I also realized that people here in SF dress in far less colorful a fashion than people in LA. It's all grays, browns, blacks and navy blues, which isn't a bad thing, but contributes to a noticeably more melancholy mood. Something I'll have to get used to I suppose, but what I really wanna do is hop on a yacht and cruise down to the tropics to get away from it all. Would be nice to Anyways, on with the tracks...

In keeping with the more subdued mood, I have selected a track off of the new Woolfy vs. Projections album, The Astral Projections of Starlight. I'm proud to say WvP hail from California, LA to be specific, and that this is easily one of my favorite albums of the year and it's no surprise it comes off of Permanent Vacation, one of the most consistently amazing labels right now. I picked up a 12" by WvP earlier this year, The Return Of Starlight, which absolutely blew me away. This is the best balearic beardo beachy rock vibe I have heard since Studio and succeeds in an entirely different cosmic fashion. This is by and far the most single-oriented track, but the rest of the album is sublime so please be sure to check it out.

Woolfy vs. Projections - Neeve


Hercules & Love Affair have also made a serious waves in the dance community this year with their self-titled album that came out in March. That coupled with their incredible live performances makes them one of my current favorites and the best thing off DFA since LCD Soundsystem. But in addition to their own material they have been racking up some awesome remixes over the last few years, remixes that stay true to their supremely old school house origins. Check out H&LA member Kim Ann Foxman's set on Beats In Space back in September for more from this awesome vein of dance music. This track is off of another awesome Permanent Vacation release from German newcomer Bostro Pesopeo (Florian Peter). All three original tracks on this 12" are wonderful dark tribal house with clever synth work, in particular "Communiquis" but the H&LA remix reworks the original into a quirky dance monster.

Bostro Pesopeo - Falls (Hercules & Love Affair Mix)


Lastly I have something special for those of you who avidly follow. The first of many (hopefully) exclusive edits from artists before they are pressed. Today's edit comes from SirBilly, a DJ hailing from Treviso, Italy who remixes as a solo artist and has collaborated with nurave masters The Bloody Beetroots. This edit of his takes the new wavey electro track "Oh To Be Ah" by Kajagoogoo and cuts out all the distracting verses, spinning out the synth lines and chanting for quite an awesome 80s jam. More edits by SirBilly are available on his myspace, but enjoy this for now.

Kajagoogoo - Oh To Be Ah(SirBilly Reconstruct Edit)

Dungeons & Dragons

So last weekend I moved into my new place in the Mission and I could not be happier about the location. Amazing restaurants all within a short walk and countless bars to explore. I'm still looking for a home to host a disco night, but living in the city will help move things along. I've been putting a few mixes together that I will be recording shortly and posting for your enjoyment. Until then I have a few tracks from records I've purchased over the last month.

Mindless Boogie, the edit label that has featured the names of many of the biggest producers/DJs around at the moment, including Prins Thomas, Skinny Joey, Woolfy, Peter Visti, Wade Nichols (Todd Terje), Maelstrom, and In Flagranti. The latest release has the UK's Bonar Bradberry editing some mysterious psychedelic boogie tracks to create a soundtrack fit for a cosmic journey across jagged landscapes under purple moons, where Heavy Metal babes await rescue by the heroes of nerdom. The three tracks included are a departure from the track that introduced me to Bonar, "Beat The Bed" which is one of my favorite tracks of the year, a super slow-jam rivaled only by Lovelock's incredible "Don't Turn Away (From My Love)". Here I offer the A-side track "Dungeons", whereas the B-side offers my favorite of the release "Tumbledown" and the complementary "Dragons". Sorry I could not locate or recognize the original, but enjoy the edit for now.

Bonar Bradberry - Dungeons (Bonar Bradberry Edit)


Another track from the realm of unknowns comoes off a new label devoted to exposing lost gems, History Clock. Started by Nathan Gregory Wilkins and Jonny Burnip of London, the label now has three releases and Woman is the most recent (a track from one of the two Fitzcarraldo Variations releases is available on 20JFG here). The track featured is quite a peculiar one in that when the track begins it's hard to figure where the track is headed, but gradually it moves along a balearic trajectory from its minimal dubbed out beginnings to a beardo vocal chorus. Perfect for late night train rides spent gazing out upon glittering cityscapes.

It's A Fine Line - Woman (A Makhnovshchina Repossession)


In light of my last Sebastien Tellier post I also wanted to share, for those who haven't seen it, the video for "Sexual Sportswear" as it is one of my favorite videos of late. Dance videos have a tendency to star hot nude women, but the beauty of this video blows my mind. The already epic track is perfectly complemented by the shots that slowly pan across the neon curves of the dancers. Truly incredible video directed by Fleur and Manu.

Divine

This Friday I had the privilege of watching Gang Gang Dance perform at Bimbo's in North Beach. It was easily the best live show I've seen since Hercules & Love Affair. I would recommend attending if they come to any city near you because the Brooklyn-based (and you can tell it from their accents) foursome play a unique brand of dance rock psychedelia that has a severely raw energy that many other electronic acts lack of late. Also as previously mentioned, please go pick up their new album, Saint Dymphna, it is easily one of my favorites for the year.



As for upcoming live performances, Sebastien Tellier is gracing SF with his bearded presence on Thursday, December 4th at the Mezzanine. He will be joined by BEAT ELECTRIC DJs Black Shag, BT Magnum, and Safety Scissors so it should be an awesome party as well. For those of you unfamiliar, Tellier released his newest album Sexuality earlier in the year and it is a French pop masterpiece produced by Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk. I just found the music video for his single "Divine" which was shot at various locations around LA.



The rest of the album features darker synth-pop infused with piano and tastefully topped with erotic moaning. I have heard quite good things about Sebastien's live performances and if his performance at the 2008 European Song Contest are any indication of what his show will be like there is reason to get quite excited. Bearded backups + golf cart entrance + helium verse... you do the math, it adds up quite nicely.


Also this week our very own SF natives Windsurf (the long-time alliance of Hatchback and Sorcerer) have released their full length album Coastlines. The album is a collection of luscious beach jams in the typically dreamy Windsurf fashion, transporting me to an island oasis where I can enjoy pina coladas, white sand and blue water as far as the eye can see. They truly have captured the soundtrack to paradise. Anyways, thought I'd share an old favorite that shows up on the album, their track "Pocket Check" was released on Internasjonal (PT's other label) on the Windsurf EP earlier this year, enjoy and go check out the album!

Windsurf - Pocket Check

Vamp Fad?

This weekend I caught the new Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In and I must say I loved it. The story follows a bullied young boy who finds his first love in a young girl who happens to be a vampire during a long and cold Swedish winter. But over the course of the weekend I have found out that quite a few of my friends think that there is some sort of vampire fad that is taking place, citing the new series True Blood (which I must say I am addicted to) and the new film Twilight. Maybe it's the horror enthusiast in me trying to protect the artistic validity of a few films and series I have seen of late from the "fad" labeling which seems to instantly disqualify them from serious consideration. Either way, I would recommend both Let The Right One In and the new HBO series True Blood, both for different reasons, but both focusing on vampires.

I also thought it fitting for a track I wanted to post for some while now. It comes off of a new 12" from R&S Records, the hard-hitting famous dance label that began in the 80s, featuring two reinterpretations of classic rave tracks, Outlander's "Vamp" and Capricorn's "20Hz". As I've said before, I'm a sucker for piano house and techno tracks from the 90s, and the hit "Vamp" from 1991 is no exception to the rule. This high energy classic features a piano sample I'm sure some of you will have heard before and was featured in several Justice mixes over the last few years. Here we see it remixed in the Prins Thomas diskomiks style, replacing the drums and bass with more organic instrumentation to give it a truly scandodisco flavor, while keeping the original samples and structure fairly untouched. I must admit I was a little surprised to hear the king of kraut, cosmic, and all things boogie turn to a rave track for inspiration, but then again he has recently remixed the Ricardo Villalobos track "Fitzpatrick" in similar fashion. Rave? Minimal? What could be next for PT? Enjoy this for now.

Outlander - Vamp (Prins Thomas Diskomiks)

Have A Horrific Halloween

Sorry for the long delay between posts, things have been busy as I have been collecting pieces of my costume from thrift shops around the bay, but I wanted to share a party and some music I have been quite stoked about for the past few weeks. Tonight Gun Club, the painfully hip party organizers are throwing a Halloween party and the guest of honor is Greg Wilson, the famed DJ from Liverpool. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in the UK dance scene and is recognized for introducing electro, or electro-funk, to the UK in the early 80s. The party is at the Paradise Lounge (a new place I believe at 1501 Folsom St) , starts at 10pm and goes til 4am. Regular Gun Club DJs Ryan Poulsen and Travis TK Disco will be in attendance as well SF resident The Beat Broker. I will be in attendance and so should you.

Recently I have bought several records with GW's edits, including the new release by DFA/Rong Music newcomers Free Blood, who are, surprisingly out of Brooklyn! DFA seems intent on acquiring more and more of these new punk funk acts LCD Soundsystem has spawned. Some of them shine through with a track or two, but for the most part fall flat in my opinion (such as The Shocking Pinks and Prinzhorn Dance School). But Free Blood is offering something slightly different and reminiscent of The Faint, a darker brand of punk funk that is less centered around noise elements and more around thick vocals that bounce back and forth between shouting and whiny. I picked up their Royal Family 12" and thought it would be a fitting contribution seeing as Greg Wilson shows up on it. So here are two tracks from the 12", the new single by Free Blood "Royal Family" and Greg Wilson's version of their track "Grumpy" which takes it in a funkier direction.

Free Blood - Royal Family

Free Blood - Grumpy (Greg Wilson Version)

Also here is the video for "Royal Family". I love it, primarily for the amateur dance moves, the desert setting and the mass amount of tape machines.

So please come out tonight and celebrate, cover is $15 but I assure you will not be disappointed, and Happy Halloween!!!

Live Medicine

Since I've begun posting I have been sharing a lot of dance music that comes off of the records I've been buying, but today I figured I'd share some of the music from the albums I have been listening to lately. In particular the music of a few artists that have released new albums this year that you should definitely go and search out if you like what you hear.

First up is a track off of the remix album //Disco by Los Angeles-based noise rock group HEALTH. The album is by no means disco, but features several different bastard children of the recent nurave/electro movement in a clusterfuck of distortion, acid, glitch, and haunting Crystal Castles-like vocals. All in all it is quite excellent. In fact Crystal Castles shows up on the album as well, so if they are up your alley then definitely check this album out. The remix here comes from Pictureplane (who according to their myspace, hail from Denver) brings in some serious flavor to the noise in their remix.

HEALTH - Lost Time (Pictureplane Remix)

Moving along with more genre-bending artists we have the duo from Brooklyn, High Places. They have been around for a couple years now creating music within the vein of "new primitivism" (according to them) and have released their new self-titled album earlier this year. I hear the music more as a surprisingly successful fusion of tribal drums, nursery rhyme folk lyrics, and bell-like electronics and percussion. The textures they create transport you to a jungle paradise where the rhythm of the water in the stream nearby combines with the faint voices of forest nymphs singing lullabies to each other in the setting twilight. Listen to this track off the new album and you will know what I mean.

High Places - The Tree With The Lights In It


Similarly inventive with sonic textures, yet achieving a completely different result, fellow New Yorkers Gang Gang Dance will release their new album this week I believe and it is quite possibly one of my favorites of the year. I first heard of this group on 20JFG, but was never really blown away until I heard their new material. Their new album Saint Dymphna (which is supposedly the saint born to an Irish pagan chief and his Christian wife in the 7th century) combines clever electronic production with tribal percussion, live drumming, indie vocals and subtle hip hop influences. Dance under the pagan moon with Saint Dymphna.

Gang Gang Dance - First Communion


As you dance the night away and lose yourself in the stars you can dive into the progressive disco of Kelley Polar's I Need You To Hold On Why The Sky Is Falling. The album came out earlier this year from Environ, the wonderful label on which nudisco gods Metro Area release most of their material. Polar leaves the binds of dance beats behind on this album for a more free-form canvas of tempos and structures, but succeeds quite amazingly. His classical training comes through in the meticulousness of his compositions, but that is also his greatest challenge on the album. His voice at first didn't sit well with me but the more I listened the more I became enamored with how the elements of his music fit piecewise together. However, the vocals on this surging track fit quite perfectly with the production and sweep you away to a cosmic landscape of lights and music.

Kelley Polar - Sea Of Sine Waves

While I linked you to several convenient online locations for the albums, please go buy them at your local record store if you get a chance, Rasputin, Amoeba, or whatever you have around the corner. Help support your local record shops and they will continue to help you access great music.

Disco Adventure Aftermath

Last weekend I saw Harvey at the Mas Disco party in Oakland (which happens the first Saturday of every month or so I have been told) at the Oasis Restaurant and Lounge. The venue is awesome, with an outdoor patio surrounded by windowless soaring cement walls attached to the dance floor. Harvey was amazing, as was to be expected, combining lost remnants of disco, electro funk and house together with incredible ease. Several of his aforementioned Black Cock edits were played as well including "Disco Adventure" which is featured on Harvey Sarcastic Disco. I hadn't been to this fun of a party for a while, I only wish it could have lasted longer.

Last week Alain Finklekrautrock posted two new edits by Pilooski, one of the most exciting edit producing DJs of the last few years, here on their blog. The first is quite an incredible edit of Elvis Presley's "Crawfish" which has been on repeat for me all week, definitely on the order of his Pointer Sisters, Del Shannon, John Miles, and Frankie Vallie edits. Both of the tracks have been leaked and I will be sure to let you know when they come out for purchase, but until then I will share with you the track "WCTBL" by Pilooski and Cedric Marzewski (one half of the exciting new Discodeine act) under the alias Pski. It comes off of the 7" WCTBL pressed on blue vinyl and I am unfamiliar with the sample, but the soulful voice of the woman singing combined with the churning fuzz and pops produce quite a little jam.

Pski - WCTBL

I never followed Badly Drawn Boy as much as I probably should have, but the other week I picked up the Promises Remixes release because of the three artists doing the remixes, Reverso 68, Beyond The Wizards Sleeve, and A Mountain Of One. All three have been mentioned before on Disco Horror, and all three deliver in a big way on this release, giving distinct, amazing interpretations of the original "Promises". Today I've decided to share with you the Beyond The Wizards Sleeve remix, as I have shared a Reverso 68 remix and several AMO1 tracks before. Enjoy this beautiful rendition that where BTWS back off on the brash percussion and chopped song structure they often opt for on their other reanimations such as Simian Mobile Disco's "Love" and Late Of The Pier's "The Bears Are Coming".

Badly Drawn Boy - Promises (Beyond The Wizards Sleeve Reanimation)

Lastly I'd like to share a few versions of the song "Why Can't We Live Together" by Timmy Thomas which my friend over at Robots In Heat shared with me last week and which coincidentally sprung up over at Dilated Choonz around the same time. First, Robots In Heat shared with me the hauntingly beautiful and sparse original version from 1972 with nothing but organ and a drum machine supporting Timmy Thomas' wonderful voice. Then RIH posted a version of the song by Sade from 1984 which adds more orchestration to the song with guitar, bass, and what sounds like live percussion, mellowing out the orgran but bursting into a funked out chorus later in the song. Then Dilated Choonz posted an exclusive new edit of the original by edit master Underdog here and then! they posted another version by Mike Anthony from 1982 which much more overt in energy and takes the song in the disco direction. Quite amazing to see the three interpretations of an incredible original.

I Feel Electric

I first heard of Rubies earlier in the year when I picked up their I Feel Electric 12" for a version by Studio of their track "Room Without A Key", which is absolutely brilliant, but I don't need to go on about Studio any more. That release also came with "I Feel Electric", an upbeat track with shimmering synths and sweet harmonies. Today I have for you a remix by Tiedye, the new act off of Italians Do It Better, who, like Studio, hail from Sweden (on an aside... why is everything out of Scandinavia so fucking cool?). Tiedye extend Rubies' original with verby guitars similar and beautiful vocals, but where the Studio version keeps the energy at a typically mellow level, the Tiedye remix builds to a momentous climax like a wave surging over you, sweeping you away to a tropical sunset. I really can't put it into words so just give it a listen, you will not regret it.

Rubies - I Feel Electric (Tiedye Remix)

Italian disco god Daniele Baldelli needs no introduction. He is respected as one of the greatest DJs of all time and revered as the father of cosmic disco. Earlier this year he released a mixed compilation on Eskimo with fellow Italian Marco Dionigi titled Cosmic Disco?! Cosmic Rock!!. While I haven't heard the mix yet, I did pick up one of the samplers (there are two) and it has enticed me to seek it out. The title is quite on the money with the three tracks included in Part Two so I won't bother you with a description, so here is one of the B-side tracks by electro, new wave group The Dream Syndicate off of their 1986 album Out Of The Grey.

The Dream Syndicate - 50 In A 25 Zone

Maurice Fulton has been a force to be reckoned with in house music since the late 1990s and now he has a new album released by DFA under the moniker Syclops, where he produces and works with several studio musicians. The new album, I've Got My Eye On You, has an organic feel for electronic music, including live drums, piano and acoustic bass in addition to wild synth work. At times it can be a little too progressive and freeform for me, but this track holds down the fort with a classic house feel that I am truly a sucker for lately. The track then drifts off into a jazzy realm that doesn't get too caught up in itself like other parts of the album.

Syclops - S Out