Man it feels great coming up on some GOOD records. Had been feeling down on my luck musically the past few weeks, actually since the last time i DJed at Delta. Definitely not as fun when familiar faces aren't around. Picked up some awesome records, a few which i had been looking for a while, which really brought my faith back into music. Found a Yaz and Midnight Star record for a buck a piece. I must say that i have become quite fond of the Ohio Post - Funk / Electric Boogaloo bands of the early 80's including P-Funk, Zapp and of course Midnight Star probably has something to do with their similarity to Chromeo i guess. Additionally came across a few awesome comps including the "Cold as Ice" comp which has some amazing tracks by Quando Quango. I aslo got my hands on a copy of straight out of compton, got the Nu Shooz "Poolside" LP, the Cybotron "Clear" EP, Debbie Deb "Lookout Weekends" EP, the Mohawks "Champ" LP and an EP by Susan Cadogan that i had been looking for quite awhile. Felt so good about these buys decided to of course to make something creative in dedication to a mentor: Giorgio Moroder, the image was stolen from his "from here to eternity" record.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

It's that time of year that feels less and less like that time of year. In short, I'm very ready to die. What's left?



We here at LETTHEREBENIGHT are prepared to deliver you a great new year. We started this blog only a few months ago, and thus far, have enjoyed minimal success, success nonetheless. A new year, new artists; 2008 will be a good year, and hopefully we will be there to sift through bad, to deliver the goods. As for now, I wish all our satisfied readers and friends alike a warm and enjoyable Christmas. If you celebrate a tradition other than Christmas, I hope that will be excellent for you as well. Drink a little, smile a lot, find someone beautiful and kiss them, and until next time, I leave you with this song. CHEERZZ!


Wham! - Last Christmas

Prose Before Hoes

These things start sneaking up on you at this age. When I was a kid, this kind of distance from christmas was still forever away. The other day I realized that sometimes songs can make me so happy that I have this weird desire to somehow give the song to friends as gifts. As though one song can be so good that it has the potential to match the status of a true gift that you buy in a store or make yourself. Anyway, the best things in life are free--and if not, they are often 50% off in select retail stores.

So, imagine you are a child and you descend the stairs allured by the magical glow of the christmas tree covered in tinsel, which you are sure was the work of Santa himself. You see what you perceive to be hundreds of gifts piled up one on the other. You take one box and hold it up to your ear. It is covered in a pure red wrapping paper; it feels heavy and perfect in your hands. You shake it. Then, overcome by anxiety you decide to open it, even though your parents aren't awake. You rip open the gift wrapping and peal back the cardboard box to reveal two recent podcasts by Alan Braxe and Todd Terje!

The once-somber house fills with the sound of quick guitars, disco-cooing, incredible transitions, and the Terje remix of Lindstrom's "Another Day." As you are dancing about the tree in a state of merriment, the finale of Terje's mix begins: a two-part Balaeric marathon, including a Terje edit of "Josephine" by Chris Rea! Your parents and sister, awakened from the noise and the first day's light, rub their eyes of sleep as they come down the stairs. Though normally they would be angered that you woke them up so loud, the music fills them with such holiday joy that they join you and as the sun rises you are enraptured by Alan Braxe's mix.

Subscribe to Together podcast

This time of year reminds me of France if I am not living there. They seem to celebrate winter much better than we do in America with the marchés noëls and all that. The night December 24th, 2004 comes to mind with particular clarity today. We had taken the night train from Bordeaux to Lyon. In the morning we woke up and found our hotel. We spent the day aimlessly wandering the city--found ourselves walking the streets at the heighest points and later, in the lowest alleyways. When the sun sank the sky's veins pulsed orange and purple that seemed almost too amazing to be true. The quiet square near our hotel was filled with the hushed echoes of people perhaps frightened by the show in the sky, not wanting to make too much noise.


Lyon-- Christmas eve, 2004

The Difference It Makes

A rainy monday morning and I'm a bit hung over. I'm riding it out with some green tea and some songs with a heavy beat, hardly any vocals and repetitive synths.

M83 - Don't Save Us from the Flames (Superpitcher Mix) [1] [2]

Lifelike (feat. Kris Menace) - Discopolis

alex (16:29:58): i told a friend of mine living in bordeaux to go to Hianta (fluokids)'s show
mateusz (16:30:17): theyre gonna play in bordeaux?
alex (16:30:23): Hianta lives there
mateusz (16:30:32): didnt know
mateusz (16:30:37): i'd go to her house
mateusz (16:30:52): "talk about music"
alex (16:31:19): yeah "for sure"
mateusz (16:31:27): heh
alex (16:31:29): she's "knowledgable"
mateusz (16:31:40): """probably"""
alex (16:33:01): i'm posting this convo
mateusz (16:33:16): ha

Some amazing mp3 blog things are happening around San Francisco within the next couple of weeks. I saw a flyer for this last night.



Writers Basura and Disaster from the Missingtoof blog are DJing which means it should be a good show. The fact that they can represent themselves as "Missingtoof DJs" is an incredible testament to the power of mp3 blogs. This is only bizarre to me because I've personally never heard anyone really discuss mp3 blogs at all. In any case, check this show out if you are in the area; I am going to try and go myself. I've been to the Rickshaw once before and it is a cool bar, with ample space for gettin' groovay.

Otherwise, it's time to make your plans for New Years. If you want something flashy, Diplo and Pharrell from fluokids is DJing here in the city. I don't know if Pharrell DJs or travels very often, but if he's from Orléans like his myspace site says he is, then he must be pretty psyched to be coming to San Francisco for this party. Orléans sucks!



CSS - Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above (Diplo remix)

Le Tigre - After Dark (Diplo remix)

But I am not going to that show because Check McNugal (aka Amir) will be DJing at Edinburgh Castle on New Year's Eve. Here is a flyer I made myself. Excuse the poor craftmanship; I don't normally do these kinds of things.



Anyway, I shouldn't shit-talk Orléans. I was there for less than five hours and it was a Sunday. All I did was walk around centreville and eat at Quick, which was the only thing open. Honestly, it's a nice town.

Lost the Camera, Found the Pride

Last night I received a text message from a number I didn't recognize. I called the number and someone whose voice I couldn't quite place answered, "Alex?" "You texted me the letter, 'D.' Just wondering if you meant to tell me something." "Nope, just walking around the city." The conversation concluded and I hung up; in my drunkenness, I forgot to ask who it was on the other end.



From wikipedia: "A post-mortem photograph of a middle-aged man. The body is arranged so as to appear lifelike (ca 1860)."

We're all working on our year-end best of lists (even Albie?!). Yes, 2007 was a good year for the dance floor, but in the meantime, I want to bring it way back--way back to 2004. Lifelike--who's more recognizable next to his (I want to say, but I'm not positive) brother Kris Menace on tracks like Discopolis--has just put out a remix of Needy Girl by Chromeo, that tune you thought you were glad to retire once Fancy Footwork came out. Well, Lifelike breathes some new life into this one and it's once again infectious--and club-ready. See what you think.

Chromeo - Needy Girl (Lifelike) (streamed on Lifelike's myspace)

Which is funny because as I was dusting off the 1970's Peugeot I recently purchased, So Electric came on.

Lifelike - So Electric (zshare)



Holy fuck, these songs are good! I don't know why I haven't listened to them before--Holy Fuck are from Brooklyn and have already toured with !!!, Wolf Parade and Do Make Say Think: some of my favorite bands. What's more, according to wikipedia, they fit the musical genre as a "lo-fi improvisational electronica band." That description alone has convinced me to go out and buy their eponymous album. Long live lo-fi!

Holy Fuck - Frenchy's

Holy Fuck - The Pulse

The more I post to this blog, the more I realize there's so much good music to share and write about--it's overwhelming. But we try to keep up as best as we can.

The Ending of 2007, The Begining to Best Of

The end of the year is approaching. This means Christmas, New Year's Eve, and being hungover after New Year's Eve. For music, it means End-Of-The-Year lists. Ubiquitous Ed Banger label owner Busy P gives his favorite picks, including MIDNIGHT JUGGERNAUTS , AJAX from Bang Bang, and Boys Noize . Check it out at XLR8R and enjoi these tunes. Catch the sample?

Comix - Touche Pas Mon Sexe

Busy P - Rainbow Man

Just What I Wanted

"After coming up with the idea of the piece in 1910 from a fantasy vision of pagan ritual (his fleeting vision of a young girl dancing herself to death) while composing The Firebird, Stravinsky began forming sketches and ideas for [The Rite of Spring], enlisting the help of archaeologist and folklorist Nikolai Roerich... After going through revisions almost up until the very day of its first performance, it was premiered on May 29, 1913 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris and was conducted by Pierre Monteux. Stravinsky would later write that a better translation to English would have been 'The Coronation of Spring.'

The Ballets Russes staged the first performance. The intensely rhythmic score and primitive scenario—a setting of scenes from pagan Russia—shocked audiences more accustomed to the demure conventions of classical ballet. Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography was a radical departure from classical ballet. Different from the long and graceful lines of traditional ballet, arms and legs were sharply bent. The dancers danced more from their pelvis than their feet...

The complex music and violent dance steps depicting fertility rites first drew catcalls and whistles from the crowd. At the start with the opening bassoon solo, the audience began to boo loudly due to the slight dischord in the background notes behind the bassoon's opening melody. There were loud arguments in the audience between supporters and opponents of the work. These were soon followed by shouts and fistfights in the aisles. The unrest in the audience eventually degenerated into a riot. The Paris police arrived by intermission, but they restored only limited order. Chaos reigned for the remainder of the performance, and Stravinsky himself was so upset on account of its reception that he fled the theater in mid-scene, reportedly crying. Fellow composer Camille Saint-Saëns famously stormed out of the première... allegedly infuriated over the misuse of the bassoon in the ballet's opening bars.

Stravinsky ran backstage, where Diaghilev was turning the lights on and off in an attempt to try to calm the audience. Nijinsky stood on a chair, leaned out (far enough that Stravinsky had to grab his coat-tail), and shouted counts to the dancers, who were unable to hear the orchestra (this was challenging because Russian numbers are polysyllabic above ten, such as eighteen: vosemnadsat).

Although Nijinsky and Stravinsky were despondent, Diaghilev (a Russian art critic as well as the ballet's impresario) commented that the scandal was "just what I wanted". The music and choreography were considered barbaric and sexual and are also often noted as being the primary factors for the cause of the riot...

The ballet completed its run of seven performances amid controversy, but experienced no further disruption."

--article from wikipedia

I was inspired to post this anecdote after listening to Radiolab's recounting of it. It's very powerful when they tell it. You can listen to it here.

Hot Chip - Ready for the Floor

This one is old, but it popped up on shuffle the other day and I just kept repeating it. Matt put this on a mix CD he made for me when I was living in Bordeaux.

Fischerspooner - Just Let Go (Thin White Duke remix)

Space: it's up there!!!

Duh! Who doesn't know that?

Perhaps you were quick to agree that space is, truly, "up there", but not everyone can be quick acknowledge who the Midnight Juggernauts are. We must travel far, perhaps to the edge of the ocean, to arrive at the homeland of this trio, the land which naively so, for me, remains a dream image somewhere between the thematics of Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, dust and diesel, and the dreamy space landscape artists Midnight Juggernauts create in my mind. Like artists previously written about on this blog, Midnight Juggernauts hail from the current hotbed of nouvelle-vague artists, Australia. Take a glimpse at the cover of their first full length album, Dystopia, and you'll quickly understand a shade of their gestalt, a space-centric theme. What does Dystopia mean? It can be "a work of fiction describing an imaginary place where life is extremely bad because of deprivation or oppression or terror." Couple this definition with the idea of an infinite space, Korg synthesizers, and you have one of the top independent albums of 2007. Who's Radiohead? (Only joking!) In fact, outside of friendly cooperation with other artists and labels, Midnight Juggernauts have no formal record deal. With the gravity they have achieved in """"today's day and age,"""" to use that hackneyed phrase, their success is unique and commendable. Least to mention, they were picked up by Justice to open for their World Tour, and have gained the two French boys' vote as favorite album of the year.

If you want to make a memorable impression this season, I feel confident in recommending the purchase of this album for that not-so-musically-inlined friend, the one that likes all those bands from LA, with all those tattoos, you know? Did I mention LA? The Dystopia album may be purchased here. I also feel confident in communicating their appeal by only posting this remix of fellow OZ musicians, Damn Arms.

Damn Arms - The Cormorant (Midnight Juggernauts Remix)

As a bomus, enjoi this informal genealogy of sounds.

Electric Light Orchestra - Here is the News (1981)

Space Art - Onyx (1976)

They Don't Love You So Above You

As we all know, songs click into the gears of time; as the gears rotate the songs fall in the cogs and rotate with them. When we happen upon that same song moments, memories, friends and lovers who have come and gone, lost sentiments and hopes and dreams, all that that is nested in the cog is instantly recalled. Circumstances have that same power. Something as routine as walking home in the calm night, for instance, will conjure up all the cities, years and moments that you found yourself in the same situation. When you thought that the orange street lights were unique to this present moment, suddenly it reminds you of a previous walk you took alone three years ago in a city far away from the one you are currently in. Then, the sidewalk before you is no longer square cement blocks, but rather images of this or that year, this or that predicament you found yourself in at the time, or the themes of those walks that struck a chord in your life, no matter how routine they were. The German Shepherd that followed you in France, the stolen, stale white wine you took for the walk home in California, the girl you left, the light rain you took head on, the mighty tree you passed, the situations you imagined along the way, the songs you sung to yourself, the drunken and stoned visions you happened across. I find that if you do enough walking, at a certain age the walk home is no longer just a walk home; it is the elixir of memories. Similarly, at a certain point, a song ceases to be just a song, or a beat to dance to. If you play or hear it enough it becomes the walk toward the past.

Have I said it before? I tend to like any band that starts with Black... So it was just natural that I gave The Black Kids a chance. Judging from the amount of exposure they're getting on other mp3 blogs lately, they might be big stuff pretty soon, even though I don't think they've released an actual album yet. Here is my favorite on their supposed EP which I can't find anywhere.

Black Kids - Listen To Your Body Tonight

The thing about music of the 80s, in my opinion, is that one can boil it down to a select few synthesizers, themes and rhthyms. With the eighties revival still on the move, bands and musicians who know the equation of the 80s can gain quick notoriety. Miami Horror is one of those musicians, that DJ from Australia--Sydney I think--who remixed such upcoming-greats as Midnight Juggernauts and Codebreaker. He turns the newest songs into songs you are positive came out twenty years ago. This time he remixes a song by Grafton Primary, which is either one of the worst band names I've ever heard or one of the most creative names I've ever heard. Either way, this song is fantastic!

Grafton Primary - I Can Cook (Miami Horror remix)

It's an awkward way to do it, but I want to wish my good friend and business partner a happy birthday by posting one of my favorite pictures of him.



And a pinch to grow and inch:

Mr. Miyagi - Pick Your Poison (JFK remix)

D-D-Duke Dumont

Duke Dumont did it to me. He remixed Debbie Debb's "When I hear music" before I did. From a very early point, I've always wanted to remix this song, before anyone caught on, but Duke Dumont already killed it. It's not very likely that I would have ever remixed that song, either. Geographic location? This guy is from London, and has gained many voices of respect from various respectable voices, notabaly Tiga. Indeed, he's signed under Turbo Recordings and will drop his first E.P. in June of 2008. You can find a medley/preview of the EP at his myspace. Check out his remix of the super classic Debbie Debbie joint, "When I Hear Music."

Duke Dumont - When I Hear Music

Secondly, reap the benefits of his crazy remix of Missy Elliot's - We Run This. This one is a killer. I first heard it on Casper C’s Party Up! (Length of a Neu Rave) Mix more than a year ago, and I'm still very keen on it, especially the lead synth that kicks in at 1:44. J'm bien ça.

Missy Elliott - We Run This (Duke Dumont Remix) - Missy Elliott

And lastly, I've included a classic. Here, I mean classic as representative of its class. It's true -- before Lil' Jon, before Lil Scrappy, or Ludacris , there was Three Six Mafia. It is quintessential South. Get your Robitussin and pills out; it's that time.

Three Six Mafia - Sippin' on Some Syrup

Viens Chez Disco, C'est Plus Jolie

Today is a gorgeous day and I'm not working--so I'm writing instead. Maybe I should be outside enjoying the weather. On November 30, this Friday night, I will be attending the Gemini Disco party from 10pm to 5am at the Mezzanine in San Francisco. The night will include several DJs and Escort, an 18-piece disco band from Brooklyn.

Turbo Crystal - French Girl (Escort Remix)

In preparation for Friday night, I am listening to one of my favorite DJs, Todd Terje of Norway. His unique "edits" typically are modern enough to take to any of today's dance floors, and yet he doesn't fool with the tracks so much that they are a complete reworking, nor are they too heavy. We are still left with the disco-feel that we started with and it's generally excellent.

Chic - I Want your Love (Todd Terje edit)

Bee Gees - You Should be Dancing (Todd Terje edit)

I'll also be exercising to this fantastic music video of Vanessa's 1982 single "Upside Down."

She Advances Through Life Sans GPS

"Once, somebody asked Robert Schumann to explain the meaning of a certain piece he had just played on the piano.
What Robert Schuman did was sit back down at the piano and play the piece of music again."
--David Markson, Wittgenstein's Mistress

In the music world today there tends to be a dichotomy separating band and remixer. The two feed off one another, compliment each other and each have their advantages and drawbacks. So what of the relatively recent phenomenon where bands do some remixing of their own? I think I first noticed it when Bloc Pary remixed the dance floor favorite "Needy Girl" back in '05 and since then it's become a regularly sight to behold. Take for instance Hot Chip's remix of a Gorillaz tune, "Kids With Guns" just released on the cleverly titled album D-Sides. I haven't heard the original, but I'm told it's nothing to write home about. So, when bands fool with others songs and it isn't a cover at what point does it become their own and at what point does it remain the original artist's? If Hot Chip added their own vocals, say, in addition to (Gorillaz singer) Damon Albarn's, would it be a collaboration? If all the instruments are stripped from a song and the remixer saves just the vocals, how can we consider that the same song by the same band? No one ever established any rules to the Remixing genre.

Gorillaz - Kids With Guns (Hot Chip)

Kissy Sell Out first caught my attention with his remix of Girls in Hats' "The Loose Cannons." I just found another of his remixes, "Merrymaking at my Place" by Calvin Harris. We're familiar with this track through Mr. Oizo's rendition, but his was too flat and, in my opinion, boring, as can be the case with some of Oizo's stuff. Kissy Sell Out lets the song unfold, build and it would be a sweet song to hear on the dance floor come New Year's eve: complete with piano, shakin-tambourines and an awesome Baroque synth riff.

Calvin Harris - Merrymaking at My Place (Kissy Sell Out remix)

The Deadmau5 remix is almost as good as Kissy Sell Out's, but after hearing the first you might want to wait awhile before you hear this next one. The "Merrymaking" in the chorus can get a little infectious and you'll be hearing it all day long in your head.

Calvin Harris - Merrymaking at My Place (Deadmau5 remix)



As if we haven't posted enough remixes, here's a remix of a French rap group called Soprano. Besides the fact that it's a great remix, it's an apt song, because--though we haven't mentioned it on here--I think it's safe to say at least the majority of the contributers of this blog are francophiles.

Soprano - A La Bien (Coffee's Pour Les Mecs En Bas Des Blocs Remix)

Hailing from Marseille Soprano is part of a quartet rap group called Psy 4 de la Rime. Inspired by the show The Sopranos, psychoanalysis and psychology are a recurring theme in Soprano's and Psy 4's lyrics. Soprano's solo album--entitled "Puisqu'il faut vivre," or "Since one must live"--came out this year. I looked up the lyrics for the above song, and I really enjoy the first few lines, which strike me as almost Rimbaudian.

"Ma jeunesse passe des nuits a se tuer à PES, à grater des fesses sur msn ou myspace
Elle casse sa tirelire pour enrichir Konami, elle consume plus d'herbe que les vaches de Kamini
Elle balade son stress sur des TN ou en Converse, elle avance dans la vie sans avoir de GPS
Elle pert son calme quand Sarko ouvre la bouche, comme pour sauver le monde Bush enfile sa cape rouge"

Here is my (probably poor) translation:

My youth spends nights killing herself with PES (maybe Pro Evolution Soccer?)
scratching asses on MSN or Myspace (?)
she breaks open her piggybank to enrich Konami
she consumes more grass than the cows of Kamini
she loses her stress on TN (?) or on Converse
she advances through life without GPS
she loses her nerve when Sarko(zy) opens his mouth
as to save the world Bush covered with his red cape

Dreaming in mp3 Format

A few of weeks ago I had a dream that I received a call on my cell phone. I looked down at the caller id and saw "DatA"--the not-so-well known musician of Paris. I answered the phone and because I don't know what DatA looks or sounds like, I vaguely imagined on the other end of the phone was a woman shrouded in a black light, whose voice sounded vocodered. The rest of the dream I forget, but what bothered me--and persisted to bother me weeks after as I am only writing this down now--is how DatA, an obscure DJ that I only know about from mp3 blogs and songs like

DatA - Aerius Light

which I'm not even totally crazy about, made it into my dream. But I suppose that is how dreams work. Obscure pieces of our lives (and in this case obscure on two levels) somehow sink into our consciousness and surface as a telephone conversation.



I think the fun thing about surfing mp3 blogs and dedicating yourself to finding these exact obscure DJs, musicians and remixers is that, unlike major groups which everyone is aware of because of MTV and constant radio plays, you begin to feel some kind of unique connection once you find those lesser-known DJs that you like. As you see a certain name pop up more than once, and you happen to like what they put out, you begin to connect with them in a way you can't with other signed groups. You start scouring the net for remixes they might have done in the past or ones to come. Especially with remixes, which don't have release dates in the way that albums do, musicians can exceed your expectations or disappoint you on a month-to-month (or even week-to-week, depending on how prolific they are) basis. If one of these names is attached to songs which you consistently enjoy, you suddenly find that they are a piece of you, or perhaps they belong to you in a special way--in that way that Madonna could never be wholly yours, someone like DatA can.

Alan Braxe is one of those persons for me. Breakbot is another (surprise! both parisians). Like Braxe, Breakbot usually takes an electro-synth, repeats it and is able to set it to a funky bass rhythm. What normally lies at the heart of Breakbot remixes is this base line, but he also does some famous work with agreeable keyboard sounds. For example, notice the disco-feel that he gives to Justice's piece

Justice - Let There Be Light (Breakbot remix)

and additionally, DatA's

DatA - Aerius Light (Breakbot's rework)

My favorite remixes of his so far is this one that I just found while searching his name. It's a song by a London-based group called Arrow!!! I just can't get enough the bass in this one.

Arrow!!! - D.O.E.S. (Breakbot remix)



Lastly, one of Breakbot's original tracks Happy Rabbit, starts off with a tambourine and real live drums! which I might say is unprecedented for parisien DJs these days. Happy Rabbit is an apt title, something about this tracks makes me feel happy, especially in contrast with the typically heavier, ominous feel of Justice or Daft Punk.

Breakbot - Happy Rabbit

Let me hear that hand clap, girl let me know where you at

If you are my myspace friend, and you happen to go check to see who's online, there's a big chance my profile will say I'm online. "What do you for so long on myspace?" is a question that is commonly shot at me. And in this blog, I have an answer.

Myspace is a force that has gained a lot of gravity and presence as being an endless archive of music is that is being made: now. The lineage of new cuts, edits, or exclusive remixes many times starts at myspace.com. In this way, myspace has expedited the story of the song, from production, to mp3, to your I-Pod. As well, music is becoming decentralized from non-music-interested corporations to the many people that really appreciate it. Then, perhaps you can say music is more personal and personable, non-mediated. This, too, has its drawbacks, but let's talk about something else.



Treasure Fingers is one of these artists I came across by browsing mutual friends and artists located on myspace. Treasure Fingers hails from Atlanta, and I can't help but think of the motley assortment of characters found in an Atlanta club, dancing to the sounds influenced by Miami Bass to arrive at Crunk. It's safe to say that Treasure Fingers has been influenced by this melting-pot of music in Atlanta. Treasure Fingers also often uses the hand-clap as an effect in his songs -- I have many times argued this is so widely loved by dancers because it's a sound dancers can actually make, while dancing! You can never have enough. Here are two songs I have come to love.

Snowden - Anti-Anti (Treasure Fingers Remix)

Fergie - Glamarous (Treasure Fingers Remix)

Additionally, I have attached a link to his first mix, 40 Minutes In The Champagne Room. I've listened to many mixes, and this mix stands tall above many other mixes that are simply mediocre, or even terrible. It's a great cohesive piece with over 40 tracks. The mixing is excellent, no song is obscure, everything is easily accessible, and most importantly, this mix is danceable all the way through. Again, it's a great mix I think anyone can enjoi. Tracklisting included below. Add Treasure Fingers on myspace, listen to his new killer remix of Tortoise, and drop him a line. I promise, he's one to watch. OKKK?

40 Minutes In The Champagne Room

01. treasure fingers - champagne room intro
02. The glamour - get into it
03. does it offend you, yeah? - we are rockstars
04. snowden - anti anti (treasure fingers remix)
05. dragonette - i get around (midnight juggernauts remix)
06. digitalism - pogo (punks jump up remix)
07. mstrkrft - street justice
08. LA riots feat. jadis - if i could
09. architecture in helsinki - it’s 5! (33hz & ming remix)
10. cassius - cassius 1999 (remix)
11. busta rhymes - touch it (kid fresh remix)
12. anthony rother - freaks
13. M.I.A. - bucky done gun
14. lovely chords - my disko is broken
15. gucci mane - freaky girl
16. math head - do damage (passions remix)
17. miami horror - don’t be with her
18. fergie - glamorous (treasure fingers remix)
19. mark ronson feat. lily allen - oh my god (chris lake remix)
20. cassius - feeling for you
21. cousin cole - thuggish ruggish love
22. the black ghosts - any way you choose to give it (boy 8-bit remix)
23. D.I.M. - airbus (mstrkrft remix)
24. roy davis jr - rock shock (thomas bangalter remix)
25. treasure fingers - cross the dancefloor
26. squarepusher - my red hot car
27. mr oizo - patrick122
28. klaxons - gravity’s rainbow (soulwax remix)
29. snowden - black eyes (le castle vania remix)
30. the discoboys - for you (patrick alavi remix)
31. the cribs - mens needs
32. krazy fiesta feat cassie - me and you
33. rockwell - somebody’s watching me
34. simian mobile disco - hotdog
35. czr - chicago southside (paul johnson remix)
36. naive new beaters - bang bang (yuksek remix)
37. digitalism - digitalism in cairo
38. fiasco - happy hour (the scar remix)
39. justice - genesis
40. da shop boyz - party like a rockstar
41. ocelot - this is our time (treasure fingers remix)
42. tepr - minuit jacuzzi (data remix)

Sugar in my Pocket

Feist's doesn't strike me as the kind of voice you'd hear on the dance floor (despite such titles as "1, 2, 3 4" and the catchy hook in "My Moon My Man"); nonetheless, the remixers can't seem to keep their hands off her. I didn't care much for the Boys Noize remix of M^4, but I can accept this remix by Van She--who also did great remixes of Dragonette and Riot in Belgium tunes--as danceable:

Feist- 1 2 3 4 (Van She remix)

On the other hand, I'll accept any and all remix of Seal--especially if it involves Thin White Duke, who is credited to helping out on the previously mentioned "Hung Up" (as Stuart Price).

Seal - So Amazing (Thin White Duke dub)

And though this one isn't a dance tune, I can't help posting it anyway, as I've been obsessed with it over the past two (2) days.

Ulrich Schnauss - Monday Paracetamol

Demain j'arrète

Tuesday morning I turn on the radio and hear something about Russians and their thoughts on Stalin. Among opinions voiced one woman says, "People say he killed half of Russia, but still Stalin had a unique personality."

Wednesday at the bowling alley they are playing various music videos. Toward the end of the evening they play "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" by Rod Stewart. The guitar reminds me of something familiar... oh yes, doesn't it sound like "Hung Up"? I'm almost positive Madonna was either inspired or sampled that bass line.

Rod Stewart - Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?

Madonna - Hung Up

I feel like I'm on to something. But then I do some research on Thursday and read on wikipedia that Madonna asked Abba if she could sample a song of theirs--apparently only the second time Abba has ever let an artist sample one of their songs.

Abba - Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)

Friday night after a long evening of work I come home and shake off my clothing. I've promised myself that I'll write tonight. But what to write? I listen to a couple of new songs. A remix of Codebreakers by this DJ I've never heard of. It's rather nice. Starts out sound a little like Scissor Sisters' "Comfortably Numb."

Codebreaker - Riviera on the Moon (Will Eastman blisspop remix)

There's a Les Petits Pilous remix of "Bonafide Lovin'" that's quite fancy. It seems like it's a dub though, and though I enjoy this remix, it makes me miss the original with the singing.
Chromeo - Bonafide Lovin (Les Petits Pilous remix)

Chromeo - Bonafide Lovin

What does Pilou(s) mean, I wonder? I look it up in my French translation-dictionary and find no answers, but it does tell me that pimbêche means "n. stuck-up woman, stuck-up girl adj. stuck-up."

In fact, I'm afraid to like Chromeo--namely because I heard way too much of "Needy Girl" when it was popular. And I've really avoided buying the new album because my apprehension, but every song I've heard off is brilliant. "Bonafide Lovin" has been remixed, by my count, about eight times by everyone from The Teenagers to Riot in Belgium.

Then I go to the kitchen to make some tea. Out the window I notice a bright rectangular light that seems to not have been there before. I don't have great memory, but I could have sworn that light was never there. I look closely and within the rectangle I see the faint outline of a handrail for a staircase. Someone must have left the door open to their apartment's roof access--however you call those. For some reason I find this very intriguing, that a door exists that I can see and study but never enter or exit.

You know you need it, It's good for you

pic:The Cobra Snake

Only post-moderns, and no one earlier in history, can use the term "post-modern." Even in explaining its arrival, the fact that we often use it today, and preparing for its cautious use, I'm not exempt from sounding contrived. I'm hoping to escape contrivance by being cautious. And it is with all caution that I say I had a very post-modern moment involving (the idea of) Daft Punk.

I was browsing the Daft Punk myspace. Scrolling down the column of comments, or lurking , I came upon a comment about the above stated Daft Punk. The commenter was a larger woman, (I lurked her profile too), and her plump nature gave a pristine character to their exchange I will in short explain. The coupling of Daft Punk and this individual also produced an off-kilter feeling to how Daft Punk, as an idea, was shaped in my mind. Here was this Mexican woman somewhere in Orange County who received a phone call from a revered French-touch producer, who in all other forms outside this conversation, as a human speaking on the phone, remained as Daft Punk, an idea of "music." The girl commenting was an Apple Store employee, and she was reassuring them that their order for a laptop would soon arrive. In the comment, she noted that she enjoyed her conversation, a compliment I thought must have crossed the phone lines at least once during that phone conversation. What's more, what's significant, is that this anonymous woman here in the states was able to command the conversation so that at one point, it was revealed to her that she was speaking to one-half of Daft Punk, and further, that as an anonymous and chance person, she still knew and recognized Daft Punk, an international superstar, as the term goes. In that tiny comment, Daft Punk, which to me was an idea the length of three repeatedly played cds, became Human. Human in the sense that, yes, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter actually exist, for one, as customers, beyond Daft Punk, but also that their existence is perpetually veiled and concealed by the always convincing and brilliant imagination they summon as the much loved duo, Daft Punk.

Scott Grooves - Mothership Reconnection (Daft Punk Remix)

Strange is a Four Letter Word

Once upon a time you had to buy the DFA Seasonal mixes online and they would ship them to your door. In 2005, I bought the Holiday mix because, then, I yearned to be at the forefront of the DFA craze. Apparently--not that it's any surprise--I've fallen behind, and I just learned that you can download these quarterly mixes on the DFA website. Perhaps it's a new phenomenon, but in any case I decided to check out the most recent mix, the "T&T Halloween mix" recorded live at Studio B in New York City during a Ghostly International and DFA joint-bash. As one might guess, the set, mixed by DFA's Timothy Sweeney and Timothy Goldsworthy, attempts to capture the typical minimal horror film sound, beginning wonderfully with an original remix of the theme from the Exorcist. The effect is furthered with Baby Oliver's "Shot Caller": as the song builds and eventually explodes, a demonic voice insists, "I call the shots."



However, the creepiness theme seems to clash with the dance theme, though since I wasn't there I can't say if it was a dance party or--if it was--if anyone was dancing. The beat seems a little slow throughout, but that doesn't take away from the quality of the beat matching and terrific transitions. The highlights here include a Simian Mobile Disco remix of the Klaxons song "Magick." The cut up vocals, repeated, seemed as though they were plucked straight from some kind of b-list thriller. And the build up, as is oft the case with SMD songs, is great.

Tim & Tim Halloween Mix live at Studio B

Not all the songs are enjoyable however. "Good Life" by Inner City just takes me back to the bad techno of the 90s. So, if you don't feel like listening to the whole mix (though I recommend it for next year's Halloween party, and there are some songs I can't find online such as the Juan Maclean finale), I've posted my favorite tracks.

Klaxons- Magick (Simian Mobile Disco remix)

Holy Ghost!- Hold On



Ever since we started this blog, I've been making a chore--nay, my (happy) responsibility--to increase the amount of song searching and listening per day. Well, I've come across some bombs, but today I found a great remix of SMD's old favorite "Hustler." Remixes these days tend to come out quite fast, often before the original is even released. But Hustler has been around for a year now, if not more, so it's had time to sit and get old. This keeps a few of the elements, but does a general overhaul including sinking vocalists Char Johnson's boyish voice to a sexy growl. Unfortunately, I can't find an mp3 of the track yet, but here's a link to the Pitchfork site that also reviews it.

Simian Mobile Disco- Hustler (A-trak remix)

SPARKS

Just came across this track, and it's magic. Truly hope this isn't my subjective superstition; this song has been on repeat now for two days, and the vocal riff at 3:42 is as good as when first hearing it. Excellent dance track too. Somehow it manages to escape the early italian disco graveyard of similitude that's hard to escape, well, if you're stuck there. I'm sure everyone would want me to be agreeable and mention the producer of the this track, Giorgio Moroder. No suprises here. French artist Vitalic has called "Tryouts for the human race" his favorite track ever -- I can't blame him.

Sparks - Tryouts for the Human Race (1979)




**Note: I had the 12'' version up before; I changed it to this shorter version that I've had, the one I like better.

Bag Raiders -- First EP

Since the birth of what many have called the "neu-rave" genre, Australia has, like France, no doubt, been doing it big. We have already seen waves with acts Cut Copy, The Presets, Van She, and Justice favorite, Midnight Juggernauts. One act that has this universality is Sydney based duo, Bag Raiders. Christopher Brave & Jack Sabbath have recently released this first EP through Bang Gang 12 Inches. No strings attached, the "Bag Raiders EP" kills, and rarely do two songs like Fun Punch and Punch Reprise carry as much resonance, at least in the sense of what is considered essential in this variety of music today. Simply stated, it delivers and you can secure your copy at the right records stores, Beatport, iTunes or DjDownload. Enjoi!


Bag Raiders - Fun Punch

Bag Raiders - Punch Reprise


Some people hate blends, or "mash-ups," and those same people get drunk, dance to them, and ultimately enjoi them. Opinions vary widely. I will hold my neutrality here. I can see how this blend could be noted as rape to a very well crafted song, Punch Reprise. On the other hand, Soulja Boy - Crank Dat is very, very (very) addictive. Don't believe me -- just read the charts. So, either this is a cheap shot at something great, or this blend truly kills. I myself don't know. In any case, we can all still super-soak that hoe; and why not?

Soulja boy - Crank Dat - Bag Raiders blend by Luminfire

Money doesn't talk, it swears

I was waiting for the 71, which stops along the Haight and heads toward the Mission. Looking at the bus map, alone at the bus stop except for one girl, this older, ruffian-type man comes up to me. He has a bandana wrapped around the top of his head like a pirate, long stringy gray hair coming out from underneath it and his left eye is completely bloodshot. He asks where we are going? I tell him to the Mission. “Where are you from?” he asks, thinking me and the other girl are a couple from out of town. I tell him I live down the street.

“Oh,” he says, “so you know North Beach?”

Sure, I know it, I tell him.

"There are some fine Blues and Titty bars," he muses.

Is that what you’re on your way to, I ask him, a titty bar?

"A Blues and Titty bar," he corrects me. "Music," he continues, "is my only friend. I’ve been married four times in my life; had a lot of great experiences and a lot of terrible ones, but music is the only thing that’s stuck through it with me. Music," he says, "is my friend, my lover, my drug, my alcohol, my bitch, everything," he says. "In the words of James Douglass—and you’ll know who he is when I start singing—in the words of the Great James Douglass..." and he started singing:

For the music is your special friend
Dance on fire as it intends
Music is your only friend
Until the end

I didn’t know who James Douglass was, but when he started singing I felt nearly as though he were channeling Jim Morrison directly, as though he were some kind of Jim Morrison impersonator or reincarnation. His voice was so bold and stinging in the night. As he finished I could see the bus pulling up. I wanted to speak to him more now, but it was clear he was not getting on this bus. "Sounds like Jim Morrison to me," I said to him.

"James Douglass Morrison," he says, "have a good night." And that was that.

When I heard about this band The Black Ghosts I initially rolled my eyes. I know and like too many bands already that start with "The Black..." I'm not sure that I enjoy their original songs yet, but the remixes are nice.

The Black Ghosts- Its Your Touch (Ashley Beedles Heavy Disco edit)

The Black Ghosts- Any Way You Choose To Give It (The Whip remix)

And Boy 8 Bit's remix, who seems to be popping up here and there these days, perhaps something to look for in the future. He seems to love those Nintendo arpeggios that I guess his name suggests:

The Black Ghosts- Any Way You Choose To Give It (Boy 8 Bit remix)

Justice For All

After much now-visible unnecessary deliberation, Alex, Albie and I have started up a blog. Alex proposed the idea to me, and I immediately thought it would be great as we all are caught-up in the many ongoing musical trends, blogs, and most important, musical acts. Albie, like me, thought the same, and we all joined our forces. We might be looking for another fellow blogger, but we haven't exhausted the idea.

As for the first proper entry goes, I thought it natural to allude to the artist who gave us inspiration and form to our blog name, Let There Be Night. I speak of none other than the current blog juggernaut and Parisian favorite Justice. An act that was accessible to only a few know-hows two years ago, Justice is now an immediate force known by many kids worldwide, whether indie, whether neu-wave, whether "I like it because everybody likes it." They have gained a wide acceptance from many faces, following their LP debut release † (Cross), and appear to stay here for good, at least for the time being.

2005: The second single from their first EP "Waters of Nazareth" is titled "Let There Be Light." Both singles, following the inescapable "We are Your Friends," create much buzz, much stir. True, in many senses, this was the real beginning of Ed Banger records, too, and the genesis to the Justice we all now know.



Justice - Let There Be Light

The most recent sound from Justice has been the much awaited remix of "As Above, So Below" from friends-across-the-pond, Klaxons. Originally, this song was due out several months ago on a Single Ep, but was canceled for unbeknownst reasons, and surfaced at a rather unexpected time, during the Justice world tour. Notable is the Human League sample of "Mirror Man" just at the very end. See if you can find it.



Klaxons - As Above, So Below (Justice Remix)

In the Beginning was the Name...

Hello all! This post will be probably longer than normal; I don't want to set any precedents, I just wanted to document the beginning of this blog. I am very excited about this.

mateusz (21:57:52): i just bought some dutch beer
alex (21:58:46): i'm drinking IPA
mateusz (21:59:08): mine is "peter's brand"
mateusz (22:03:32): damn this Heaven 17 song is so hard
alex (22:11:11): mine is "pyramid"
alex (22:27:29): we should start an mp3 blog
mateusz (22:27:51): wow, i never thought of that

alex (22:32:46): what do we write?
mateusz (22:32:53): i dunno
mateusz (22:33:06): if we start having rules, it willl just be problem
alex (22:33:16): do we write stuff like KidzbyColette or do we write kind of poetic, unrelated things like fluokids?

alex (22:37:28): but we have to think of a name
alex (22:37:47): something totally awesome
mateusz (22:37:50): ok, well i have one, but i wont be butthurt if it doesnt make it
alex (22:37:55): what is it
mateusz (22:37:59): MEMBERS ONLY
mateusz (22:38:37): i dont think i could fill out to that title
mateusz (22:38:49): snobby people gain gravity
alex (22:38:59): we must have good intentions throughout
mateusz (22:39:04): naturally
alex (22:39:11): something very inclusive
mateusz (22:39:42): i'm more or less neutral
mateusz (22:40:04): in the end, the blog's name takes on a sense based on the popularity or not
mateusz (22:40:16): if someone told me daft punk or justice where great names. . .
alex (22:40:34): yeah, right

alex (22:43:56): albie just called!
mateusz (22:44:03): ja same here
mateusz (22:17:41): coincidences: "we happen -- that's what we do best!"
alex (22:44:09): sounded like daft punk?
mateusz (22:44:21): i talked to him for about 5 minutes earlier thoroughly covering all ground
mateusz (22:44:39): he called to tell me "vegas baby." that's it . . .
alex (22:45:18): that's what he must have said to me
mateusz (22:45:28): im happy he's having fun

next day/

mateusz (12:29:39): did you talk to albie?
alex (12:30:34): no
alex (12:30:41): i haven't heard from him since "vegas baby"
mateusz (12:30:48): ha
alex (12:31:02): why
mateusz (12:31:10): about the blog
mateusz (12:31:14): i brought it up to him
mateusz (12:31:30): in the beginning he outright implied he didn't think anything about it would work
mateusz (12:31:46): and when i pressed him to answer if he was going to do it or not, he said "ya ya definitely"

mateusz (12:40:59): you come up with anything?
alex (12:42:32): not really
alex (12:44:28): I was thinking Grand Brovaz would be apropos
alex (12:44:47): maybe too juvenile?
mateusz (12:45:04): ya maybe
mateusz (12:45:10): at first i didnt think so, until you mentioned
alex (12:45:54): maybe too Broish
mateusz (12:46:02): ya
mateusz (12:46:31): it should refer to an idea rather than people

alex (12:51:53): what about GirlScouts?
mateusz (12:52:13): not keen on that
alex (12:54:28): Bedfellows
mateusz (12:54:55): alrite
alex (12:55:01): Mounting Evidence
alex (12:55:10): Black Black

mateusz (12:58:03): fuck im in my calven kleins and my dad's friend just walked in
mateusz (12:58:05): i hate that shit

mateusz (13:07:19): how about . . .
mateusz (13:07:27): "best blog in the universe"
mateusz (13:07:40): "including peripheral solar systems"
mateusz (13:07:56): je rigole
alex (13:08:23): "not including the Andromeda Galaxy"
mateusz (13:08:28): hahaha
alex (13:09:53): Water Shortage
mateusz (13:10:39): "la vague"
alex (13:11:48): Lactose Intolerant
alex (13:12:23): Dark Rift

mateusz (13:23:26): other blog names are really random/stupid
alex (13:25:32): i totally agree
mateusz signed off at 13:39:57.
mateusz signed on at 13:40:02.
mateusz (13:41:00): "let there be light"
mateusz (13:41:49): what do you tihnk?
mateusz (13:42:28): i think it's advantageous to name it after a popular song in the genre of music we would be posting
alex (13:45:56): I don't know
alex (13:46:11): I don't like obviously riding the coattails of Justice
mateusz (13:46:49): it's obnoxious, but that's the idea

alex (13:46:56): Let There Be Night
mateusz (13:47:04): yaaaaaaaaaaa

mateusz: lettherebenightATgmailDOTcom
psswrd: **********
our name is "-------------" . . you can change it . . . i don't mind
i dont have work tmmrrw so i'll work up some post but feel free to post something yourself.

it's like we're now married.