Pascal Arbez

For a while, it seemed certain that I would only be listening to Kings of Leon (my guilty pleasure, loved the first album and most of the second) but that was soon to change. Technology was catching up to some of the talent already out there in the electronic dance world, DFA the main culprits and the emerging French and Australian scene to follow.

What happened between my love for indie poseur music and my electro-nic slide can be largely attributed to Pascal Arbez aka Vitalic. I wasn't aware of his Poney EP, and it was one of those rare gems I came across randomly. His songs were intense arranged cacophonies, with its thumping bass, the crashing cymbals and hi-hats, it's intricate beeping Moroder melodies and of course those shearing, shrapnel-infused, roaring rock/metal synths, a staple sound for Arbez that surprisingly found a vacant melodic niche in the dance world. At the time, Vitalic was the best thing to happen to the people who secretly flirted with the idea of actually liking Ministry of Sound albums, but couldn't come out of their musical credibility closet. In my opinion, Vitalic played a major role in changing the perception of dance music to the general public. The Poney EP, consisting primarily of anthem La Rock 01, Poney Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 were to be successfully translated to his 2006 LP Ok Cowboy, an album that was met with both critical acclaim and popularity amongst the masses. The release of the album marked Arbez' rise to prominence, which came with with noteworthy remix work for artists such as Björk and Röyksopp.

French contemporaries have since pushed his sound away from a larger mass appeal, and besides playing many festivals, Arbez has been missing in action due largely to a lack of new original or remixed material. We hope that its because of a return to the studios rather than other circumstances, and we hope to hear more from one of the significant figures in dance music.

Vitalic - La Rock 01 (alt)
Vitalic - Poney Part 1 (alt)
Björk - Who Is It? (Vitalic Remix) (alt)
Röyksopp- What Else Is There? (Vitalic Remix) (alt)

Go to the Vitalic Myspace and give him some love.

There's Nothing More to Say

It's Cut Copy, it's marvelous and it's new. Get it you fools:

Cut Copy - Sands of Time (alt)

Thanks to MassHyperbole for this wonderful track.

What's In Your Pocket?

Every once in a while in remix land, a DJ outdoes himself. Ed Banger's DJ Medhi provided the interesting--to say the least--canvas for remixers to work called "Pocket Piano." I'm at a loss to place Medhi in Ed Banger's history. Not quite the hard-rock, mind-trip feel of Justice or Sebastien, part classical, part rap, just a little bit of everything; this song seems to line up accordingly with the Mickey Moonlight direction. Joakim's remix clocks in at just under 10 minutes making it the "Sinnerman" of the French-electronic genre. And with the pianos governing the track throughout, I don't feel the comparison is too far off. Wherever you decide to play this--in your earphones or at your next fondue party--don't pass it up. It's wonderful.

DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano (Joakim remix) (alt)

Justice - A Cross the Universe

It's not easy being breezy, beautiful, cover boys. I mean . . . people love to hate them, and they love to love them. I'm not 16, but I still love them. Order the DVD HERE. Trust me it's good; I haven't seen it yet. ;)

Justice x Metallica (ALT) A Cross the Universe CD

NY Excuse (Soulwax/Justice Remix) (ALT) A Cross the Universe CD

P.S. I did not get NY Excuse from KidzbyCorrupt ;)

Willow II : 2010

Just Kidding about the Willow II thing. That was a leaked mistake.

We can't help it. Shazam is putting out quality material left and right. We know how much Discodust and MassHyperbole are fans of Shazam, and we here have nothing less to say of him than that we love him as much. How old is he, 15? Will this turn into another Mary Kate and Ashley Olson millionaire baby-gone-bad story? His sound is definitely fitting in really well, from super unpolished tracks with his first Sweaty remix by Muscles, which we wrote about here, to polished production, round basses we all better know as House Music that can be noticed in this remix. What's Next? Shazam will soon remix Sneaky Sound System, and you guessed it, Empire of the Sun. I caught this on Discobelle the other day (Ohhcrapp-- it's not Disocbelle ;) Enjoi.

Tough Alliance - Neo Violence - Shazam Remix (ALT)

In other news, check out a potential TOP TEN ARTIST OF THE YEAR, Empire of the Sun. They have a new trailer for the "We Are The People" music video shot in Mexico. Reminds me of that Jennifer Lopez movie, minus Jennifer Lopez, plus Empire of the Sun.

The Kids Are All Right

Remixes can make a familiar band anonymous. Who knows who's the brains behinds all those Hot Chip remixes, for instance? Vampire Weekend recently received some treatment from the duo who's had a little more practice with the dance floor, Chromeo. Not to say 2008 hasn't been a great year for both these bands--even my mum knows who Vampire Weekend is thanks to NPR. Yet, it remains unclear whether this was a team-effort or the product of one of the two's free time--I'm leaning towards P-Thugg, but I could be wrong. In any case, give this one a listen, it's sure to brighten up anyone's day with a perfect blend of that effortlessly pure voice of Ezra Koenig's and a light techno feel. The kids are sure to dance!

Vampire Weekend - The Kids Don't Stand a Chance (Chromeo remix) (alt)

Oh, and anyone planning to see the first of probably many tween-novel adaptations to film, Twilight, have a nice "vampire" weekend.

Jackson Fourgeaud

To every story, there is the wizard, the wise man, the magician. Always kept on the shelf for certain measures, little does he talk, but when he does . . .

Jackson Fourgeaud, or more popularly known as Jackson and His Computer Band, in this cess pool of right-now's banger-crap, is one that stands out, noticeably. One-of-a-kind, sure, but I don't want to hear that again. It sounds too far away to be true, but I originally heard my first Jackson remix five years ago. This was the period of the failed record label GOOOM. From GOOOM, the remaining survivors today are TEPR, Yelle's current tour drummer, and M83, who got played out real hard once PitchForkMedia gizzed all over Anthony Gonzalez's most recent EMO album. But that's beside the point. "Run Into Flowers" was the single remixed by Jackson as the "Midnight Fuck Remix." And there happened, I think, a great schism. There was such a new sound brought to the table, namely those super compressed snare drums all to reminiscent of the snare drum King, Mr. Oizo. Jackson Fourgeaud has been an inspiration and influence to virtually every member on Ed Banger family, but that's no big deal. C'mon -- it's Warp Records. They kinda know what they're doing.

Enough of my silly poetics; Jackson is a much more charming man than I am as he speaks about music, remixes, and influences. We wont mention his production horizon. Let's all hope he's working on new material.



M83 - Run Into Flowers - Midnight Fuck Remix (ALT)

Panico - Illumination - Jackson Remix (ALT)

Hype and Music On My Mind

Far Away is the new single by Cut Copy that will be released digitally by Modular on November 24th. Some blogs are displaying their displeasure at the overkill of extra Cut Copy material released in the past year, but most have been looking forward to it. Mass Hyperbole has been waiting anxiously for this particular release, but it seems BIGSTEREO beat them to it:

Cut Copy - Far Away (Damn Arms Remix) (alt)

Hit up Cut Copy and Damn Arms and buy the Far Away single.

Take It By Forza

Awesome song, awesome video, I never really understood Zombie Nation in any sort of context other than pre French-touch scene trance. I'm glad I do now, as everything they've released recently has given the scenesters something fresh to listen to on the dance floor. Peep it:

Zombie Nation - Forza (alt)
Zombie Nation - Forza (Housemeister Remix) (alt)
Zombie Nation - Forza (Fukkk Offf Remix) (alt)


Give shout-outs to ZN, Housemeister and Fukkk Offf at their myspaces.

Boomerangz

Australian music is hot. We here at LTBN know this. It's not to put down any other countries' music scenes, but in the particular genre of music we focus on, the Aussies seem to be doing it best at the moment. And speaking of moments, look at Shazam growing up right before our eyes. Loved his original stuff (especially Pool Party) but he seems to be doing stuff in the vein of Fred Falke, half Balearic, half French with synth melodies and choruses fading in and out of songs, allowing for the music to have room to breath between more wacky sounds, handclaps and the rhythm sections. Here we find the young prodigy remixing Sneaky Sound System's new single, an effort inclusive of all of his trademarks:

Sneaky Sound System - When We Were Young (Shazam Remix) + (alt)

Next up is an effort between British provocateurs, Dizzee Rascal and Calvin Harris, and they also receive the Shazam treatment to good results. If there's one detriment to Shazam, it is that he doesn't seem to step outside his sound too much; fortunately for us, that's not that big a setback:

Dizzee Rascal ft. Calvin Harris - Dance Wiv Me (Shazam Remix) + (alt)

Listen to these tunes and give Shazam, Sneaky Sound System, Dizzee and Calvin a shoutout.

Bonus: Shazam - Pool Party (Rogerseventytwo Remix) + (alt)

When Doves Get Married

So Prince takes a stand against gay marriage, and all of a sudden you don't wanna hear what it sounds like when doves cry. Who can blame you? Luckily, La Roux has the alternative. Coming out of the UK, with wind-swept hair that would make the Human League proud, this girl is serious about the 80s--from Prince to Heaven 17. La Roux's single "Quicksand" is being released on everyone's favorite Kitsuné label, which means Ladyhawke and Yelle better not get too comfortable. Her labelmates, AutoKratz, already had a shot at a remix, but I think you better hear this one in its original form.

La Roux - Quicksand

And otherwise, yes we're predictable. Breakbot has a go at Sebastien Tellier's Roche and it's divine. I imagine he had a tough time with taking the slow R&B style of the original, but in the end it sounds like Breakbot took his own funky creation and sprinkled it with Tellier's vocals. It's just as beach-ready as the original though. See what you think.

Sebastien Tellier - Roche (Breakbot remix)

New design on the blog. Drop us a comment and let us know what you think. Edit: pesky blogger and regulations had to take down this post, hit up the linked artists to check out the songs.

Justice - A Cross the Universe

I can't believe the phenomenon that has become Justice. In 2005, a girl I once dated always had Justice in her top four myspace friends. I remember upon my initial listening, I gave it maybe twenty seconds and then proceeded to turn that crap off. It was only shortly later that I came upon Justice through mutual musical friendships, and then I clearly saw how special these guys were. I remember the inception, for myself, for my friends, and to those strange people (namely DJs at local indie nights that HATED Justice ;) :) ;) ) that just didn't get it, and it's amazing to think where they are now. Justice is in a totally different environment today, with a successful maverick album under their belt. My favorite and only next question begs: What will the following album sound like, seeing the time of the Banger is fading out, if not altogether taken upon a different dynamic? This is an exciting question.

Watch this video and read the following article related on Justice. Apparently, the whole world will, now, undoubtedly turn against them . . .

inthemix.com.au


"Currently on the promo trail for their new live DVD/album A Cross The Universe, French electro fiends Justice have made a rather frank – and quite possibly costly – admission in an interview with MTV… They didn’t clear all the samples included on their 2007 debut album †! “If you listen to Genesis, the first track [on †, there are samples of Slipknot, Queen and 50 Cent,” Xavier de Rosnay asserted boldly. “But they are such short samples no one can recognise them. The ones from Slipknot, for example, are just tiny bits of the voice.”

Of course it’s no shock to hear a dance artist would choose to sample another musical act, the entire scene is built on the process of appropriating other people’s music. However it is strange that de Rosnay decided to reveal the exact source of their errant audio snippets, with fellow producers having been sued for copyright infringement for much less. “Sometimes we do also use big samples. On the album, we used three big samples that we had to clear, and all the rest are just impossible to recognise.”

Justice - D.A.N.C.E. 2.0 LIVE ;) ;) ;)

Justice - Two Minutes to Midnight (Live)

grace a ASNMANDAN

So Far Away

Great news I will most likely take advantage of. Cut Copy just announced another, third, US tour to celebrate their albumn "In Ghost Colours."

"We're pleased to announce our final run through North America in support of "In Ghost Colours". This trek will be the last shows we do before we retire to the studio to complete the ideas swimming around our heads and in the laptops for the next record. We're thrilled to be playing a number of cities for the first time, as well as visiting some of the places we previously threw down with Black Kids and The Presets.

Joining us on this tour will be Brooklyn's own Matt and Kim (which should make for an amazingly energetic night), an awesome light show and a special surprise DJ.
We hope to see you there!!

The dates are as follows, and will go on sale this week:

FRI 3/6 AUSTIN, TX @ Stubbs BBQ
SAT 3/7 DALLAS, TX @ Granada Theater
MON 3/9 POMONA, CA @ The Glass House
TUE 3/10 LOS ANGELES, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater
WED 3/11 LOS ANGELES, CA @ Henry Fonda Theater
THUR 3/12 SAN FRANCISCO, CA @ The Fillmore
FRI 3/13 LAS VEGAS, NV @ House of Blues
SUN 3/15 DENVER, CO @ Bluebird Theater
TUE 3/17 ST.
LOUIS, MO @ The Gargoyle
WED 3/18 CHICAGO, IL @ Vic Theater
FRI 3/20 TORONTO, ON @ Circa
SAT 3/21 NEW YORK, NY @ Terminal 5 *** see below
SUN 3/22 BOSTON, MA @ House Of Blues
MON 3/23 WASHINGTON, DC @ The 9:30 club
TUE 3/24 CARBORRO, NC @ Cat's Cradle
THUR 3/26 ATLANTA, GA @ Masquerade
FRI 3/27 ORLANDO, FL @ Club Firestone

We should have ticket links for all shows active in the next day or two, but you can presale tickets for the NYC show from 12pm AEST on Wednesday Nov 12th, by heading to:

http://www. ticketmaster.com/event/0000416AB2A35CD2

and entering the presale password 'cutcopynyc'."

Cut Copy - So Haunted - Knightlife End Edit (So Cosmic Rip, not EP Version) ;)


The Hercules and Love Affair Remix can be found at good peoples WavesatNight here, here, and here

See you in L.A.!

Finally, Miami is Horrifed

I've been waiting for so long and it's only a few days away now. To say Miami Horror's Bravado is highly anticipated is a disservice to the artist and to the work. The demo for Summerfest 86 often streamed in my computer, and the original Don't Be On With Her quickly became one of my favorite songs ever, not to mention the many remixes he's done (I'm gonna say around 15).

To get you psyched, I decided to post a couple of goodies I found at OhhCrapp: a widget with all of the songs from Bravado, and the awesomely nickaracadish video for Don't Be On With Her. Check it out:

Miami Horror - Don't Be On With Her (Official Music Video) from Moop Jaw on Vimeo.

And to get you guys even more hyped up here is his original Don't Be On With Her, as well as Summerfest 86. Enjoi:

Miami Horror - Don't Be On With Her (old version)(192kpbs)
Miami Horror - Summerfest 86' (128 kpbs)

Please support Miami Horror and buy this fantastic EP, I know I will.

Total Recall

Yes, I effed up. Should be more careful about posting music that isn't high quality (320 kpbs is STANDARD in the blog world). Most importantly, I want you, the readers, to have the best because that means I have it. No matter, I'm happy to rectify on past failures.

It was made apparent to me by comments around the blogosphere (and later takedowns of the song) that Tiga's Mind Dimension 2 leak was a low quality recording made into a 320 kpbs file. Seems like the culprit finally got his hands on the original:

Tiga - Mind Dimension 2

On an earlier post I had talked about ZZT's newest single, The Worm, and though I had covered my steps on that post (cuz I said that it was part of a mix CD) I did want to bring you the full version, so here it is, accompanied by the rework by one of my favorite artists, Mr. Erol Alkan:

ZZT - The Worm (Original Munich Version)
ZZT - The Worm (Erol Alkan Extended Mix)

Holla at these boys and give them some love and buy Tiga's Mind Dimension 2 on December 1st.

Driverzz

It's what these songs do (it's what i don't, wink wink). Repetitive, monotone and non-improv but so what? The only thing that makes the following songs catchy as hell is to keep a steady hand and drive the beat forward so that the melodies and hooks can make our heads bop.

Charlie Fanclub is known for his D.A.N.C.E. remix as well as a couple others for Surkin and Stardust. This particular song comes from his new Nightbreed EP and it's bangin' throughout, well worth a couple good listens to the tittle tracks, which are blasts of funky house music in the vein of Louis La Roche with some Boys Noize character in the melody, as well as several of those trance horns that are a bit fresher now than they used to be back in the day. My favorite one below:

Charlie Fanclub - Nightbreed Part 1

BUY IT AT BEATPORT

This other song is in the same vein and has had me enthralled ever since I first came across it. Cicada is a staple in the house scene since their debut self-tittled, and they sound a little bit like the girl-led vocalist 80s revival groups that have come into prominence in the indie scene. In this particular remix, Moulinex (of DISCOTEXAS fame) cuts out all the lyrics except the "again and again and again part" and it works wonders. I had this song on my head for two days thinking I would never hear it again, and it just so happens I had uploaded onto my mp3. Go figure:

Cicada - Falling Rockets (Moulinex Dub)

Show Charlie, Cicada and Moulinex some support at their respective myspaces and enjoy.

It's That Easy

Ok, ok. I waited and was patient and finally it came today on LaFriendly. Surprise, surprise! No it doesn't surprise anyone that KidzByLawsuit got it first. After OhhCrapp posted "Alternate" (OMGZZ!!!!), I contacted the man himself if he could send any love to LetThereBeNight. Unfortunately I didn't receive an e-mail :( but I am here to provide you with some wonderful work done to Late Of The Pier's Bathroom Gurgle by the man whose name I have not yet mentioned: Burns. BTW, is Late Of The Pier a Disney Channel Band?

Late of The Pier - Bathroom Gurgle - Burns Remix (320 kpbs)

Burns - Alternate (320 kpbs)

Abomination vs. Obamanation

Its been a crazy week here in the states, with our nation engrossed in the political consequences of the historic elections that just took place. Very nice to see a candidate with such a positive message eager to engage the calamity that is our republic at this moment.

Enough is enough though, and since we are all getting down to business to resolve the crisis from all fronts, I should do my part and resolve the minor absence by our blog this past week with some interesting, and hopefully fresh, music for your ears.

First up is a choice hit by Rogerseventytwo, quite possibly one of the most underrated DJs in the electronic music scene. He has many things going for him, like the use of bass for rhythm and funk elements for melodies in several of his songs, and although his love for that music label can get the better of him sometimes, it's a minor fault. Here's a fairly new one:

Destroy Disco - Fly or Bounce (Rogerseventytwo Remix)

I first heard the original of this song four years ago, part of a Colette mix, and it was pretty amazing stuff, slow with lounge elements, and I would say that the name of the group is very apropos. This is a remix of that song that made me reminisce about what dance music was then and what is now, inherent in the contemporary elements provided by the remixeurs on the song:

Colder - Dance to the Music (Lotterboys Remix)

To keep it old school, we'll go with probably my favorite song from Cut Copy's Fabriclive set, definitely the best thing I've ever heard from Super Discount, hopefully they make more like it. The squiggly voices, the pounding synths and the crescendo buildups make this a slow bpm classic:

Whomadewho - Out the Door (Super Discount Remix)

Newer stuff coming soon, stay tuned peeps.