Perspective

I am trying to reconcile the fact that I like hipster music with the fact that I don't find myself to be much of a hipster. Hipster-ism, as a form of behavior, seems like another attempt at labeling a generation of people who happen to have as little or as much alike in common as any other group of people that have ever suffered a label. Yet it's pushed onto these groups in order to make it easy to pick them apart based on such mutable characteristics such as fashion, profession, and social diversions (and immutable ones like age group).
To be exact, I may have fallen within the trappings of the label, for I agree with the descriptions of those who find that there is much to loathe from the hipsters. This particular article set me off in the wrong way about hispterism. It is an article that always considers the consequences of the society (the hipsters themselves) and never the society itself. The Hipster generation is a generation of young people that demonstrates apathy to everything and stands for nothing because it is a generation of shutouts that suffers from a lack of opportunities hence a general disdain for the social structure. However, the hipster is born of the ideas of the previous generation that their hardwork would allow the next generation to reap the benefits and move up the social ladder. It's not only a generation of malcontents who face reality, but a generation of brokenhearted dreamers who were told that they could be anything if they just worked hard enough. If one also adds to that recipe that all hispters have been bombarded by consumerism in order to build a social identity, then you more or less encounter with the reality that is the hipster. Thus the tongue in cheek humor, the constant ironies and the skinny jean culture. The fact that it's a culture speaks more to the shortcomings of the society than of the group itself.

That being said, fitting in is fitting in. Everyone tries to fit in, no one is exempt from that. Given those barometers I cannot say that I'm not a hipster, not only because I match the criteria above but because I associate with said culture (cue "Hipsters Are My Friends" for great shirt idea). As to what that means for the music on this blog, be sure that hipsters do listen to this music, some for the sake of feeling cool, others because they like it. I fit in with the latter. I don't dedicate my free time to this blog in order to feel or look cool, but because I like music, I like the music I post and I'm pretty sure that if you read this blog, you like it too.

This entire post now comes full circle to the origins of what made me think to write it. I came across a post about how great Phoenix was live, how awesome they're music is and how said author "FEELS the music" instead of just going to a show where you like the music and the band plays exactly like the album or is noticeably less talented than the album demonstrated, so forth and so on....all points taken, I probably agree with him. It still doesn't sit well with me, though, that said author takes Phoenix to be the end all and be all of music, that it starts and ends with them, as if they hadn't been around for a long time, as if they hadn't made music that was almost as phenomenal...basically, the post reeked of bandwagonism. That irks me. What's worse is that it irks me that it irks me. I write on a blog to get people to LIKE that sort of music, so for me to accuse somebody of liking it too much is not only hypocritical, but self-defeating. In the end, I should be happy that people like the music, not only for the listener but for the artists, in this particular case very deserving of the spotlight, suspicious as I might be that it ruins the music later on. Oh well, I'll have to live with the paranoia, and to show you no hard feelings, here's the latest hipster nugget, a cover of Phoenix's song "Rome" by Devendra Banhart.

Phoenix - Rome (Neighbors with Devendra Banhart) (alt)

P.S. Sorry for the babbling, I hope it made sense and I promise it won't happen often.

BONUS EDIT:

Phoenix - Love Like A Sunset (Animal Collective Remix - Deakin's Jam) (alt) via

Prior-ity

These guys are pretty good, Priors. I'm a fan and I hope you will be too. These are two songs that have been rated pretty highly by a lot of people. Methinks they should build off that success and go off, like Aeroplane or something.

Priors - What You Need (Extended Version) (alt)
Priors - Into The Fight (alt)

Fight The Power

....but I can't. I'm sorry, I should be more original and provide other stuff and not just Boys Noize leaks, promos, demos, mixes.... For better or for worse, we all know that this album is gonna be big. Whether it's good or not (it will be), the amount of people talking about it, scrutinizing it, repping it for life like their hipsterdom is at stake, etc. is gonna be enormous (true as well). I figure we might start the conversation by giving you a song off of the new album, Power, out in October (Sept. 28th digitally). Enjoi it and purchase the album when it comes out!

Boys Noize - Rozz Box (alt) via

I Was Ready For That Jelly!

I'm glad this song came out, it's a great follow-up to my previous post on the man. I'm happy to see him back remixing things, and I hope we'll get some original work thrown in somewhere, sometime. Also weird is that Beyonce is invading my music week more than usual, oh well, can't help that one, she's huge. Like, Rihanna huge.

Beyonce - Broken-Hearted Girl (Alan Braxe Dub) (alt)

Fabulous Mixes By Fabulous Mixers

The first one, because it's The Twelves, a group I saw a couple weekends back. They always deliver good mixes, and in this case, it's no different. I imagine this mix is a precursor to their upcoming EP, too bad it won't be a full length, but I'm sure the quality will be so good, we won't mind.

The Twelves - The Twelfth Hour

The second mix is delivered by DJ of DJs, Erol Alkan, who stopped by BBC Radio 6 and dropped some new tracks, some fresh ones and some hyped ones. However you might feel about electronic music, Erol has always been on top of his game in delivering variety and in his mixes.

Erol Alkan BBC Radio 6 Mix 9/19/2009 via

P.S. I'm pretty sure, given the tracklist, that The Twelves mix is actually the mix used for their liveshow. Tracklists in the comments section.

Useful Inventions

Sometimes, not having all the information can be substituted by having good intuition. That being said, I had an inkling that Midnight Juggernauts were probably very quiet because they were in their studio preparing new material. Sure enough, the boys from Australia have just indicated as much by releasing a single onto the web belonging to their upcoming second full length.

Midnight Juggernauts - This New Technology (alt)

Release of the single on iTunes on Oct. 9th with remixes from The Emperor Machine, Weird Tapes and Nile Delta.

Re-Braxe-ation

A wonderful surprise for us here in San Diego, Alan Braxe, a member of the French house scene and one of the major influences on post-French house electronic music, will be spinning at the El Dorado Bar. It's important for me to be there, so I will be, and I hope you are as well. In order to get me (and you) ramped up for it, here's a couple of his songs, both favorites of mine.

Shakedown - At Night (Alan Braxe Remix) (alt)
Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Alan Braxe Remix) (alt)

Infinite Punches

Songs from around the blog world/our inbox to get your weekend going. Enjoi!

Phoenix - Fences (Friendly Fires Remix) (alt)
Vitalic - See The Sea (Red) (alt)
2020 Soundsystem - Closure (alt)
Meroz - Your Lover (alt)

Monstruous

Just the equation of Erol Alkan and Boys Noize makes people drool. Add to that Bobermann, Bob Rifo of The Bloody Beetroots, and you've got a lot of buzz developed on just the three names. Then you just gotta hope the song kicks ass, and thankfully, it reminds you why you followed blogs in the first place.

Erol Alkan & Boys Noize - Death Suite (Bobermann Remix) via RCRDLBL

EDIT BONUS:

Erol Alkan & Boys Noize - Death Suite (DJ Mehdi Simple Acid Edit) (alt)

An Hour Of Glee

Boys Noize is a LTBN favorite, so anytime he does anything, it's likely that we are going to post it. Well, he just released a 60 min mix as a pre-tour appetizer to wet our mouths and destroy our brains. I'm definetely going to go see him when he comes about and you should too.

Boys Noize 60 Min August Mix via

EDIT BONUS:

Boys Noize 20 Minute Mix (Radio 1 19/09/09)

Your Move Now

We got this awesome gift sent to us and well I can't resist to post it. Burns is yet another LTBN fave, he's gonna be touring with Deadmau5 throughout Canada and the US so keep an eye out for him coming to a city near you. In this case, it is Fred Falke who takes on the remixing duties, and he really brings that dreamy sound he's instilled in his best remixes to "First Move" while maintaining some of the bounce of the original.

Burns - First Move (Fred Falke Remix) (alt)

Follow Burns here and here, tour dates below:

09/23 – Ritual – Ottawa, Canada
09/24 – Dagobert Night Club – Quebec City, Canada
09/25 – Metropolis – Montreal, Canada
09/26 – The Guvemment – Toronto, Canada
09/29 – Republic Nightclub – Winnipeg, Canada
09/30 – Flames Central – Calgary, Canada
10/01 – Edmonton Events Centre – Edmonton, Canada
10/02 – UBC Thunderbird Arena – Vancouver, Canada
10/04 – Showbox at the Market – Seattle, WA
10/28 – Roseland Theatre – Portland, OR
10/31 – The Forum – Inglewood, CA
11/01 – House of Blues – San Diego, CA
11/02 – Marquee Theatre – Tempe, AZ
11/04 – The Ogden – Denver, CO
11/05 – Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
11/06 – House of Blues – Dallas, TX
11/07 – Stubbs – Austin, TX
11/08 – House of Blues – Houston, TX
11/10 – The Village – Little Rock, AR
11/11 – House of Blues – New Orleans – LA
11/12 – House of Blues – Orlando, FL
11/13 – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, FL
11/14 – Mansion Night Club – Miami, FL
11/15 – The Ritz – Tampa, FL
11/17 – The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
11/18 – Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
11/19 – Limelight – Nashville, TN
11/20 – Congress Theatre – Chicago, IL
11/21 – The Fillmore – Detroit, MI
11/22 – Theatre of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
11/23 – 9:30 Club – Washington, DC
11/24 – Roxy Boston, Boston, MA

If Man Is 5

Saturday morning I woke up to a. thunder overhead and b. the best Pixies revival I've heard in a long time. Check out this remix by Minigroove 45.

Pixies - Monkey Gone To Heaven (Minigroove 45 remix) (alt)

Slow More

So there's this band, called The XX. They are decent, bits and pieces remind you of Chris Isaak, some of Interpol, some of Broken Social Scene, Radiohead production...nice bands to remind you of, if you ask me (also reminds me of Jack Johnson, but I know some of you would refute that with ire). I don't know how much I like this record so far, it seems a bit taught and reserved, like it keeps from going to the place it might want to, forgoing loud melodical outbursts and disciplining the addition of sounds and production. Honestly, I don't know that I'd like it to go anywhere else, otherwise these guys might just go full Evanescence on us.

Seriously, it is a beautiful album, made for days of introspection, people watching, grey skies and will be in dramatic movie love montages soon. Well worth a listen.

The XX - Infinity (alt)
The XX - Fantasy (alt)

Shapes That Only Sound Can Mold

Karen Dreijer Andersson, 1/2 of The Knife is the auteur of Fever Ray and this beautifully, moody Self-tittled album. The three singles released so far, "If I Only Had A Heart", "Triangle Walks" and "When I Grow Up" are intense creations, the first with a droning, haunting repetition and guttural base, the second with inertial calypso drums a-la The Knife that feel so cold, its surprising that the instruments' origins come from the Caribbean, the third a should've-been collaboration with MIA and Switch to hit those high notes and make us dance.

On that note, I'm surprised that "Seven" is the next single. Dreijer Anderssons' fourth single is lighter and less moody than its predecessors. Personally, I was expecting "Keep The Streets Empty For Me" to be the next single, but no matter. Though she continues to sing as she only can, the production template behind her changes up, more jittery and fluffy, less dark and ominous. The single for “Seven” has remixes from CSS and Crookers, posted below, as well as from Marcel Dettmann, Martyn, Nic Chacona and Seth Troxler.

Fever Ray - Seven (alt)
Fever Ray - Seven (Crookers Remix) (alt)
Fever Ray - Seven (CSS Remix) (alt)

Niner Niner O. Niner

Oddly enough, we come up on an odd numerical day, which just had to deliver awesome music right? We certainly hope so.

First up, O. Children and their song "Dead Disco Dancer" is quite moody and out of left field, but seems to fill a niche right now that had been missing in hipster rock music, these guys excluded. O. Children's band makeup reminds me of this group, so I'm wary that the blogs and record companies are trying to sell me a generic formula. However, "Dead Disco Dancer" is a good song, partaking in moods belonging to early Interpol and that sort of Halloween rock sound that Nick Cave is famous for, and for some reason, they remind me of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but I don't know quite where, so don't be scared to like it.

O. Children - Dead Disco Dancer (alt)

This a song that I fell in love with when I heard it, one of those I'll-download-now-listen-later-cuz-it-looks-like-another-generic-remix. Good thing I'm open-minded, then, cuz this is one of the better Sebastien Tellier remixes I've heard.

Sebastien Tellier - Fingers of Steel (Hypnolove Remix) (alt)

Finally, the maestro himself gives us another self-aware-of-the-genre electro song to make us smirk at the awesomeness/ridiculousness of electronic music.

Mr Oizo - Sucer Dancer (alt)

Mob Hit

The before electro blast of Pascal Arbez, aka Vitalic, was followed by an immediate submersion, a dormant period away from the hype and the fads of electronic music. It was this blogger's hope that the dissapearing act was due to work on a new album, and I'm glad to have had my hunch proved right. Vitalic will be back with a new album tittled Flashmob, out on Sept. 28th in Europe ( Nov. 3rd for the US) and I'm expectant to listen to it. To get the hype train rolling, here's a minimix of the album:

Vitalic - Flashmob Minimix (alt)

Thanks to Bigstereo for the mix.