Top Tracks 2011 by Camphor

Hello all. Sorry for being away so long. As you can see by the list below, we have gotten more pop and meme. These are songs that I've been playing all year. If you're still checkin' into the blog, I hope you like them.

20. Breakbot Ft. Ruckazoid - Fantasy

19. Teams vs. Star Slinger - The Yes Strut

18. Destroyer - Kaputt

17. Holy Ghost - Jam For Jerry

16. Toro y Moi - New Beat

15. The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love?

14. Casa Del Mirto - Deep In Your Mind

13. The Strokes - Taken For A Fool

12. Blawan - Getting Me Down

11. M83 - Midnight City

10. Metronomy - The Bay

9. Cut Copy - Need You Now

8. Lana Del Rey - Video Games

7. James Blake - Lindisfarne

6. Siriusmo - High Together

5. College ft. Electric Youth - A Real Hero

4. SebastiAn ft. Mayer Hawthorne - Love In Motion

3. Azari & III - Manic

2. Egyptrixx ft. Trust - Chryssalis Records

1. The Weeknd - The Morning

And On The Eleventh Day Extra Virgins Was Born

PODCAST 0006 [extra virgins] | June 2011 by Extra Virgins

Let There Be Night is proud to present a new phenomenon of the DJ world: Extra Virgins!

Extra Virgins consists of Nabocough and dacops. Nabocough, the younger more sensual side, brings the hipster element to the group cultivating the classics, cliches and clique music.dacops, the older saltier dog, makes up for his age by bringing the bangitude, dropping monster jams, mind melters, and the newest of the new. Together the overall sound is labeled 'all killer no filler boner jams' as the music creates a situation where both guys and gals need to flip that boner up under the belt and grind the night away.

Check back here for future word on dj sessions, gigs and a monthly mix.

TRACKLIST | June 2011

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Trouble
Joakim - Forever Young [Discodeine remix]
Joakim - Forever Young [Extended Afro mix]
Atmosphera - Easy Girl [r.w. edit]
Tensnake - Something About You
The Rapture - How Deep is Your Love
Diplo & Douster - On!
Justice - Civilization [Lazrtag bootleg mix]
Deadboy - Wish U Were Here
Mix Chopin - I'm Gonna Get You
SebastiAn - Tetra
Pictureplane - Real is a Feeling
Jamie xx - Far Nearer
Metro Area - Miura
Todd Terje - Ragysh [original mix]
Lifelike & Kris Menace - Discopolis
Jeremy Glenn - New Life [Perseus 'Summer of 83' remix]

Valomix 2011

Dead Air by Nabocough

Henry Jacobs - Dead Air

Years ago an old friend played this on his radio show on KDVS, and I only remembered it recently. An American born in Chicago, Henry Jacobs first appeared on the radio via XEW in Mexico in the 50s. He gained a cult following in the Bay Area while producing numerous “word jazz” pieces, experimenting with improvisational interviews, sound, and humor. In 1972 KQED aired Jacobs’ “The Fine Art of Goofing Off” of which “Dead Air” is clip—and I think probably one of the funniest things I’ve heard in my short life.

Swimming - Beat Beat of Your Heart Beat
Hailing from the “British Midlands” (wherever the hell that is) Swimming has officially released nothing to date and have no tour plans outside of the UK for this year. Nonetheless, the little that they have released make me think I’m either crazy or that this could be one of the big acts to look for in the coming decade. Their first single to be released in March, “Sun in the Island,” has huge hooks and confounds genres. They could also be the next The Who: “Want to go see Swimming?” “No thanks, I didn’t bring my speedo.” “No, I said, do you want to SEE Swimming?” “Is it Summer Olympics already?” “Uhh… actually, yes it is! Let’s go smoke pot with Michael Phelps!”

Crystal Fighters - At Home
Unlike the other bands with names also starting with “Crystal,” Crystal Fighters feature pop tunes with a sing-along chorus, especially this one, “At Home.” The group mesh folk and funk like you’ve never heard it before: yes, that means playing txalapartas—a percussive Basque instrument made of wood or stone, which mimics the sound of a horse trot—with big house beats.

Gorillaz - Empire Ants (Miami Horror remix)
The Gorillaz: you’ve heard of them right? Have you heard of Yukimi Nagano, the singer from Little Dragon? What about Miami Horror from Australia? Oh god, it’s too much to keep track of! Bottom line: Miami Horror continues to be that electro-pop producer slash DJ slash band underappreciated in America, but who nonetheless has proven himself once again with this remix of “Empire Ants.”

Alice Smith - Love Endeavor (Maurice Fulton remix)
I hadn’t heard of Alice Smith or Maurice Fulton before I heard this track, but it’s not surprising since Smith focuses more on jazz and R&B style singing and Fulton only seems to be coming to the fore now. The kick drums and bass line kill me! And I love how it builds up with Smith’s singing as the payoff.

Matias Aguayo - Rollerskate
Like Timbaland’s work with Justin Timberlake, Matias Aguayo substitutes the human voice for most of his instruments to amazing effects. His “Ay Ay Ay” released a couple of years ago was a huge departure from the genre he had hitherto clung to: minimalism. Still, for a song that sounds unlike anything I’ve ever heard, it’s surprising that we haven’t heard more of Aguayo.

Braids - Lemonade (Green Go remix)
It’s hard to place this remix of “Lemonade” by Braids. Green Go puts shoe gaze through the spinner and comes up this high hat driven song.

Tom Tom Club - Genius of Love (The Pinker Tones remix)
Yeah, you love this song, and if you don’t, we categorize you along with people who don’t like dolphins. But The Pinker Tones give “Genius of Love” a facelift and I think it works well.

Breakbot - Shades of Black
Riding the subway the other day, I found myself wishing Breakbot would at some point come stateward. Has he? If you haven’t heard of Breakbot, please research him! He’s French and he’s tied in with that group that used to be big, what’s their name—Justice? But Breakbot is still hard at work and—I swear to god—everything he touches turns to big fat ice cream cones.

Bag Raiders - Snake Charmer
Bag Raiders lend themselves to the amazing sounds coming out of Australia. Their latest endeavor, “Snake Charmer,” reminds me a bit of my favorite part of that Jay-Z song. The duo has made waves in Australia, but I guess they were having some trouble with customs when coming to the US. Don’t let this one go under the radar!

Gil Scott-Heron - I'll Take Care of U (Jamie XX remix)
Um, hello? Jamie Smith of the xx remixes the full album “I’m New Here” by Gil Scott-Heron? It’s being labeled as Jamie XX versus Gil Scott-Heron, which will be the biggest boxing match since Andy Warhol and Basquiat entered the ring. The album drops February 22 and might make some people be all like, “Radiohead who?”

I Never Dance - I Never Dance
It’s a song called “I Never Dance” by a dj called I Never Dance. With its you-can’t-help-but-thinking-she-failed-her-English-classes-in-high-school singer, its hooks which draw from the Italo Disco scene, and crescendos from the canon of indie dance, guess what? You will dance!

Trash 80 - Missing You
If you’re anything like me, you’re still a little cautious about getting into 8-bit music. Well, if you’re like me you also make the best pasta al pomodoro this side of the Milky Way, so congrats. Oh yeah, and also if you’re like me, Trash80’s “Missing You” pretty much changed your entire outlook on 8-bit altogether.

Dominant Legs - Clawing Out At the Walls (Altair Nouveau remix)
I’m a fan of slow cooking, and DFA-affiliated Altair Nouveau is a fan of slow funk. He puts this track by San Francisco based Dominant Legs in the crock pot and it’s tasty!

Minimal Elvis - Minimal Elvis
Minimal Elvis was released sometime last year, and, to my knowledge, the artist still remains unknown. He was last seen working also on a song called Maximal Michael. If you have any information as to the whereabouts of this human or computer, please contact us immediately. We need more!

It Has To Be Like This

Work schedule gets in the way of everything, even sleep. But it doesn't get in the way of this pretty cool, novel remix of Jamiroquai by Penguin Prison. Since we've started a 90s music revival as of late, I expect people to pay more props to the creator of "Virtual Insanity", "Little L" and "Canned Heat" amongst others. His marriage of disco and house with a pop versatility is something I listen with more frequency on the dancefloor.

Jamiroquai - Whit Knuckle Ride (Penguin Prison Remix) (alt)

Home Is Where The Heart Is

Seems I'm gonna be a bit later than I thought with my review. For now, I'll leave you with one of the most blogged remixes of the day.

The XX - Shelter (Tiga Remix)

Indian Summer

Seems like summer weather just barely started here in San Diego, but some kids are going back to school already, confirming a) that I've gotten old; and b) that time is just flying by. Fortunately for us, we got our hands on this DJ Mehdi mixtape that we hope keeps you feeling the summer, even if it is about to leave us soon.

DJ Mehdi: End Of Summer: 33 Minutes Of Sunshine (alt)

Islamophobia

-The video up there is pretty awesome, though the remix is better.
- Check out the new Matthew Dear album, it's one of the best of the year. We will have a review for it on Thursday.
- The Justin Bieber "U Smile" slowdown by Shamantis might be the best ambient song of the year. Not only that but he, Kanye and Raekwon are working together on some music. Crazy.
- Some sad deaths happening @ shows, like that of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool's Charles Haddon's suicide.

Tanlines - Iced Coffee (Club Mix) (alt)

Happy in the Land of the Living

Well, we've been struggling to keep ourselves afloat, but we're still truckin'. Possible DJ gigs in New York to come. I'll keep you posted and keep on posting. Here is a recent mix I made involving things that we at Let There have been listening to. Enjoy.

Going For Credit by Nabocough

Lindstrøm and Christabelle - Looking For What

Goldfrapp - Alive (Joakim vocal mix)

Diskjokke - 1987 (Dreamtrak Diamond Sound remix)

World's End Press - Golden Child

Pixies - Monkey Gone to Heaven (Minigroove 45 remix)

Alan Parsons Project - I Wouldn't Want to be Like You (The Twelves re-edit)

M - Pop Muzik (Todd Terje remix)

Fleetwood Mac - Everywhere (Psychemagik edit)

YACHT - Psychic City (Classixx remix)

Aeroplane - We Can't Fly

CFCF - Invitation to Love

Sound Off To Sound On

Continuing with the assault of established blog musicians, Ratatat are soon to release their new album LP4 on June 8th (XL Recordings). LP3 was one of our favorite albums two years ago, so we are excited about LP4. Sooner rather than later I hope to delve in on all the wonderful music being released this year, so keep checkin' in.

Tracklist:

1. "Bilar" - 4:14
2. "Drugs" - 4:55 (alt)
3. "Neckbrace" - 4:06
4. "We Can't Be Stopped" - 2:10
5. "Bob Gandhi" - 4:01
6. "Mandy" - 3:42 (alt)
7. "Mahalo" - 2:00
8. "Party With Children" - 2:58
9. "Sunblocks" - 3:42
10. "Bare Feast" - 2:38
11. "Grape Juice City" - 3:56
12. "Alps" - 4:21

The Boys Are Back In Town

This summer is going to be a busy with the releases of the bands that made blogs popular sources for new music. One of those bands is undoubtedly Midnight Juggernauts, who stole our hearts with Dystopia, and can hopefully replicate their success with their newest album, The Crystal Axis.

Tracklist:

01. Induco
02. Vital Signs
03. Lifeblood Flow
04. This New Technology
05. Lara Versus The Savage Pack
06. The Great Beyond
07. Cannibal Freeway
08. Virago
09. Winds of Fortune
10. Dynasty
11. Lemuria
12. Fade to Red

Bonus:
Midnight Juggernauts - Get Connected (B-Side)

The Crystal Axis is out on May 28th through Siberia/Acephale Records.

Not Your Grandma's Techno

Here's a band I missed that has been around for a while, but that I'm just getting wind of now. German electronic musician Pantha du Prince debuted his first 12" in 2002, and most recently released Black Noise this year. His "Saturn Strobe," released in 2007 really mixes things up for me. Nice techno beat with orchestral harmonies. I've never heard anything like this before.

Also check out a recent remix by Four Tet of "Stick To My Side." If you're an Animal Collective fan, but you also like German minimal techno, this one combines the two categories quite nicely. Check out his myspace for more.

Pantha Du Prince - Saturn Strobe (alt)

Pantha Du Prince - Stick To My Side (Four Tet remix) (alt)

You Can Stand Under My Coachella

Another weekend of madness is upon us, and though some of us are unable to attend (namely me) others are lucky enough to experience one of California's premier music festivals. Sweat in tents tho they might, if you love music, then you love Coachella.

Below you'll find a road map to the madness. Though I've overlapped some of the times in our gig-by-gig time map, I'll trust that you understand that it's because that's how I operate and those are all the shows I would be at. Unfortunately, you are not me, and you will probably have to relinquish some of the music spots, so choose wisely.

P.S. Send us your videos of your favorite shows, we'll be happy to post them!

Good Luck and Godspeed:

DAY 1: The Friday shows offer the most variety, going from indy-loud dance (Sleigh Bells) to tonal and gutteral psychedelia (Fever Ray, Yeasayer) to soft dream-pop (Aeroplane, Whitest Boy Alive) to huge headlining act LCD Soundsystem, on what might be the last time you catch them live.

Sleigh Bells @ Gobi (3:30-4:10),
Yeasayer @ Mojave (4:20-5:10),
Aeroplane @ Sahara (5:15-6:25),
Gil Scott-Heron @ Gobi (6:55-7:55),
Them Crooked Vultures @ Coachella Stage (7:15-8:40),
LCD Soundsystem @ Coachella Stage (9:05-10),
Vampire Weekend (9:55-10:45) @ Outdoor Theatre,
Fever Ray @ Mojave (11:10-12:20) OR The Whitest Boy Alive (11:55-12:45)

Wildcards:
She & Him @ Outdoor (5:45-6:35), Ra Ra Riot @ Mojave (5:35-6:25), Grizzly Bear @ Mojave (8:05-8:55), Erol Alkan @ Sahara (9:05-10:15), Proxy @ Sahara (4-5:10)

Don't Miss: LCD Soundsystem, Fever Ray
Avoid: Passion Pit, La Roux
Crowd Control: Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, Jay-Z

DAY 2: The Saturday line-up is very dance-biased for me, but that's not to say you can't see other great stuff as well. The Girls-Beach House and the Dirty Projectors-Hot Chip blocks are two great back-to-back shows. From 5:20 or so you have time to kill, but the Raveonettes are great if you're in the mood for poppy rock n roll. If you want to get your party started early, head on over to Mojave for Major Lazer, the closest anything comes to Girl Talk this year; if you want to mellow out, go to MGMT, which would be the smart option seeing as Flying Lotus and 2ManyDJs will have you bouncing for three hours straight.

Girls @ Gobi (3:25-4:10),
Beach House @ Mojave (4:25-5:15),
Wildcard slot/The Raveonettes @ Gobi (5:45-6:35),
Dirty Projectors @ Mojave (6:55-7:45),
Hot Chip @ Outdoor Stage (7:35-8:25),
MGMT @ Outdoor Stage (8:50-9:40) OR Major Lazer @ Mojave (9:25-10:10),
Flying Lotus @ Gobi (10:45-11:35),
2ManyDJs @ Sahara (12:05-12:55)

Wildcards: Camera Obscura @ Mojave (3:10-3:55), Sia @ Gobi (12-12:50), Gossip @ Mojave (5:40-6:30), The XX @ Outdoor Theatre (6:25-7:10)

Don't Miss: Beach House, Dirty Projectors
Avoid: Tiesto, Muse
Crowd Control: The XX, Muse, MGMT, Dirty Projectors

DAY 3: Sunday starts with some dancey new wave bands, dubstepping galore, and hip-hop legends. From 4:30 on, though, the fun starts, with most of today's hottest blog bands playing all over the place. If you have handled the Phoenix backlash and still haven't seen them live, go see them, they were last years "it" band. And if you just wanna take it easy and replenish energy after two insane days, sit back and take in the amazing acts at the Coachella Stage, all well worth your time.

Delphic @ Outdoor Theatre (1:20-2:00),
Rusko @ Sahara (2:30-3:45),
De La Soul @ Coachella Stage (3:50-4:40),
Florence and The Machine @ Gobi (4:30-5:15),
Charlotte Gainsbourg @ Gobi (5:30-6:40),
Miike Snow @ Mojave (6:45-7:30) OR Spoon @ Coachella Stage (6:30-7:20),
Phoenix @ Outdoor Stage (7:10-8),
Gary Numan @ Mojave (7:55-8:45),
Thom Yorke @ Outdoor Stage (9-???),
Gorillaz @ Coachella Stage (10:30-???)

Wildcards: Julian Casblancas @ Mojave (5:35-6:20), Spoon @ Coachella (6:30-7:20), Yo La Tengo @ Coachella (5-5:50), Sly Stone @ Gobi (7-7:45), Little Boots @ Gobi (8:10-8:55), The Big Pink @ Mojave (9:25-10:15)

Don't Miss: Gorillaz, Thom Yorke
Avoid: Matt & Kim
Crowd Control: Phoenix, Thom Yorke, Gorillaz

Full listings DAY 1, DAY 2, DAY 3.

whoiswhosheis?

Well, a couple of months ago, Albie referred to a viral campaign that had everyone going nuts. Today I was a little bored so I decided to check it out again (actually now that I think of it, I must have been subconsciously thinking about it a propos of a drunken conversation I was having this weekend). It seems the teasing has continued. Many guesses have been wagered from Christina Aguilera to Little Boots. Judging from the most reason posts of "iamwhoiam" on youtube, it's neither. Check recent full lengths posted on youtube here and here (this last one is awesome).

Another wager has it that this is Jonna Lee. I had no idea who she was, but as could be expected, she's Swedish. Her music on myspace doesn't sound much like the above video, or the recently posted ones, but if you look at her nose in "o," it seems like it could be the same person.

The campaign seems to be drenched in either clues or vague personal references. There is a theme of 6's: 6 strawberries, 6 crosses. Drawings of animals are posted in each video. In any case, I like where it's going.

Shake Things Around

Earthquakes galore in my region of the world, but not so many musical ones. As promised, working diligently on a Coachella guide for next weekend, which should be substantive and informative for those of you going. Until then, the video for MGMT's "Flash Delirium" should keep you on your toes.

MGMT - Flash Delirium (alt)

Dream Trip

I'm happy for Ernest Greene, aka Washed Out, as his success in the past few months has meant that all of us have had a chance to hear his music. His Life of Leisure EP is definetely tops for me, I only wish I would've paid more attention to it last year in order to give it props sooner. I've been on "Feel It All Around" for forever, and the rest of the EP is just as good. Here a song from the upcoming Kitsune Maison Compilation that we blogged about last Saturday.

Washed Out - Belong (alt)

Bonus:

Washed Out - Feel It All Around (alt)

So Hot Right Now

Probably (hopefully) blogged a million times already. Loved it when they were Poney Poney, like it as much now that they are Jamaica. The video is great, it gets me yearning for the days of The Strokes, when they hit everybody so hard, we had trouble getting up afterwards.

Jamaica - I Think I Like U 2 (alt)

Bonus:

Poney Poney - Cross The Fader (alt)

Some Things Never Fail

Kitsune Maison is coming out quite soon, just in time for the spring. Kitsune can be characterized to provide cotton-candy electro-pop, so the nuances and trends of the music scene as of late fit in perfectly with Kitsune's musical philosophy. This might be one of the best VA's of the year. Below the tracklist, and a minimix featuring some of the songs on the compilation:

Kitsuné Maison 9 Full Tracklist:

01: WASHED OUT “Belong”
02: GAMBLE & BURKE “Let’s Go Together”
03: PENGUIN PRISON “Animal Animal”
04: JAMAICA “Short and Entertaining” (produced by Xavier from Justice)
05: CROOKERS feat. YELLE “Cooler Couleur”
06: JUPITER “Vox Populi (LIFELIKE treatment)”
07: YUKSEK “Supermenz (We’re Not)”
08: FENECH-SOLER “Stop And Stare”
09: TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB “Something Good Can Work (The Twelves remix)”
10: LOGO “La Vie Moderne”
11: SILVER COLUMNS “Brow Beaten”
12: HOLY GHOST! “Say My Name”
13: HURTS “Wonderful Life (ARTHUR BAKER remix KITSUNÉ edit)”
14: GYPSY & THE CAT “Time to Wander (JOAN OF ARC remix)”
15: FELDBERG “Dreamin’”
16: YOUR NATURE “Forward Motion”
17: THE GOOD NATURED “Your Body is a Machine (ZEBRA+SNAKE remix)”
18: MONARCHY “The Phoenix Alive (THE OCTANS edit)

Kitsune Maison Minimix by JBAG (alt)

For Your Consideration

If you haven't listened to Neon Indian's Psychic Chasms, then you don't know what you are missing. Recently, Alan Palomo, the man behind Neon Indian, released a song on Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound (just as Chromeo and other folks have) and it's definitely the kind of stuff that will keep Neon Indian in my iPod for a long time.

Neon Indian - Sleep Paralysist (alt) via

Aging Well

It's my B-Day today, but instead of asking for gifts, I'm giving you one.

Kavinsky - P.C.H. (Jackson Remix) (alt) via

Nightcall is out on Record Makers on April 5th.

Fast Approaching

Gorillaz. Plastic Beach. March 8th.

Can't wait.

Gorillaz - Super Fast Jelly Fish (Radio Rip) (alt)