ARGH... I'm still bitter that James Rutledge's remix of MGMT's Electric Feel wasn't officially released, such a waste of a spot on the discography - still, I'm glad we got to ear it & from what he told me last time there are a handful of remixes coming in the next weeks/months so there shall not be any lack of rutledgeness in the future!
This is the freshest one by the dude, a remix of The Kills next single Last Day Of Magic synthesized, loop moaned, key'd & slightly discofied!
Ohh & I know i'm late but it hasn't started yet so wtvr - Rutledge have done an only-god-knows-what-it-sounds-like 4 Hours, yes 4 hours exclusive remix of Radiohead's Videotape brilliantly recorded onto a 1 only VHS Tape - the sleeve has been signed by the members of Radiohead, the tape features visuals from Philip M. Lane and the cover art is designed by Jacob Blandy... it should go up for Auction soon!
All profits will go to the UK-based Missing People charity... until then you can read about it & see what it loox like here & here.
I'm sure most of you didn't pay attention to the previous post from early August of Danger's co-label-Elker'o'shock-signee Starskee... but this pretty much should give you motive to re-dig!
01. My Way 02. My Way (Danger Remix) 03. Finis 04. I Wanna Rule Your World 05. My Way (Le Defi Remix) 06. My Way (Man&Man Remix)
It's been a while since we posted anything by our newly beloved Danish dreamy synthpop band Small (It probably was the most hyped about post in August)...
The guys want you to enjoy 2 of their official remixes in 320kbps, the first is from James Braun who pins a more sinister & shorter bleepy sounds to Sunshine Lover & then there's the Hippo 8-bit conversion of Come Around that could've been recorded using a Mega Man Atari Cartridge!
If this is any indication of what the next Lo-Fi-Fnk LP is going to sound like, then someone please hit me with a super advance pre-order link pronto...
It should be the official international theme song to swimming in space with the dolphins!
I like it, It's extremely catchy & a fast grower but I still would've preferred another Britney or In The Zone instead of another Blackout - I love the short bridge near the end... something about it reminds me of Tainted Love/Janet Jackson for some reason... hmmm!?
Full, Untagged, 320KBPS, CD Quality, Main Version directly from Sony BMG/Zomba!
If you're a DJ or know one who could do some magic remix work done to this, then here are both Main/Instrumental versions in WAV format for rework purposes!
PopJustice are preferring it over Aguilera's New one... Deets on Circus... Video directed by Joseph Kahn (Toxic).
Little Boots is soon going to grace the cover of MIXMAG & release the Arecibo EP (artwork above) out in mid-November (as 12” and digital) with a yet unheard remix of Meddle by Ebola!
Arecibo EP A1. Stuck On Repeat A2. Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood Remix) B1. Meddle B2. Meddle (Ebola Remix)
Until then enjoy this quite nice remix from Designer Drugs...
The band release their new single Home Sweet Home next week (29 September), and their debut album In Our Space Hero Suits on the following week (6 October)... peep the video for Home Sweet Home is here.
As much as i hate admitting it, recently a lot of my chats with fellow Bloggers involved mutual opinions such as 'In The Past Few Months Van She Tech's Remixes Have Been Below Average' or 'They Used To Make Amazing Remixes What Happened' - that' a bit of a bummer because such negative thoughts could chomp a chunk out of my love for them, but then came their remix of Shinichi's 'Maximum Joy' which showed some aural rehabilitation promise in progress & then a few days ago I stumbled upon their remix of Walter Meego's 'Forever' that past the 3 minutes mark exhibited one of my all time favorite Van She Tech remix moments - chomped chunk is currently slowly healing.
Forever is lifted from Walter Meego's amazing debut Voyager - the Van She Tech remix have been shared on few blogs in 128kbps, but here you can enjoy a fresh 320kbps rip that came directly from the boys pictured above.
I was getting ready, throwing tracks into my iPod so I'd hit the sack when this great dude called Andrew sent me this gem you're about to enjoy!
San Francisco is the first release on One Love from the not-so-new comers Citylife (Gerard Sidhu & Andy Murphy) from AUSTRALIA - I'm going to replace the bunch of sentences I was planning to pin for description with a copy/paste action of the list of influences off their MySpace: "Stuart Price, Daft Punk, StarDust, Fred Falke, Likelife, Alan Braxe, Steve Angello, Axwell, Sebastian Ingrosso, Kris Menace, Arno Cost & Arias, Eric Prydz, Freemasons..."
"Citylife is built on a wealth of experience, and a simple passion for producing chart-ripping tracks. They know not to mess with a successful formula. "
If you want to get an idea of what the original sounds like hit the Citylife MySpace & if you want to purchase this with remixes including the Fred Falke vocal mix then hit Beatport.
Fred Falke will have my bed spinning softly with this flowing through my earphones while I dream of having softporn at my favorite Arcade hall; it's so epic in the most peaceful way... I think i'm out of words to describe this remix because it is always a super praise praise praise when it comes to Falke & this one is no exception.
This is Poison Season's closing track; for those who placed a premature judgment on the new sound direction - I say give this a listen because it's the opposite of Ricochet - this is more of a rock power ballad.
My new policy abides by the rule that says if the word 'Australia' gets mentioned once in a post then the rest of the text is completely disposable; & this band I'm about to praise is Australian!
Opting viral trickery to impress and force print a first impression we believe is ours when it's a psychological gimmick hack into our brains by big labels is the way to go these days, you see bands labeling themselves bizarrely under nonexistent genres such as Foam Screamo or Dolphin Pop in hopes of being received as unique!
As much as it's unrealistic it is a working method.
In the case of this electro dutch pop jam band they've coated their Mypace page with Optical Illusions & it actually makes sense accompanied by their music - the zinging brain jolts from those fraud eye damagers do come to mind when listening to their music because they have connected both for us to be instantly impacted by. – Meaning, if they make it BIG, then every sight twisting illusion will somehow relate to them being their visual aesthetic factor; sort of like how the † 'Cross' to a lot of people symbolizes Justice rather than religion.
First track is Flippers which sounds like the zombie version of the Backstreet Boys performing a distorted cover of Nelly's 'Ride Wit Me' while Nick's gay partner is playing Arkanoid on a 900" TV screen in the background, causing the static around the screen to form a magnetic RGB spiral that makes everyone daydream about synthesized kaleidoscopes!
Now, the other track Hollywood could be loved merely for re-simulating that Daft Punk 'Aerodynamic' faux guitar solo during the second half of it, but more for sounding like a cover of an Alien Ant Farm cover of Michael Jackson humming the vowels I-I-E-I!
In shorts, this trio likes re-destructing late 90s early 00s boy band pop to reconstruct it again in 3D in a studio covered walls to ceiling with optical illusion print sheets because it makes the music sound better.
If you want to get a hint of their present day influences, just take a look at their top friends on MySpace.
Today I almost caved into another episode of reasonless depression, but this piece of beauty appeared in my inbox and saved my morning & had me laying my head between my crossed arms on the musky wooden desk enjoying it in a loop.
"James Yuill is a forward-thinking songwriter who weaves his passion for the emotional lyrics and atmospheres of artists like Nick Drake, Radiohead & Sufjan Stevens and the visceral beats and dynamic rhythms of Justice, Chemical Brothers & Aphex Twin into a sound all of his own. His debut album Turning Down Water For Air will be released on Moshi Moshi on October 13th."
I was so afraid The Killers would throw another meh album after that no-so-fun-to-listen-to-entirely Sam's Town, but this proves it's not going to happen!
The band said, the new single sounds like Johnny Cash meets The Pet Shop Boys - in other words synth and guitars!
I say ignore all that, just imagine if Stuart Price produced it and you'll get the proper idea... well, no need to imagine at all.. because Stuart Price in fact produced the whole album, it is titled Day & Age to be released on November, 25th.
Human is the first single from Day & Age and is the single every Mr. Brightside lover have been waiting for.
I just received this 80Kidz edit of MGMT 'Kids' a while ago & I love the oomphing efforts covering the original, obviously they wanted it to fit their style so they boosted the distortion x2 & I'm totally loving the magnified synth'd second half of it!
Official MGMT 'Kids' CD Single Tracklist: 1. Kids 2. Kids (Soulwax Remix) 3. Of Moons, Birds & Monsters (Holy Ghost! Remix)
Can't wait to see what Holy Ghost! have done to that one, ohh and talking about half better remixes n edits - the last 3 minutes of the remix he did for They Came From The Stars, I Saw Themis total bliss!
Returning to the ex. single 'Electric Feel', the ultimate next best remix after Justice was by James Rutledge (why wasn't this officially released)... I've been enjoying its melodic choppiness for a long time now in a 192kbps but during a short chat with him this morning he updated me with a 256kbps rip!
Truth to be said, the Mercy Arms album is brilliant! Overall it sounds like a dirtier distroted Coldplay, but this particular track 'Shine A Light' strongly urges my mind to simulate a belief of an Arctic Monkeys & The Horrors bedtime story styled collaboration.
Every respected blog have paid their 2 cents to this duo already & with that kind of hype I knew I was going to fall in love with them even before I heard anything - I decided to wait for the final version of the single to substantiate in 320kbps & here I am today declaring my love.
"Girl on girl haunted DIY dancefloor hypnoses, made in the confession booth of the church of disco."
Although they're not quite the same thing, but Hercules & Love Affair have just met their contenders.
You can buy it exclusively from Beatport. Or you can wait for the vinyl which is currently at the pressing plant and will be in the stores within weeks as well as a special edition 12″ on sale direct from Erol Alkan.
This is the real front Cover of Bloc Party's latest 'Intimacy' - Thank god it's not that ugly text only black one, the second single is 'Talons' & it will be available on the physical release.
Mr. Oizo New LP 'Lambs Anger'! Out: November 17 on ED REC.
I was having a conversation with one of my friends about AIR yesterday, and during I realized that a lot of people didn't know that AIR remixed other artists! - If you belong to that bunch then this post will change your status... consider it a musical critical update.
When they remix something, they make sure they print the word AIR all over it with no spaces - i would die a happy man if they release another remix album.
There's been a debate for hours regarding whether posting this will make me and Rocket lose self respect or not, but eventually (obviously) we sold our conscious to the goodness of the proper rip - hereby i testify that Rocket from Drop Urge got it first.
This is the first time i hear something from Phaze Action - the remix has a similar beat intro to the Holy Ghost! remix of Cut Copy's Hearts On Fire, electro structure to Benjmain Theves remix of Flairs' Better Than Prince & bassline to Hercules & Love Affair's Athena - taken from digital remixes release of Heartbreaker.
I call it the "Parquet Floored Skating Rink Super Disco Filler"!
Juanita, Juanita.. & the Howling Bells. No one ever really get to hype this band; with a rockier-sounthwest american sound, Howling Bells get to be known mostly in the Uk last year with their sophomore released through Bella Union, an independent record label located in the United Kingdom, having toured with bands like Placebo and Killers. Now HB are ready to release a new and fresh album, we hope its good ad their first work.
This is going to be a very short & meaningful review - here we go... AHHHHHH OMG GHTGE984%^&*00++ OMG AHHHH UH OH YEAAAH OOOOOOOOOH KARRAAAAAAH OMFG AHAHAHAHAHAH WOOOOW GOOOOO GO GO Synth Synth Synth!!!!!!!! AHH UHH UH UH ^&%%6867667%% w00t w00t **&%^@$#U*y9 AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH <3 <3 <3 LOOOOOOOOVE LOOOVE LOOOOOVES ITTTT!!! EIGHTIIIIES WOOOOOOOOOOO AHHHHHH! - end.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Now if you prefer a more substantial review, i couldn't have said anything better than what my pal Adem said on his blog, check it!
Q1: What's one of the most underrated bands of 2008 that's being slept on for not belonging to the bangers making music category while being appreciated by the likes of Justice & Metronomy?
Q2:What's is the most amazing chill out song ever made that doesn't repeat the same lyric line twice & makes me get emotional and all till this day when I've been playing it since 2004?
I think hell just froze, coz three hookers in semi-matching tacky outfits stole a gold record from Aqua & Bilboard (not Billboard) helped them out with the alibi... hahahah, nah that's the last thing I've heard from the luxuriously fabulous Pay TV... where is the album though, release it already.
Anyhoo, I've been missing a lot of people lately, specially Royksopp so I had to do a little obsolete internet research! Their next album should drop by the end of this year & guess who might guest on one of the tracks......... Lykke Li!
I also want another Soulwax Nite Versions Album, but I reckon they need to release another studio album first before Nite Versioning again – I'm trying to get into the Whitey mood preparing for his soon to be released LP, I heard Erol Alkan is tweaking a track for it.
On a related subject, Soulwax are producing Tiga's upcoming album which will be preceded by the new single The Future Mindimension - It's rumored that the promo package will look something like this:
01. The Future Mindimension (Radio Edit) 02. The Future Mindimension (Soulwax Remix) 03. The Future Mindimension (Scissor Sisters Remix) 04. The Future Mindimension (Thomas Von Party & Brad Bamborghihi Remix) 05. The Future Mindimension (Herve's Neverminded Remix) 06. The Future Mindimension (Original Mix) 07. Omnidance
I'm thirsty for new materials by Mylo, Linus Loves, The Rapture, New Young Pony Club... I wonder if they will release anything before the year is over!? & Oooh, remember Richard X amazing pop producer X-Factor Vol.1 album? (one of the best Pop Culture items of the 21st century) – Vol. II looks like this (to avoid disappointment, read this whole post till the end):
01. Dazzle (Statements of the Bizarre - Intro) 02. Time Trap (ft. M.I.A.) 03. Late Night Phone Calls (ft. Tiga) 04. Melody (vs. Kleerup) 05. Too Young (ft. Lykke Li) 06. Pass Me By (ft. Roisin Murphy & Tracey Thorn) 00. Wrong Number 07. Boy, Boys, Boys (ft.Sugababes) 08. Ouch Punk (ft. Annie) 09. Golden Brick (This is a Hit) 10. Wicked Tongue (ft. The Ting Tings) 11. Gleet (ft. Klaxons) 12. Soft Departure 13. True What They Say (ft. Sia) 14. Dull Disco (ft. Justice & Choir of Foundation for Young Musicians) 15. Battery Discharge (This Album Does Not Exist 'Hidden Track')
I want a new Air Remixed album, tons of their tracks would sound amazing if they undergo surgery by the doctors of this blog century - I think if Justice, Crystal Castles, Metronomy, Soulwax, Shinichi Osawa…etc, the result could be massive!- There have been a bunch of good remix albums this year including SMD, Kudu, Health,Shinichi Osawa, SebastiAn & now Joakim is releasing his!
Joakim (My Best Remixes): 01. Annie - Always Too Late 02. The Chap - Ethnic Instruments 03. DJ Mehdi - Pocket Piano 04. Zombie Zombie - Drive This Road Until Death Sets You Free 05. Tiga - Pleasure From The Bass 06. Late Of The Pier - The Bears Are Coming (Dub Remix) 07. Clashing Egos - Aiming Nebere 08. Alter Ego - Why Not? 09. Cut Copy - Heart On Fire 10. Lionel Hampton - Vibromatic 11. Antena - Camino Del Sol 12. Max Berlin - Elle & Moi
The Crimewave 12" should drop this month, but for those of you who don't do Vinyl, you can purchase it digitally here, with a bonus LZRTAG remix that's not on the 12".
Couple iPodable remixes of & by The Teenagers appeared last night; you know what to do…
Huge thanks to Alistair from camp Metronomy for the goodies! The parcel was opened and re-horribly-sealed with duck tape before i got it, but the content was safe & intact upon arrival:
The Richard X Vol. II, does not exist, I made the tracklist up out of severe boredom & desperation for another one … he (RX) should seriously start working on it; otherwise, someone please help me kidnap him so we can lock him in a studio & force him to do it…
Last but not least, my friend Adem got his hands on the Ladyhawke album & wrote a detailed, track by track review worth your time wasting on… here!
Seriously WTF, Shinichi drops a remixed version of his amazing debut on my birthday and I don't notice - It's a perfect timing for such a release because I don't think Sample & Hold would've survived till the end of the year.
This is one of those posts that doesn't need any additional text to explain anything - If you're wondeirng why you should order this pronto, I'll ask you to just take one look at the names of the people who reworked it (enough said).
♫Shinichi Osawa - Foals (Streetlife DJs Remix) It's probably the most played album on my iPod this week (after Nights Out), minus the Armand Van Helden remix which is kinda meh... by the way, Star Guitar will soon be released with additional remixes by Japanese Popstars, Streetlife DJs & Cagedbaby!
Incase you didn't know, Star Guitar is actually a cover of the Chemical Brothers!
This album is what a Bundle Of Joy stands for, if you're not getting this for yourself then you should seriously consider gifting it to someone for Christmas - you MUST buy this!
Imagine if you had a machine that can reproduce any track you like of any genre into a proper text book indie rock band hit!
I'm talking about something that can make a Pantha Du Prince track to sound like a Franz Ferdinand or a Prince track to sound like The Teenagers - or even better if you feed it an original indie rock track it will make it even more original than the original!
Well… there is no need to imagine at all because it exists, but unfortunately it's not a machine & no, you can't purchase it, because it is actually a person!
Frenchie 25 Hours A Day may have tagged his style as Electro on MySpace, but every drum kick, snare, cowbell konk & guitar chord swear it's indie rock perfection (with synth, occasionally) – he's the kind of guy that would remix your track and instead of bleeping it he would come up with something that could be mistaken for being the original version more than the original track itself!
Re-reading what I just typed sounded like a slightly understandable nonsense, but you wouldn't get it unless you actually listen to his remixes… for instance I hated Phoenix's 'Long Distance Call' ever since it came out & after I heard 15 Hours A Day's version I fell I love with it & while listening to it on my iPod on shuffle mode I actually thought I was listening to a rad track by some new indie band!
He's literally what a one-man-band stands for & it amazes me that none of the hype dominating (popular) Blogs have paid attention to him yet!
I've wanted to blog him since December 07 but he's one hell of a toughie to get in touch with, I actually had Flairs contact him to let him contact me back + there is really not much info about him on World Wide Web!
He's officially one of my favorite BANDS, yes he is!
Also, in case you haven't heard his remix of Flairs' Better Than Prince that sounds like a sequel to The Teenagers' Starlett Johansson, you can hear it here in HQ – I will try to get permission to post it soon.
First single from the upcoming album A Hundred Million Suns, produced by Jacknife Lee - two things must be said though, that album cover is meh/yawn & is the single by any chance a reproduced b-side from their vault, it just screams radio for the masses... wish it wasn't a grower.
* Amadou and Mariam are a musical duo from Mali. * The pair, known as "the blind couple from Mali". * The duo produces music that mixes traditional Mali sound with rock guitars, Syrian violins, Cuban trumpets, Egyptian ney, Colombian trombones, Indian tablas and Dogon percussion - All these elements put together have been referred to as "Afro-blues". * The new single 'Sabali' is produced by Damon Albarn (Blur/Gorillaz/The Good, The Bad & The Queen) * I'd rather hype over it than Kanye West's 'Love Lockdown'. * Sabali is the 1st single from the upcoming album 'Welcome To Mali', released on November 17, features a host of guests from the world music circuit, including kora player Toumani Diabete, who has previously worked with Albarn on his 'Mali Music' album and Bjork on 'Volta'.
First, congratulations on the hype inflation you received this year with the singles and album, NME gave it 9/10!
Thank you very much. I’m happy that the ‘hype’ came after people had heard the album though. I think for a while people weren’t that sure about us, maybe thought we were a bit of a joke or something. So, it’s incredibly rewarding that the album is going down so well.
Nights Out is a half-arsed concept album about going out and having a crap time! Is that by any chance a result of personal experiences or was it just an awesome sort-of-a-movie idea that you opted?
It’s more about expectations of going out really. Planning to have the best night of your life and then being very disappointed. It’s half arsed in the sense that it was originally going to be far more movie like with a narrative etc. I guess it’s ended up being more like the story of a strange weekend...more atmospheric than literal.
I know you've taken a slightly different direction with Nights Out – what was it like making this album?
Making the album was quite straight forward really. I’m still working in the same way i always have, on my own with my computer and bits and bobs around me.
The original plan was to just make something that was cohesive and album like in the way that old albums used to be. I wanted every song to be as important as the next.
Towards the end of recording the new label wanted another single (as they so often do), so that put a bit of pressure on me. But, the last two songs i wrote (as singles) Holiday and A thing For me, turned out to be two of my favourites.
It seems, the masses are more accepting of the tad more mainstream Metronomy than the complete quirky weirdo laptop music fabricator you used to be! Actually, this time Metronomy stands as a band more than an electronic outfit, is this new direction permanent?
I’m not sure what’ll happen really. I think Metronomy could stay as a band or perhaps just be a studio thing or a while, there are plenty of options. I suppose the ‘tad more mainstream’ Metronomy has a greater chance of slipping the ‘quirky weirdo’ into the mainstream. That is an opportunity that should surely be capitalized upon.
What made you decide to go all vocal?
It wasn’t really a big decision, it was far more an issue of confidence. I’ve always flirted with the idea and recorded bits of vocal stuff since the beginning. It was only really playing live that helped me gain confidence with singing. I was also warey of making a sub-standard version of 'Pip Paine (Pay the £5000 You Owe)', i think it’s important to keep pushing yourself a bit.
From what I've heard 'Nights Out' is worth purchasing for the artwork itself! Who's responsible for the visual goodies… and is that by any chance an old EV1 car (one of the first effectice electric vehicle sold in the state, and stopped because of the oil lobby, according to the movie "Who killed the Electric Car")on the front cover?
The car is a Honda Insight (the first commercially available hybrid car i believe). As for the artwork, it is done by the airbrush artist Philip Castle. He is responsible for some of my favourite posters/albums ever. He did the original Clockwork Orange film posters. He also did His ‘n’ Hers by Pulp and many more besides. He’s well worth researching.
What about the videos, who came up with those bizarrely cute concepts? they deliver the songs so well!
It’s a young man named Daniel Brereton (YouTube). He’s an illustrator originally. The concepts are normally mine initially, but then Daniel comes along and makes them his own. E.g, it was not my idea for the face paint in Radio Ladio.
In February in an interview I did with Little Boots, she said she was hoping to have some Metronomy produced tracks done for her album & I quote "Hopefully some stuff with Metronomy... apparently he has made a track for me... I'm just trying to prise it out of him!" - So what's deal?
I have sent her the track and we’ll hopefully be recording it proper soon. Trouble is I’m so busy of late. I’ve known her for a very long time and would love to get it all together, so fingers crossed.
Relating to the wave of popstars Metronomian production love, I read that Sophie Ellis Bextor has a new album on the way with production slots filled by Freemasons, Calvin Harris (among others) & you? Tell us all there is to tell about this!
Well, one day i got an email from my manager saying that Sophie Ellis Bextor was interested in some Co-writing/production from me. I was rather surprised. I found out that it was actually Sophie herself that had wanted to get in touch. Quite often with these things it’s the managements idea and the artist just goes along with it.
Anyway, i thought that anyone in that arena who liked Metronomy was worth giving it a go with. As it happens, she was a pleasure to work with. She’s very intuitive, which for some reason I didn’t expect. So there you go, the whole thing was a very nice experience. The track we did is pretty good i think and a slight departure from what you might expect of her. As for whether it makes her album, I’m not sure. But, I’d be more than happy if it did.
Any other new productions & remixes done/in the process?
I’m always doing things with cocknbullkid, but holding off remixing for a while. I’m actually trying to get going with the next record.
I heard you take remixing duties as serious as coming up with amazing stuff of your own, and word on the street that Metronomy is not an easy to opt remixer – do you have terms & conditions regarding who to remix and a list of reasons to why do it? Or you would remix something like Lil' Wayne's 'Lollipop' if cash and time were present?
I’d love to remix Lil’ Wayne. As for the others, i don’t really have much of a screening process. Basically, it’s easy to tell when an A&R person has just suggested Metronomy because they think it’ll make an Un-cool band cool. That puts me off, mainly because i think I don't make anyone cool. I turned down the Sugababes recently because the song was a bad cover version that i wouldn’t have been able to do anything with. Having said all of that, there was a time when i needed to take anything i could get because the band needed the money to survive. Now it’s a luxury to pick and choose.
According to Wikipedia you played live with Justice, did you get to hang out with the mustachioed & the AZN backstage? What do you think of them & in your head do you see collaboration between you 2 succeeding? If you remixed one of their songs (hypothetically) or co-wrote one (hypothetically)... what would it sound like?
We had a lovely time with Justice. It was actually a CSS tour that we were both a part of, we are also label mates with them so see them quite often. They are very nice chaps. I’m not sure about a collaboration, but a remix swap would be a welcome idea. A collaboration would probably end up sounding a bit like a confused mess. Big kick drums, plinky-plonky guitars and a childrens choir singing about not dancing.
Out of all the people you played live with - Who was the most fun to tour with?
I think we had most fun with Foals. We’re very good friends with them all and share common past-times...partying.
I heard you have dancing girls in your show! What else do you bring to boost the entertainment level? Capes & latex overalls?
We get the girls when we can, but quite often it’s just us three holding the fort. We try and put on a show for the people, we have our little lights and man-dances. Latex is too expensive, give it a year or two.
What's next?
It’s my birthday today so I’m going to play some cricket with friends. I’m going to start on the new record, hopefully do some more production and fingers crossed, have a career in the music industry.
Embodying a physical habitat through a compilation of ears confusing tunes is not as easy as looking at an object and finding inspiration like the so called artists & fashioners swear and deceive by, It's all about going over the top with it, smothering the senses in what could be mistaken for a mental difficulty; for instance LCD Soundsystem covered the endoskeleton of the studio walls, ceiling & equipments with shiny aluminum foil to achieve Sound Of silver; Hot Chip spray covered their gear with neon phosphor, turned off the lights and made it in the dark.. Yet Metronomy's method cannot be figured for they radiate with more weirdness than reality can resolute.
If bands are more likely to be discovered at bars & local pubs, Metronomy will be found at a balloon decorated funeral or a bar mitzvah at club Bollywood. – Nights Out is a semi-concept album that consults the uncomfortable situations involved with relationships in the real world & the unexplainable gut wrenching cramps that precedes a big night out, soon to go against your plans!
Listening to Nights Out I can only imagine them at an old bookstore owned by a deaf man, in a dimmed corner rehearsing to a self setup audience of lights covered household appliances; there's a certain discomfort to the sound that raises the questions why & since when did your brain start understanding such eccentricity, because the songs actually sound like they were recorded to a corrupted disc that the label mistakenly released while everyone in the media & the public are praising it as art.
Sort of eating a can of expired fruits that despite the rancidness it still tastes sweet, they didn't invent new instruments, Joseph Mount opted what any other band use to make their music except tamed it to speak the language he spoke; wonky guitars, elastic bass, unsteady drum machine beats, burlesque synths, punctured accordions, claps & lots of keyboard finger plays that form the final product of detuned electro-pop that despite their disorder are the most original catchy tunes you've heard in a long time!
It's my perfect soundtrack to embarrassing situations & inexplicable melancholy moments that can only be gotten rid of by distraction. - Joseph Mount is the coolest villain disguised as a sheriff underhandedly screwing pop up to build his tribe of bizarre music loving artsfags & artsbitches.
Liking this sort of music only proves that your brain functions aesthetically better than everyone else miserably hyping over the commercial charts, & the next time you see a bunch of people at a party wearing veils while doing the robot dance & moonwalking, just listen closely because Metronomy is playing.
The Crimewave Remixes 12" is just around the corner (no actual date yet, whenever the boxes arrive they'll start selling them. say late September.) with reworks by Sinden, L.A. Riots & Keith!
Tracklist: 1. Original Version (Mixed for vinyl) 2. Sinden Remix 3. L.A. Riots Remix 4. Keith Remix
The ominous Sinden parking lot dramatic assault remix have been posted on countless blogs but apparently the falsely claimed 320kbps version everyone has is actually an up conversion of a lower bitrate MySpace rip, I can't believe people are starting to post lousy rips & versions just to be the first!
Anyhow, Crystal Castles' label Lies Records sent us a real CD-Rip of the remix in 160kbps that sounds proper sharp & better than the faux 320kbps version Hypem is infected with.
(Update) Lies Records gave us yet another remix from the release to share, this time a dirty spiraling electro grind with live wire helicopter/strobe chop effects on vocals remix by Keith!
On a relating subject, i realized a blog have posted this (Switches - Lay Down The Law (Crystal Castles Remix)) which is actually can be found on this promo - but the truth is, Ethan didn't finish it. They have no idea if/why Switches released it.
It's from 2006, it's ancient bullshit. Ethan sent Switches a demo and maybe they leaked it?
I'm not sure if they line up new acts & throw a brick when they're feeling lucky at them to choose, but this is one of those times I'm sure they didn't apply that method - from making distorted car alarm like electro shutter stutters, the guys from Like Whoa! are going by a more stuffed-toys-compatible side project name Ted & Francis, making vocal-present waffle-like muncha-ble dreamy pop music with a garnish of fruity beeps for the tang - a snack they call 'Tropical Pop' & it comes from Australia, Yep they're Australian, Australia gives birth to musically genius babies - you should seriously start noticing them because they are one of the acts to watch next year!
Next week if I receive the retail version... I will be using a different more fun method of album reviewing, where I will be doing a first impression styled track by track commentary of the album!
Th17K - Hit me with an E-Mail.
Leave a comment explaining why you are excited about the Ladyhawke album with your name & country - The person with the best reason will receive back a goodie in 320kbps!
Latest project from Graham Massey - Sisters Of Transistors an all girl Organ quartet specializing in Baroque Disco Prog - video above of the first single The Don should do all the talking for itself; directed by Mark Thomas & it is 3D ready so make sure you got your snatched 3D glasses on!
The Don will be released on the 22nd of Sept, with remixes by The Acid Girls, Hot Chip, Chrome Hoof & Lord Skywave!
Walking down the street & stepping on radioactive gum that infects you slowly and starts to mutate you into a skinny jeans wearing purple nightcrawler... that's the kind of adventure i imagine every time i listen to Nightmoves' remixes, it just induces the chemicals for abnormal mind wandering!
It pissed me off that some blogs recorded the stream off Nightmoves MySpace & posted it as a 320kbps rip which I ended up downloading and ruining the first play on myself; but fear not for I taken action into matter in hand and reported this situation to Mr. Nightmoves who in return sent me back the real 320kbps remix with a green light for immediate public sharing.
On the other hand, The Shoes used their piano keys of doom to tame the Focker mayhem down & created a version for those times when migrains & original version don't mash.
We cant be any more excited about Ladyhawkes debut album, and to prove to you that it will officially bang your head with her 80s-pop-sound, we leave you here with...
Someone says it sound like a Madonna ballad, someone says it sound like a Pop song from the 90s, I really cant say what it sounds like, but it's indeed really(10x) good; & surely this might become one of the greatest albums of 08.
Click here to preorder the album as we already did.
I wanted to make a video for fun, using webcams and a bunch of friends. Not the most original idea, but it was a good time. This is the result!
I just want to thank everyone who took time out to make a video for me. It is much appreciated!
Thanks to: Jen Rea. Peaches and Cole Yaverbaum. JD Samson. Sia. Adam, Michael and Lucas Smoothfoot. Dev and Louise Hynes. Soko. Emily and Danny White. Ryan Simpson. Tom De Borst. Sarah Larnach. Kirin J Callinan. Connan Hosford. Nikky Brinkman. Frank and Mum.
Kudus to CFCF for transforming this into a funky lounge ambient piece - smooth, flowing, playable under any mood & it twinkles; I'm so playing this during the morning rush hour.
Everyone seems to be having mixed feelings about Thieves Like Us because their outcome is always unpredictable, specially with a tongue twist switch between the discoid skating rink styles of Drugs In My Body & the Joy Division-esque salted Your Heart Feels where they don't sound like their old selves, but being Parisian kind of allows you to change fashion on daily basis (I guess...).
Thieves Like Us have finally released the remixes of Drugs In My Body through Kitsune, including the winning slightly vocoded Rochelle remix of their Drugs In My Body Remix Competition, along with retouche-ments from Designer Drugs, Just A Band, The Bang Gang Deejays & an extended version by the Thieves themselves.
My favorite remix off the package is the Gang Bang Deejays followed by Rochelle while the other two I'm not really sure if I like, because they are based purely on distortion (getting tired already...?)
It just screams dancefloor & the helicopterised vocals makes posing under strobes much easier, all i wanna do listening to this remix is have my hands up in the air and jump around like my shoes on fire.
On a relating subject, Bang Gang's follow up compilation to Light Sound Dance, titled D Is For Disco, E Is For Dancing will be out late October and introduces a whole new level of trance travel for The Bang Gang Deejays, set to sail the heaving oceans of fidget house, plumbing the depths of deep, late night techno, floating the breezy bays of Baltimore club and frolicking gayly in the shore break of disco. The album art is an ode to all things black & white with a mixture of Australiana themed content thrown in for good measure. Pre-orderD is for Disco, E is for Dancing.
Some dude called Nick Bittar just slapped sense out of me through an email (thanx for the wake up call) - there i was five days ago expressing my unbelief of peoples lack of knowledge of Nick Littlemore's (1/2 PNAU) ex duo band with Pip Brown (Ladyhawke) 'Teenager'... when I have missed a more recent project also involving him under the name 'The Empire Of The Sun' (the name reminds me of Kings Of Convenience for some reason + it sounds like a pop project Erlend Øye would be involved in) - there's only one song so far (+ a remix) but they're both just good enough to survive the overplay till EMI releases the album on October 4th 2008.
The video was shot recently in Shanghai, China.
Both (320kbps VBR) the original and the remix made my teeth melt, the lyrics stick to your brain like hard glue & the soft patting beat just screams wayfarers, top down and long drive by the beach at the early dawn!
Funny thing, i'm going tanning in an hour n half (just perfect) my lazy ass friend decided to sleep and get some fat inflated beneath his skin instead of getting a golden shimmer... still, on the iPod already!
Guess what! Beside finishing the amazing remix of Van She 'Changes', the wizardy hands in the G.L.O.V.E.S. are currently remixing having sex with Cut Copy 'Far Away' & Sneaky Sound System 'When We Were Young' which only confirms & means what you think it means!
But that's not all!
The Cutters (Cut Copy Record Label) consignees & heartthrobs Damn Arms are soon to release a new single which you can preview a demo of on their MySpace - with remixes by Cut Copy, Gloves, Bang Gang & Kitsune'sTed & Francis!
GuessWhat!? Their fetish for colored scotch tape & dressing up in lolita style drag has nothing to do with their music, except for the flamboyance factor that is definitely there.
You might heard of this trio of softies in past couple months when blogs circulated their song German Love because it was kinda nice and some people compared them to The Teenagers because it seemed to be the easiest way to express their fondness of the Starfucker, who celebrates nostalgic positive Lo-Fi Keyboard Pop like a bunch of hooligans in a free candy store; its all an experience to extract spontaneous memories and emotions from our teenage archives without eliminating the serotonin from the brain.
Melodic pretty much sums the aura radiating around this record. For a band that didn't get it's fair share of blog love, this album speaks loudly and demands its rights to be noticed.
I really had no idea of what to expect when I prepared myself for a listening session, maybe a bit forcing myself to do so since German Love (the track that been circulating the blogs) is not something to go crazy for, but let me tell you… this one here has the same surprise factor Hot Chip's Made In The dark had – It screams goodness from the first 10 seconds and it keeps going on throughout the album, no skipping needed!
To give you an idea of what you're likely to hear: Thick layers of smooth bass, crunchy food crave inducing drum machine beats, star guitars (lagging & cosmic), tamed dance beats, Van She's vocal charm, homage to un-so-innocuous teenagism, textbook indie guitars, harmonious singing, playground clapping circle synchronizations, tambourines, synth, keys & different crispy sound making household objects!
If AIR were to become an indie band then Starfucker could somehow be what they will sound like, there are many Surfing On a Rocket like moments here with semi-breathy soft vocals & polyphonic tones playing in the background!
It is basically a compilation of drowsy music for the numb dancefloors.
Ps. This is more of a pre-review scrap note than an actual review, but it does the trick.
So, recently my friend gifted me a Ministry Of Sound compilation from the Clubbers Guide Series (Spring 2008) & i had to totally act all happy and excited despite the fact that i hate Ministry Of Sound compilation & pretty much any other commercial VA albums that i most of the time end up liking 1 or 2 tracks from, max...
Well, last night i was getting rid of all the trash and old promo packages that have been accumulating dust under my bed and causing my skin to rash & I found it there... out of curiosity i took a look at the track listing & what do you know! This piece of shit turned out to be ace, not only made in Australia but held a massive 2-discs of goodies (which 80% of i already have) but still all mixed well together!
Sam La More (Sam Littlemore - Nick's Brother) have officially remixed Pnau's Strawberry/Baby in the past & most recently an amazing one of 1/2 of Pnau 'Nick Littlemore' side project 'Empire Of The Sun' new single 'Walking On A Dream'!
You'd be amazed at the amount of tracks he produced/remixes and we loved but never knew he was involved with, just look at his massive production credits!
The remix doesn't go very far from the original but moisturizes it for the spring! Love it.
No New Posts Today As I'm Fully In Britney Mode, It Will Be 5AM Here & We Are Insanely Having A Get Together At My Friend's To Watch It Live Accompanying It With Mountains Of Grubb!
WTF, the grubb and bloating bellies was there but the VMA wasn't... there was no energy at all & Lil' Wayne's disgusting figure was on the screen most the time & i kept gagging constantly _ plus, I like Britney and I'm happy for her winning 3 times but seriously 'Piece Of Me' wasn't the best between the nominees.
Worst thing though was that both Katy Perry & Ting Tings (who i was looking foward to see peform) only performed for like a minute or so each ARGGHH!
I tottaly loved the 'Genie In A Bottle' remix & the new Xtina single sounds like a mainstream version of Goldfrapp's Ooh La La... Also the kanye west song was great IMO!
Other than that it was shit, dead... and too many commecial breaks where it obscenely was 90% about HIV & Condoms where i had to several times look at saggy butts of mid aged men... arghh.
Wasn't worth staying up till 5 am to watch it... boring.
Ohh and some celebs were being total bastards whenever Britney won.. facial expressions & sarcastic laughs...
It's 7:00am - I'm goingto rest my head for a while and then post a couple of things i wanted to since yesterday! Good stuff, I Promise.
VMA SUCKED... the highlight of the evening was when they played 11h30 (i think) by Danger in the background when they were switching to commercials break.
Don't Forget, Tonight At 9PM EST... New Posts & Shite Later Today!
Despite the negative reaction scattered all over world wide web regarding the style of this track, I'm totally in love with it & think it was the perfect runway soundtrack for that show!
I was supposed to interview them couple months ago but got tangled up in all sorts of other shit that I've already started working on at that time & i kinda forgot about it!
Few days back they sent in this simple yet effective remix that refreshes the original & I found myself totally iPoding it at random times of the day!
This really does not need much explaining, 1986 is a previously unreleased track, now only available on the limited to 1000 copies of Blazer 12" picture disc!
A lot of people know the duo 'Studio' from their hype-active remix of Kylie's Kish Mauve injected comeback single '2 Hearts', but I've been a believer from way years back & I remember crowning their LP 'West Coast' in the second spot of the best albums of 2007 feature that I did for a local magazine here!
Never in my life, I have ever thought once that their tracks could be DJ'd at a wild night on a weekend... let alone be danced to like its the #1 hit on the dance charts!
Recently I posted an amazing Lykke Li remix by a Swedish new comer 'Klumpfisk' along with his remix of 'West Side' but with all the clutter of mass downloaded promo mixes on my desktop I kind of missed it and it didn't make it into my iPod - until last night at a desktop cleaning session I found it and decided to throw it into my new bedtime play list... 2 hours later i go fully unconscious on bed, & something amazing inside my head (even though I was sleeping) told me 'Dude wake up and check out what you're listening to, It's totally worth ruining your sleep for it)!
I did and it was this Klumpfisk remix of Studio!!! Seriously, I wouldn't have given that much attention to it & started my day by creating this post if it wasn't that good!
Hold your breathe until the 3:23 mark coz that's when the goosebumps started for me... although it's unofficial, it is by far one of the best remixes i heard this year (although i think the outro should've been diff, but then its perfect for beat syncing for DJ mixes... I guess)!
I kinda forgot about them after the hype over their EP was over, I just checked their MySpace a few minutes ago after listening to the amazing better-than-original Kap10Kurt remix of the new single 'She Knows It' and there it was, an announcement saying 'album out Sept 13th' - the album is titled EON - “It's an album we produced ourselves and there are a lot of live sounds on the album but it’s a real exploration of electronic sounds. We’ve really pushed the synthesiser sounds; we’ve pushed the spaces, the echoes. The actual mixing [of] the album is part of the music, but we’ve tried to give it a real human feel with the electronic sounds. It’s not like lots of blops and bleeps; it’s quite warm, a rich texture. Electronic sounds can be very beautiful and have their own character about them.”!
It impresses to come across a band/artist/DJ who know what the hell they're doing and best of all have a better judgment on their work than we journalists do, the comparisons are inevitable as any 8-bit rodeos are immediately filed side to side next to Crystal Castles but that's not the only dimension to this duo, because it's not all videogames beeps & bleeps - there's more to their sound than what the blog say + they totally don't sample n steal other people's work and rework it to make it their own... *get a hint*!
From today onward, Ohh!Crapp... is showing them full support & we will be following their every move because YLHCSD have made it into our Best New Artists Of 2008 list.
Find out what they're all about, their upcoming releases, remixes, their self Uffie style comparison & what they think of Crystal Castles & all the blogs labeling them under 8-bit! _____________________________________
We accustomed to 8-bit outfits named after video games n electronics as it seems to be an expected and appropriate move but it seems like you preferred to promote Necrophilia, is it the new hot thing in the chiptune community (Sex with dead people)?
Oh you filthy bastard. You are by no means the first to ask us this, and this is a common misunderstanding of our name, but hey, what's in a name? Contrary to popular belief, the bunch of words YOU LOVE HER COZ SHES DEAD is just to reflect the irony in the way that certain people in history are idolized in death, disregarding "she's" for the sake of argument: Marilyn Monroe, Kurt Cobain, Richie Manic etc etc etc.
There's nothing sexually dark about it, and thats why most people look at us as if they've just revealed that they're a dirty pervert when we respond to this question with an explanation that's considerably more 'lovey-dubby'. And just for the record, we should probably vocalize that we don't regard ourselves as a part of the chip-tune community, and we're pretty sure that they don't regard us as that. Mainly because our music is not strictly 8-bit chip-tune, but more of a crossover between differing types of recognizable electronica.
I think people relate you to the Chiptune community because it’s the 8-bit sounds that vacuums most of the attention since it's still not brilliantly over done – sort of like when Justice brought distortion to the light, at that point every other already existing good distortion involving song became noticeable. But I totally get what you're saying… you're songs are un-precisely definable coz it wander between electro, 8-bit synth & even Pop! It' kinda ironic that people who consider themselves having a strong music quality filter/radar actually need a huge neon sign with a lot of arrows and lights and lasers and fireworks around it to notice something that is already been there!
yeah, I guess when you've been immersed in something you have a hard job getting over to new listeners where you've come from, where you're at and where you're going. Having a radar/filter for new music is one thing, but if people can only draw one comparison, then a little more digging into the genre(s) is perhaps needed. If people are interested in YLHCSD they can ask as you have kindly done, and I guess that that is where the press & critics step in, to fill in the blanks; musical and non-musical. For some bizarre reason the music falls secondary sometimes, but we're getting used to it now *winks*.
Tell us about you briefly, your dead names (nicknames), how you 2 met & how you fell in love with 8-bit? What are your inspirations?
We met through mutual friends and found we had a common interest in music, and partying hard, so we put some vocals to tunes that had been developed 2 years prior, and it seemed to work so we kept at it.
Putting "Dead" at the end of our names is just shorthand for YLHCS(Dead), and since people who only knew of our first names referred to us as Elle Dead or Jay Dead so that others would know who they were talking about, it kinda just stuck. We're also referred to as 'The 'Deads' and as the initials YLHCSD.
I think we just have a love for the chip-tune style as an element in our music. We are by no means experts on the genre. Its just a sound that we grew up with I guess. Our interest hasn't much to do with the actual act of gaming either, it's much more a sonic hobby.
Chiptune has always been around but I think it wasn't creative enough, like it just always sounded like ringtones rather than music… until Crystal Castles did something about it! Now, you are a boy/girl duo who look a lot like Crystal Castles & actually make music that trots to their methods – do you think you're being noticed because of the Crystal Castles similarities? & does it bother you to be compared to them?
Well the reason we were picked up by Kitsune was for the track 'wizards', which sounds nothing like Crystal Castles in our opinion.
When it comes to 'methods' - as much as I hate to reinstate the bad press, Crystal Castles did in fact put drums etc over an existing chip-tune artist's music and called it 'Insection', so when you compare 'methods' YLHCSD frown slightly. We aren't aware really of how Crystal Castles go about making their music, but we're pretty sure we are writing in a different way. Much more isolated, rather than having a bit from over here and a bit from over there. Our chip-tune influence is our own, and we like to think we are creating a fusion of styles, where as Crystal Castles' methods seem to be either remixing existing tunes, or writing over things. We don't wish to judge their methods though.
I think people compare a) because it's safe & b) because "yes" there is a comparison, mainly because unlike the thousands upon thousands of almost identical metal, indie, and rock bands there are out there all fighting for the limelight, Crystal Castles is the only comparison out there at the moment for YLHCSD. In a mainstream public knowledge setting, the use of chip-tune influence in music is largely unknown, but it is an old thing, perhaps 20 years or more as you suggest, and what's happened is, it's been made to feel entirely new in many ways. It is perhaps because of the unfortunate lack of obvious alternative references that Crystal Castles' fans might not have to hand, that is the reason we two bands are constantly dropped into the same sentence at the moment, but Im sure that will change.
Anyway, YLHCSD don't think you should bother comparing, as there are a lot of differences, and maybe it'd be more fun to look at those. We have watched Crystal Castles shoot into the stratosphere because they are an amazing band to listen to and to watch. We aren't trying to be them, that would be pointless anyway. We are who we are. To say to us that we look like them is kind of lazy if you want our honest feeling on that, I mean the boy/girl thing isn't original, but then you can't help that either, being determined as one or the other at birth and all haha, but I'm afraid that's something we're somewhat powerless against, unless we purposely drop our tastes in clothing or get some kind of surgery. Sonny & Cher, the Ting Tings, The White Stripes, Kap Bambino.
I think if you look a little closer you'll find we really don't look much alike anyway. Ethan is Mexican or something and Alice is Canadian so some obvious differences right there. And we're pretty sure that we are a few years older than those guys, and dragged through a few more hedges backwards, in an English fashion.
Its not like we started doing this yesterday, and it'd be a shame to be viewed as copy-cats when we have a whole bunch of material, a lot of which salutes Daft Punk & Digitalism, even Uffie, far more than it does Crystal Castles. We personally have enjoyed Crystal Castles' music to be much darker, and as much as YLHCSD carries an aire of angst, we feel our tunes are quite a lot more optimistic or upbeat sounding, if the comparison begs to be made, as it seems.
Gosh, that answer just fucking shut me up in total convenience! And since you mentioned it yourself I actually thought wow 'Uffie' when I heard the 'Deadend' demo! The semi-vocoded vocals ala pop catchy not-much-repeating lyrics! But still other songs are completely instrumental... I know this is early but is the album going to be more vocal or instrumental? What are your plans for the album??
Haha, we aren't trying to shut you up, just get a couple of points across maybe. Our plans so far for the album, are to keep with the YLHCSD sound but you can expect a more streamlined sound, with a combination of more dance-floor friendly tunes, and certainly further 8-bit artiness. There may be comparisons that can be drawn, for sure, but nothing so obvious, and we think our album will definitely have it's own thing going on.
Crystal Castles have somehow managed to convert Thrash to bleepy goodness without losing its intensity & I think most of it relates to the sometimes vulgar and harsh vocals! While listening to Superheroes I noticed the yelling attitude is there.
Ok, firstly they describe themselves as Thrash as a complete joke (we think haha) and I suppose shouted vocals are more associated with bands that really would deserve pidgeon-holing as 'thrash'. Although we can't help but point out that there are quite a lot of singers in music that yell. To say that we yell so therefore are like Crystal Castles is like saying we have eye balls so we therefore are like Crystal Castles. I hope they do.
Yeah it is very pretentious & commercially promo bait embodying to call a genre something that it isn't but works for being gimmicky and sticker fun to attach to! Like a lot of bands relate themselves to unfitting genres, like Christian Dance, Nu-Rave, Surf Pop…. If you ever chose one of those sheen adding genres or made up one.. what would it be & why?
We're all up for that type of gimmicky thing, although we think thats maybe thinking a bit too hard about the way others will view you, and very much a myspace trend it seems, in fact it's such a tiny detail i can't quite believe it's being discussed. We've never given it any thought, but YLHCSD would like to take this opportunity to coin the term 'SuperDigiGiveMeABananaCore'.
I know this is totally random, but what was the most bizarre reaction you received from someone who listened to your music & what's the most embarrassing thing that happened during a live gig?
We've had someone get a bit tearful on us before and say that we are the soundtrack to their lives. To which we could only respond by giving them the biggest hug. I think the most embarrassing thing that could ever happen to anyone at a gig is to realize the crowd in front of you have learnt the words to your songs better than you have. Being battered doesn't help.
It severely intrigues me - exactly how is chiptune music made? Like what's the process of making a song?
There are few methods I'm sure, perhaps one that most could relate to is using the music program on a new age Nintendo Gameboy, although our methods are our own.
I heard 'Kistune' is releasing 'Superheroes' through an EP titled 'Inner City Angst' - how did they get involved?
This is true, Kitsune met us in London after inviting us to be a part of "Paris", a collection of rare and exclusive tracks put together by Gildas & Masaya of Kitsune, our track 'Wizards' mixes out of Does It Offend You Yeah? into Hot Chip. The chemical brothers are also on there, who I used to rave out to as a young teenager, Block Rockin' Beats etc.
'Wizards' was released initially in Japan in May 2008, and the reaction was good, so it was released worldwide a month or so later, and we decided to release a 10" entitled 'Inner City Angst' of YLHCSD tunes that have been around for a while which is out 24th Nov.
after 'Superheores' appears on Kitsune Maison 6 on 20th Oct. We are working now on an album, although we haven't discussed with any labels much about this so far.
What's with the superheroes obsession? Is it the latex or the bulgy crotches?
Haha, well one of does rock it up in the latex yeh but thankfully no bulge- yet anyway. The inspiration for writing music and lyrics while thinking about super-heroes is perhaps our escapism, perhaps just because it's cooler than real life, which can be really fucking boring & overly 'done' inspiration for writing.
The EP is mastered by Nilesh Patel who has worked with a variety of artists and producers over the years including Bjork, Air, Daft Punk, Moby and New Young Pony Club… how did you make the decision of choosing him? I mean obviously he's amazing for working with all the people I just mentioned but 8-bit is a something else!
Kitsune have worked with Nilesh a lot and we're more than pleased the finished tracks went to Nilesh to be mastered. It's like the final process for putting music to vinyl. On the subject of 8-bit though, Im not sure the chiptune community would much appreciate us being described by critics as such, as we just have 8-bit elements. Our music isn't strictly full-on 8-bit/chiptune. Its more of an element/crossover.
It's going to have 8 tracks right? What should we be expecting? Give us a handwritten teaser!
The 'Inner City Angst' EP has 4 tracks. It will be out on the 24th November 2008 on Kitsune, and available on digital download, the usual outlets, and on 10" vinyl. Tracks in order are 'Superheroes', 'Dead End', 'Bloodlust' and 'Wizards'. 'Superheroes' is also to be released 20th Oct 2008 on Kitsune Maison 6, and 'Wizards' was previously released on Gildas & Masaya "Paris" Compilation w/Digitalism/Hot Chip/Chemical Brothers/Little Boots & more. I guess we can tell you to expect something 8-bit/indie, with a lot of pace in places and some plod in others. Some sung vocals and also some shouted vocals which are still quite melodic actually. Its almost impossible make you hear with words - go listen!!!
How was the crowd's reaction to your 8-bit goodness pre-Crystal Castles explosion? Was it being accepted as much as it is today?
We've not always had a good reaction to our music live, bands generally earn that, and Im sure that Crystal Castles played to a few men and their dogs at times. Crystal Castles' recent popularity has now just shone a bright light on the genre, most people have heard of them on various circuits now, so I guess people are just much less "what the fuck?" when they hear us now. After recent controversy for Crystal Castles, I think its fair to say that it would be unfair to entertain the idea they started it, but they did get very popular, coz the fact is, they are good.
What does YLHCSD bring to the genre that Crystal Castles didn't?
Songs. A happier vibe. DNA.
Do you have any strange musician habits?
How long have you got?
Winning Best Electronica at this year's Indy Awards, tell us all about it!
Ok, April 25th 2008. What the fuck? We won an Indy Award for best electronica act of 2008, which is great, except it wasn't the end of 2008 yet and still isn't haha. Anyway, we aren't sure how we ended up winning that, we weren't prepared for winning and were very intoxicated by the time it got called. Everything went a bit crazy for half an hour and then one of us was thrown out for misbehaving, so a good night really.
I'm curious what's been stuck on repeat on your stereo/iPod lately?
Digitalism, never did get enough of Pogo, and still haven't
Are you currently remixing for anyone??
I have just finished autoKratz which is being released in US, and I'm currently remixing KC. Look out haha
In the next few months we will be...
We are about to tour the Czech Republic from 11th Sept next week, and then we're hitting France and Germany in anticipation of the EP release, although we plan to stay touring indefinitely for a good year or so now so expect more of that & keep an ear to the ground for the material we haven't played you yet.
& the crown for crappiest piece of shit track of the year goes to….
'Lions In Soho' by YOU LOVE HER COZ SHES DEAD
How boring was this interview to you guys?
Depends whether talking about yourself bores you or not.. so yeah haha, but well done for raising some questions that people should hear the answers to *winks*.
Ever Since i turned 22, I keep getting severly depressed on my birthdays... can't figure exactly why but i think it has something to do with my post existence annual count increase - there's something about that day that makes my life flash before my eyes, reminding me of all the stuff & people I miss... nothing works better than a mixtape full of that-mood-fitting remixes to distract me from drowning myself in nostalgia... god bless remixism!
Bonus: Ohh! Also, we recently posted the Shinichi OsawaRemix Edit of Aurora in 128kbps - Alex Gopher have authorised us to have and share the full remix (2 minutes longer than the edit) in 192kbps!
Reasons Why This Album Makes It Into Brilliantine List From The First Play: •Xenomania, Richard X & Timo Kaukolampi produced it. •Loco has Girls Aloud written allover it. • The album version of My Love Is Better doesn’t have the Girls Aloud backing vocals & I still love it! •Annie sometimes makes us feel like we're listening to an all girls Japanese indie band. •Sweet sounds like a duet with Madonna at many points. •I Can't Let Go is a duet with the fa-fa-fabolous Fredrik Saroea of Datarock. •Alex Kapranos of Franz Ferdinand plays guitar on My Love is Better and Loco. • The echo effects shine throughout the album. •Annie rawks to the sounds of guitars. •I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me is the worst song & I like it. • Listening to Don't Stop on my iPod makes me sing loud in a breathy feminine tone in public and not give a shit about anyone. • Thank god Crush wasn't brought into the album. • The closing track Songs Remind Me Of You simulates a unicorn back ride. • By the time i finished making this post, I've played Don't Stop 3 times in a row.
If you live in Paris (I hate you) or going to be in Paris (I hate you) between the 2nd & 5th of October, then you probably might definitely want to go to this exposition of video design + concert.
Here's The Detailed Info From Flairs: "ahhaaa, you're wondering what this is ???
basically, we're doing this exhibition in Montmartre (the best part of Paris...you know, le sacre coeur and all this...) whe're we're showing the Original drawings J & F used to make the video (the Famous 3000 ones...) + some big format drawings designed especially for the occasion + 2 Flairs Gigs, everything in 4 nights, in one of the coolest indie Paris Art Gallery....
The concept is pretty coooool: usually when one goes to an exhibition, 98% of the people attending purchase nothing.
We'll be selling each original 10€, so people who don't buy their sheet of history will look like complete cocks & cunts.
The originals will be stuck on the wall but purchasable immediatly, except from 40 of them who'll be framed, and that people can still buy but pick up at the end of the exhibit (same for the Big formats...) So it will be some kind of a race for people to get the coolest pieces (as they will be stuck everywhere, we're planning to stick around 1000 of them in the Gallery.....)
Pretty cool uh ??"
Event Info Host: Blossom/Galerie Chappe Type: Music/Arts - Exhibit
Time and Place Start Time: Thursday, October 2, 2008 at 6:00pm End Time: Sunday, October 5, 2008 at 8:00pm
Location: Galerie Chappe Street: 21 rue Chappe City/Town: Paris, France
