Sunday, May 23, 2010

Another Mix I Made


^ That's some gnarly shit. You know what that bear probably listens to? Bangin-ass House music. Not like his disembodied friend there. He listened to Lady Gaga. I think we can all learn something from this.

The "Untamed Polar Bears" Mix
by DJMUS ∆

1) Don't Let Me Down (David Tort Mix) - Eddie Thoneick feat. Michael Feiner
2) Sweet Disposition (Axwell & Dirty South Remix) - Temper Trap
3) I Stand Alone (Jean Elan Remix) - Voodoo & Serano feat. Plastic Inc.
4) One 2.3 Four (Auditiv Remix) - Martin Solveig
5) Do It (Ian Carey Mix) - Prom feat. Katherine Ellis
6) 3 (Wolfgang Gartner Remix) - Britney Spears
7) Are U Ready? (Laidback Luke Remix) - Joachim Garraud
8) Set Me Free (Aviici Remix) - Phonat

I'm particularly proud of the *EPIC-ASS TRANSITION* about 15 minutes in. You'll know the one. It's like those two buildups were made to be together...
Also, there's one buildup in there that literally just cuts out for four counts. You'll notice. It might even ruin your day. Sorry.

Enjoy!
-Langosta

Saturday, May 15, 2010

"Remember how it was with you..."



I was talking with a friend at prom last night, and dance music was brought up. She said that she doesn't love techno, although she does like house. It's the vocals, she said, and the lyrics. I'm inclined to agree.
House vocals get ripped on a lot, but I think they're the shit. ESPECIALLY Progressive House/Trance vocals. Nothing makes me feel the way I do when listening to an ethereal, layered voice singing absurdly dreamy lyrics while accompanied by the most beautiful, synthesized chords imaginable. So here are some Vocal tracks for y'all, mostly progressive with a bit of Electro House in there for kicks.
HUGE shout out to Apes With Barrels, the blog where I got most of this stuff. Those dudes (aka electro house duo Bastille) went to my high school, and their blog is pretty much what got me into EDM (electronic dance music) in the first place. AMAZING archives, they have everything.
They also have a post on vocal tracks, and although I tried not to plagarize it completely, I couldn't avoid posting the first two songs here...they exemplify house vocals.

~ ~ ~

I Remember (Vocal Mix) - Deadmau5 & Kaskade

Probably one of my favorite tracks ever, such gorgeous vocals. You probably have it, but if you're new to house music/EDM in general then GET IT. Deadmau5 is a god among producers, nailing everything from gorgeous Progressive House to heavy-ass bangers. Go buy Random Album Title if you don't have it already, it's worth it (Beatport//iTunes). Kaskade is a beast too, though I know much less of his work.

Move For Me (Extended Mix) - Kaskade & Deadmau5

Love this one too, such great chords and vocals. And the lyrics, of course ("where do we come from/do I know your name?/doesn't really matter/in this life we're all the same"). Don't ask me why the artist names are switched here. I think it's because the mau5 released "I Remember" on Random Album Title, while Kaskade got to have this track on his album, Strobelight Seduction. (btw the vocals on both these tracks are by Haley Gibbey, who has a collab with Kaskade called Summer of Space.)

Out There (Original Mix) - John Dahlback feat. Basto!

Really weird buildup, not gonna lie, but this track DROPS. Gotta love Dahlback, and those vocals..."I need you in my life/I need you in my life..." I like his tracks a lot, it's hard to pin him down with one genre.

Do It (Ian Carey Mix) - PROM feat. Katherine Ellis

LOVE this song (I love em all, in case you haven't noticed). More Electro House, with GLORIOUS vocals. So raw and soulful, definitely contrasts with the more heavily-produced style of the above tracks. Ian Carey is freakin' awesome, another master of genre flexibility (though it's all House, as a rule), definitely do a search for him on AwB.

Day By Day (Vocal Mix) - Paul Anthony & ZZX

Really neat Prog track...the chords shift quickly and in interesting ways, definitely a cool change from the usual Progressive House fare of four bars Cmaj7, four bars Am9, etc (though it's still tried and true). Great vocals, awesome synths.

I Will Be Here (Wolfgang Gartner Remix) - Tiesto & Sneaky Sound System

A good note to end on. More Progressive vocal goodness. Wolfgang Gartner, aside from being a total fucking G, is another one of those producers capable of making a badass track in pretty much every dance genre (Electro, Electro House, Dutch House, Progressive)...he is indeed, as the good chaps at AwB have been propounding for a while now, the Holy Saviour of dance music. Amen.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Kele O_o kereke




Some things currently making me happy:
1) Bloc Party's frontman Kele Okereke has a solo project.
2) He's releasing electro-pop under the name Kele.
3) He has an album coming out in June.
4) The album is produced by motherfucking Hudson Mohawke. That's a really really good thing if you like beat music. I'll do a post on him sometime.

Here's his single, pretty badass stuff:

Tenderoni by keleokereke

I'm this happy just because I've been a big Bloc Party fan for a good while. They are by no means a perfect band (Silent Alarm was awesome, Weekend in the City less so, and Intimacy was a step up for sure), but what I love is that you can very clearly see the evolution of their sound; just like the Talking Heads (probably my favorite band). They're pretty similar, actually. Both start with a punk-influenced, more accessible sound, then (with the help of a frontman with a clear sense of musical direction, i.e. David Byrne or Kele) slowly move into the style that works best for them (funk for TH, electronic dance music for BP). Yes, Kele Okereke can be an awkward lyricist. But I stand by them all the way, and I'm looking forward to the new project!

P.S. along a similar note, Bloc Party's guitarist, Russell Lissack, has a side project too, called Pin Me Down, with singer Milena Selkirk. They have an album coming out soon. Sort of Silent-Alarm-ish, except way poppier, but it's still very guitar driven and punky. Good stuff.