Mr Miyagi: Pick Your Posion (JFK Remix)

If I didn't know any better, I'd probably say that Canadian multi-instrumentalist, Jesse Frederick Keeler (better known as JFK) had given up on that MSTRKRFT thingy him and Alex Puodziukas had got going. I'm only saying 'cos as far as I'm aware the last thing they released under that collaborative guise was a remix of the Crystal Method's, Keep Hope Alive, and since which JFK has appeared to have gone it alone, churning out a bevy of top notch remixes, the latest being Mr Miyagi's, Pick Your Poison. Now (bear with me here), if the original is as an all out nuclear assault, Keeler's is more of a 'Cruise Missile', if you will. Toned down and with an added vocal hook (a dead ringer of Moby's Bodyrock), the result is not as ear bleedingly destructive, but certainly no less vicious.

MP3: Mr Miyagi - Pick Your Poison (JFK Remix) DOWNLOAD

MP3: Bloc Party - Flux (JFK Remix) DOWNLOAD
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Robyn: Be Mine (Ocelot Remix)

Robyn. Probably this years most celebrated Pop artists. Ocelot. The slickest remix team around. With this in mind, imagine how unbelievably good an Ocelot remix of Robyn's Be Mine would be. It'd be mthrfckng brilliant:

MP3: Robyn - Be Mine (Ocelot Remix) DOWNLOAD

(Sorry to keep re-posting this but the Hype Machine, god love 'em, doesn't seem to want to index this post!)
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Grrrls Aloud

I shouldn't be posting this. Aside from the legal issues regarding copyright infringement, posting a pleasure as guilty as this one could, potentially, leave my good name in tatters. The evidence is stark. Girls Aloud were born out of Popstars: The Rivals, one of those ghastly reality TV talent shows, and subsequently managed by the rather twatty, Louis Walsh. Nonetheless, for a pop group as manufactured as this, Girls Aloud have been surprising recipients of wholesale praise from the music print media. As for myself, I've always found their sound, although not without merit, a tad sickly sweet, a product of their production team, Xenomania.

However new single, Call The Shots, is a rather different story. Having first heard it via a live performance on, God forgive me, The X Factor, I was at once at ease with its spacey synths, angelic vocals and chugging bassline. Although it is essentially a piece of Euro-Pop, it is a credible piece of Euro-Pop. More edgy and emotive than is typical of the genre, indeed more edgy and emotive than most of their back catalogue. So please, for your own sake, cast aside your prejudices and simply enjoy what is ultimately a great piece of Pop music.

MP3: Girls Aloud - Call The Shots DOWNLOAD

MP3: Girls Aloud - Call The Shots (Xenomania Remix) DOWNLOAD

Graduation: Samples

I think there's a general consensus about town, that Kanye West's latest album, Graduation, is consistent with the high caliber of previous efforts, College Dropout and Late Registration. Although, (in my humble opinion of course) it sags a little in the middle, I am in overall agreement with the prevailing reaction. But look, we all know that Kanye's work relies heavily on samples (not that I'm complaining like), so here's a comprehensive list of tracks used to make Graduation. Please note the ironic lyrics of Labi Siffre's My Song: "This is my song and no one can take it away"...'cept Kanye mate.

MP3: Elton John - Someone Saved My Life Tonight DOWNLOAD
Used In: Good Morning
MP3: Steely Dan - Kid Charlemagne DOWNLOAD
Used In: Champion
MP3: Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger DOWNLOAD
Used In: Stronger
MP3: Labi Siffre - My Song DOWNLOAD
Used In: I Wonder
MP3: Michael Jackson - PYT (Pretty Young Thing DOWNLOAD
Used In: Good Life
MP3: Mountain - Long Red DOWNLOAD
Used In: Barry Bonds and The Glory
MP3: Can - Sin Swan Song DOWNLOAD
Used In: Drunk And Hot Girls
MP3: Public Enemy - Bring The Noise DOWNLOAD
Used In: Everything I Am
MP3: Prince Phillip Mitchell - If We Can't Be Lovers DOWNLOAD
Used In: Everything I Am
MP3 Laura Nyro - Save The Country DOWNLOAD
Used In: The Glory
MP3: U-Roy - Wake The Town DOWNLOAD
Used In: Good Night
MP3: Super Cat - Nuff Man A Dead DOWNLOAD
Used In: Good Night

BONUS: MP3: DJ Rut - Diamonds 4 Life DOWNLOAD

Big thanks to Milk Crate Breaks for providing me with these tunes. Get yourself over there and give them a holla.
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Chewy Chocolate Cookies

The other day, while surfing the 'Internet Super Highway' (you don't hear that phrase so much these days) I came across habitual remixer's, Chewy Chocolate Cookies. Now, their Myspace page doesn't tell me nowt, so I did the done thing and wrote a quick message asking them to explain themselves. Unfortunately, they, well,I say they but that may be a little presumptuous as I can't extrapolate the numbers involved, haven't messaged me back. Lucky for them, I'm not the bitter sort. So here I am, giving them a nice bit of unauthorised promotion.

MP3: Chromeo - Bonafied Lovin' (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Simian Mobile Disco - Hotdog (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: DJ Mehdi - Saharian Break (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Toxic Avenger - Superheroes (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Justice - Genesis (Chewy Chocolate Cookies Remix) DOWNLOAD

By the way, they've done an official remix of Robyn's Handle Me which is available HERE.

Gutted

Imagine my excitement when scrolling through the Hype Machine's Popular list I came across a blog post containing a Justice remix of When The Sun Goes Down by little known indie band, the Arctic Monkeys. Alas, we (I say we as a hell of a lot of folks checked this track out) were collectively duped by the offending blog, Pretty Much Amazing, as the initial excitement quickly faded after the first 30 seconds of listening revealed the remix to be nothing more than a disappointing mash-up bearing little resemblance to the Frenchies trademark sound. Anyway, every cloud has a silver lining as they say as I thought it'd be a worthwhile exercise to breakdown the track, revealing some great music of old. Here goes:

MP3: The Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down DOWNLOAD/Zshare
MP3: Urban Shakedown - Some Justice DOWNLOAD/Zshare
MP3: Liquid - Sweet Harmony DOWNLOAD/Zshare
MP3: Beastie Boys - Ch-Check It Out DOWNLOAD/Zshare

The Urban Shakedown and Liquid tracks themselves contain samples from this CeCe Rogers track from 1987:

MP3: CeCe Rogers - Someday DOWNLOAD/Zshare

...aaaand in case you missed the original track posted on Pretty Much Amazing:

MP3: Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down ('Justice' Remix) DOWNLOAD/Zshare

NEW VAN SHE SONG!!!!

Wha!?! My heads spinning and I have heart palpataions. Have I had my head buried in the proverbial sand or have the Van She lads been a tad coy in bringing this one to our attention. New single, Cat And The Eye, is a slight departure from the bands quirky, bright 80's sound, but is no less catchy or anthemic than 2005's classic, Kelly. Honestly, even though I've just got my hands on it, I'm totally hooked. But maybe, as Bigstereo so eloquently put it, I'm just struggling to tame the inner fanboy. We'll see. Oh, and he's the accompanying video for you to ogle at. Fucking weird to say the least.



MP3: Van She - Cant And The Eye DOWNLOAD

Verbene Selected

Those Buffetlibre guys sent me a nice e-mail. At first glance I assumed it to be yet another mixtape, but no! Rather than selecting content themselves, they've democratised the whole process, asking a list of prominent artist (Simian Mobile Disco, Bag Raiders and Ocelot to name just a few) to select individual tracks to feature in the mix. Pretty cool, huh?

Verbena Selected Tracklist:

1. Pomomofo - Back At The Club (Boy 8-bit Remix) (Selected By Loose Cannons)
2. M.I.A. - Boyz (The Twelves Remix) (Selected By Bag Raiders)
3. Project Jenny – 320 (Selected By Amable)
4. Friendly Fires – On Board (Selected By Bilbadino)
5. Ocelot – Our Time (Selected By Dragonette)
6. LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous (Soulwax Remix) (Selected By Simian Mobile Disco)
7. Daft Punk – Technologic (Digitalism Remix) (Selected By Shitdisco)
8. Klaxons – Atlantis To Interzone (Crystal Castles Remix) (Selected By Pomomofo)
9. Bag Raiders – Fun Punch (Selected By Yelle)
10. Chemical Brothers - Salmon Dance (Crookers Wow Mix 2) (Selected By The Bloody Beetroots)
11. Rainer Weichhold Vs Dandi & Ugo - Infinite Template (Kissy Sell Out Remix) (Selected By Alex Gopher)
12. Dj Dlg And Laidback Luke - Ambition (Laidback Luke Remix) (Selected By Ocelot)
13. Boys Noize - & Down (Selected By D.I.M)
14. Justice – D.A.N.C.E. (Live Version)
15. Dusty Kid - Tsunamy On Systematic (Selected By Play Paul)
16. D.I.M. - Airbus Baby (Selected By Hostage)
17. Lionel Richie – Dancing On The Ceiling (Selected By Midnight Juggernauts)

MP3: Buffetlibre DJ's - Verbena Selected Zshare

MP3: Bag Raiders - Fun Punch (Whitenoise Remix) (Removed As Per Artist Request)
MP3: Whitenoise - It's What We Do DOWNLOAD

The Twelves

Yeah, so I know this post may be a little belated considering that The Twelves have already appeared on all these blogs. That said, I have no shame in reiterating the fact that these guys are hella good.

The Twelves, of Rio De Janerio, Brazil, have become darlings of some of the more influential blogs, however, owe little to these bastions of underground musical promotion. Their adeptness at turning out simple, nuts and bolts, upbeat electro edits would have broke into the conciseness of most, even without said publicity. These dudes certainly ain't no one trick pony's either. No sir. Their original production work is shockingly good.

Although I've not posted it, The Twelves remix of Asobi Seksu's Thursday is something to behold. Get it here.

MP3: New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky (The Twelves Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: M.I.A. - Boyz (The Twelves Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: The Twelves - The Other Side DOWNLOAD
BONUS: MP3: New Young Pony Club - Get Lucky (MSTRKRFT Remix) DOWNLOAD

Pop Matters

Is it just me or is Pop music, a genre I haven't traditionally had much time for, really good at the moment? I've always struggled to understand what is being referred to by the term 'Pop music'. Is it simply referring to the literal popularity of a song, album or artist? If so, then looking at the UK Top 40, Timbaland, Kanye West, The Cribs and The Wombats must be included in the genre. Or is it more of a identifiably separate style of music characterised by happy rhythms, simple melodies and repetitive structures? Or maybe it's me just thinking too much. Yeah, it's probably that.

MP3: Britney Spears - Gimmie More DOWNLOAD
MP3: Britney Spears - Gimmie More (Gaetan Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts DOWNLOAD
MP3: Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (Alan Braxe Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Madonna - Hung Up DOWNLOAD
MP3: Madonna - Hung Up (Diplo Remix) DOWNLOAD

Tonight, Tonight

Right, tonight you need to be HERE!!! There's kinda no excuse y'hear. 9pm-2am at The Magnet with Check The Availability's favourite, Loud Pipes and Korova's J.A.M.E.S. not to mention Get Weird Turn Pro backed Matt Payne! This is what Liverpool's been missing.















MP3: Radiohead - Videotape (Loud Pipes Remix) DOWNLOAD

Asobi Seksu

What better way to celebrate Halloween than to attend Asobi Seksu's first date of their extensive European tour. Particularly apt, as Asobi's miniature Yuki Chikudate's vocals have always struck me as being rather haunting.

I'd never seen 'Shoegazer' rock in a live context before so had little to no idea what to expect. I say with some regret that I was slightly disappointed. I don't know if it's symptomatic of the genre or if I was just unlucky on this occasion (I fear the former may be true) but Asobi Seksu suffered from a disconcertingly cluttered sound, often resulting in a wall of unfathomable noise which even the most hardened of Asobi fans must have struggled to untangle. The unquestionable highlight of the evening however, was their performance of the staggeringly beautiful Thursday. A climax of my own music collection.

The 2 Days remix posted was the winner Asobi's own Thursday remix competition. A deserved remix if ever there was one.

MP3: Asobi Seksu - Thursday DOWNLOAD
MP3: Asobi Seksu - Thursday (2 Days remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Asobi seksu - Strawberries (CSS Remix) DOWNLOAD
MP3: Asobi Seksu - Strawberries (The Whip Remix) DOWNLOAD