Pacific!'s "Sunset Boulevard" Gets Remixed by Lord Skywave
We were sold by the first second of Pacific!'s debut single, "Hot Lips," a year or two ago. The Swedish duo has since gone on to push its surfer-meets-electro-pop LP all across the globe, from the U.K. to the U.S., and even to India where they're now enjoying the number one slot on the nation's MTV and VH1 music rotations. Not too shabby!
There've been many remixes of Pacific!'s work, but this new one by half of Black Ghosts, Simon Lord, a.k.a. Lord Skywave, is one of the most stunning we've been graced with since Breakbot's stellar effort. As Daniel -- half of Pacific! -- aptly puts it, the edit is reminiscent of "an old Bollywood soundtrack somehow." How perfect, then, that they're a Hindu hit!
Check out the remix of "Sunset Boulevard" below and be sure to pick up the debut, Reveries, when it hits the States on July 22!
I put together a rather lengthy post on Service Records on the Anthem Online site, and since I know not all of you read that Web publication, I'm excerpting some of it here and offering the same MP3s. Read the full article here.
First and foremost, the Swedes' control of the English language is subversively contrary to ours. When Lykki Li or Jens Lekman sing of love, they express different experiences, conveniently constructed in a pop manner than alludes to unilateral and exact understanding; when Shout Out Louds or Peter Bjorn & John write of relationships and breakups, they transmit entirely different meanings conveyed through the mechanisms of mainstream indie-rock that imply only one meaning.
If only it were that simple! The Swedish experience is vastly different from the American experience, and any word a Swede pens intrinsically contrasts any word an American does.
So don't think of Service Records as another New Order-loving, post-punk-adoring collective that's prepared to pump out electronic pop ballads and guitar-driven rock songs in order to quench our undying need to always have music blasting.
Where in the U.S. will you find a manifesto like Service's, centered around the following slogan?:
Service is a permanent vacation, catalog its only luggage.
Nowhere. These Stockholm natives are in an orbit of their own, and we ought not attempt to bring them under our fold and stick them in our system.
Service brought us Studio, The Embassy, Jens Lekman, The Tough Alliance, and many more creatives, and for that alone, we must be thankful.
Now, the independent label's got a chain of new releases to doll out to listeners or all varieties, and Anthem wants to make sure you all know that and buy in to the utterly from-the-heart company.
First, there's a Jens Lekman remix release, Sipping On the Sweet Nectar, the Epic Remixes. The three-track digital download is a disco reinterpretation of our favorite European crooner. Stream one of the Bogdan Irkük edits [below] and buy the thing already!
Third, there's The Embassy's newest single, "State '08," an electronic-infused jam that's reminiscent of New Order cuts of old paired with the beachy vibe of TTA. If you're looking for a sweet and melancholic gem for those Summer days at the beach or road trips down the 1, you've found it with "State '08." Stream the song [below as well].
Fourth, Kool DJ Dust has made a killer joint, "The Quest" that has us finally convinced: the Swedes ain't all that bad on the dance floor. You can download [and stream the single below], but why not head over to the Service page and grab if from them?
Finally, Anthem would like to request that all its readers join Service. For the low price of €21 you'll be granted access to all of Service's digital offerings and opted into a music community that is truly rewarding. Plus, you'll sleep easy knowing you've helped them perpetuate. Sign up!
The Embassy - State '08
Jens Lekman - Sipping On the Sweet Nectar (Bogdan Irkük Love Nectar Remix)
Who would've thought that Swedish darling of lo-fi pop ballads Jens Lekman (MySpace) would sound so good to disco instrumentals?
Rollerboys Recordings' Bogdan Irkük had the bright idea of setting Lekman's sweet vocals to spacey disco beats, with the resultant 12" being pretty awesome. Each edit is a heavy Balearic-infused slow jam that could easily fit in a Studio set or Prins Thomas Italo-disco mix. Check out the Love Nectar mix of "Sipping On the Sweet Nectar" below and buy the whole release on iTunes or at Service Records' online MP3 shop!
Jens Lekman - Sipping On the Sweet Nectar (Bogdan Irkük Love Nectar Mix)
You would think that Sweden's long past with utterly cheesy pop acts and botched disco efforts would catch up with the small nation again and everyone would go soft in the head, form Abba cover bands, perm their hair, and bring back bell-bottoms. Alas, the Swedes are still possibly the slickest people on this planet, and they refuse to release anything that might tarnish their collective identity and name.
TieDye is the latest entry to the sounds-like-Studio category, but the Italians Do It Better Records signees have something unique to their aesthetic, even if they initially sound like copycats. "Nothing Else Matters" is a Mettalica cover, for example, and TieDye's first remix, "I Feel Electric" by Rubies featuring Feist, is about as unorthodox as you can get.
Whatever TieDye's got up its sleeve, BBBD's curious. Very, very curious. A group this good can't just release one 12" (with no b-side!) and a remix and then disappear. TieDye has summer slow-jam wired into its DNA, so here's to hoping they're release more ...
What BBBD believes to be a "summer jam" is oftentimes quite different from others' conceptions of the surefire pool party hit. That Julian Casablancas, Santogold, and Pharrell tune, "My Drive Thru," for example, was hailed by Stereogum, but is, in actuality, a steaming pile of crap.
There're plenty of instances, when BBBD's preferences overlap with other bloggers', critics', and general music listeners', though, and New Zealand's Ladyhawke is (fingers crossed) just one such case. She's got an album coming out on Modular Records, and while the two singles so far ("Back of the Van" and "Paris Is Burning") have been spectacular odes to ramshackle funk cuts and Abba-infused post-punk dance tracks, the LP as a whole might not hold muster, unfortunately. But that is the reality of the one-hit-wonder, so deal with it!
For those of you who've not heard the original "Paris Is Burning," download or stream it below and get your feet tapping on this sweltering hot day. It'll only get hotter, sweatier, and brighter, though, and when that times arrives, crank up the Cut Copy remix of the original -- it'll get you fist pumping to the stars and showing off a few more moves than the minimal head bob. As usual, the Australian trio has dolled out catchy space-disco beats and synth ditties for this edit, conforming the song to their futuristic aesthetic while reverently maintaining and hailing the strength of the remixed artist's work. Ladyhawke ought to sing on one of their compositions.
America's strangest musical entity, Bradford Cox, AKA Atlas Sound/frontman of Deerhunter, has worked his remix magic on the Chap (MySpace), London's closet thing to the Sparks, 2008. Atlas Sound, known for its bizarre breed of flowing, atmospheric shoegaze, constructed in a soft-spoken and shy lo-fi/bedroom recording sort of way may not be the most likely remixer for the Chap's "They Have A Name," but the result is more compelling than one would originally thing.
Whereas Mega Breakfast's opening track is a gooft kraut-rock-inspired sing-along sort of ditty, the Atlas Sound interpretation is a glitchy, laptop-pop, "folktronic" sort of mix that's a bit more soothing and melodious. It's completely different (there are no vocals on the Atlas Sound remix, for example), but well worth a listen.
Grab both the Chap's original tune and Cox's altered one below.
Remixes ought to serve a purpose of utility. When an artist requests another artist to remix his or her song, he or she is hoping for -- ideally -- a reinterpretation of his or her work that adds a fresh spin to the tune. A Swedish pop single might be freshened up or dumbed down for dance floor grittiness; an industrial rock anthem might be funked up for a highfalutin vinyl crowd; a hardcore electronic jam might be softened for easy iPod indulgence. Again, this is the ideal and rarely the reality ... in fact, good remixers have been few and far between since the art's modern dawn in the late-1960s. (Early remixes tended to be of Jamaican ska, rocksteady, and reggae tracks.)
It's obvious to all that a good remix -- one that is appealing in that it either (a) adds a new layer of enjoyment to the original song or it (b) adds a new level of functionality to the cut -- is unusual, but unfortunately, the Internet age has made such an edit even more unordinary. BBBD's personal thought is that it's simply too easy to pump a remix out. Remixes can be too offhandedly constructed sans stems and knowhow today, and that's not necessarily a good thing. A pair of drunken teens thinks it'll be cool to drop a "banger" on the Web, so they break into their parents' liquor cabinet, take a few swigs of Beefeater, and get to it on their pirated copy of Ableton; a couple of turntablists looking for credibility knuckle one out in their basement "studio" and blast their massive list of blog contacts with a "Please Post" pity request the next morning.
Have we forgotten what a remix ought to be? They're not intentioned to be publicists' cheap-and-easy way of further promoting their mediocre unsigned act and they're certainly not the only way one can make the leap from Adult Contemporary radio to the JBL's of dance clubs (we're looking at you, Feist). BBBD will be bold and say that remixes ought to only be made upon request by either the artist or the remixer and approved before leaking to online journalists.
Want to hear some terrible remixes and edits? Go here and attempt to sit through the homepage's MP3s without puking. Or maybe go to this respected Web taste-maker and sift through their finds without being befuddled as to why so many (a) choose to spell their names with "z"'s in lieu of "s"'s, (b) think that the longer the moniker they select, the better, and (c) believe neon hues to be the only way to grab a reader's attention. Originality, folks -- you can do it if you put your mind to it! (Or maybe, as Ice Cube would advise, if you put your back into it.)
Below are a few spectacular remixes (no, the art's not completely gone down the toilet, and yes, BBBD loves some boss remixes here and there). These tracks are lasting in that they pose themselves to be authentic and original songs, not half-assed attempts at 2008's crummy version of drum and bass. First and foremost, they seek out and successfully find character unto themselves ... they don't sound like a trashy mess of bass and low-res sequenced drum beats or a confused jumble of guitar warbles, synth ditties, and vocodered half-baked sonic experiments. Learn from them.
Want to tell us differently? Go for it! We beg you -- try and explain to us why we're so, so wrong. We've resolved to stop downloading every remix we get and/or see in our RSS reader, though, that is for sure.
Metronomy and Black Kids Remix My Beloved Lykke Li
Not only did BBBD discover Lykke Li Stateside, but we've persistently been her biggest fans. Our review of her live show at the El Rey in L.A. sort of cements that sentiment.
Anyway. London-via-Brighton's Metronomy (an outfit we were on at the very beginning) and Black Kids have remixed my beloved Lykke Li's "I'm Good, I'm Gone," with quite promising results. Black Kids' interpretation involves more atmospheric flourishes, heavy post-punk bass lines, and dancier guitar hooks, but reverently maintains the original vocals for the most part. It sounds sort of like what would happen if Lykke Li formed a rock band ... with Damon Albarn, maybe. Metronomy's remix is, as usual, quirkier and more electronically-driven ... and a little eerier. The three-piece has dropped in lots of spooky synth ditties and light funky riffs. Sort of a toss up between these two, so ... check 'em out for yourself!
I'm thinking this post might be better suited as three separate blurbs, but since all three subjects are closely related and interdependent, putting together one mega piece is better than splitting it up.
Okay. Here we go.
Tokyo Fun Party is a Tokyo-based record label owned and operated by a pretty intriguing international crew of DJs and musicians. SoccerBoy (AKA Takashi Otagiri) started the company and quickly brought on Paris-born, Tokyo-dwelling Digiki (MySpace) to do A&R and generally kill it at the T.F.P. club nights (Juliana).
Digiki is truly a jack of all trades. The guy co-founded 101 Tokyo when he wasn't compiling his stellar Polypunk mix series, recording his own material, DJ'ing parties, and collaborating with a myriad other artists. Now, Digiki's got a whole pile of new material out, with another batch on the horizon.
Dense Music is, for the most part, a collection of remixes of tunes off the last LP, Beat Vacation. Two singles have been released so far ("Draftpunk" and "Pancakes"). Below are mixed samples of each single. You can find way more information on both (including just how to buy the things) over here.
Back to SoccerBoy, though. This guy has been tearing it up in Tokyo for a good while now, injecting an Ed Banger dose of grittiness and brashness to the otherwise hyper-melodious and bubblegummy dance scene in Japan. His stuff is a mix of everything under the sun ... a little Diplo rhythmic fun tossed around, a little Girl Talk mashing dropped in, a little Justice-esque rager sprinkled about. He can't stay still. Check out a mix he put together below as well as two remixes he did (so, so good). You can catch more remixes here and more mixes here. Now you totally want to go to Tokyo, right?
BBBD has long been a fan of London's Blamma! Blamma!, and while everyone seems to be giving the duo props these days, we can't resist this time 'round as their remix of Cazals' (MySpace) "Somebody, Somewhere" is just too good to pass up.
Blamma! Blamma! warned me to be careful with this one as "it bites," and that it definitely does. A driven, energetic remix that chugs along at a rapid, robotic pace from the very beginning to the end. Nicely filtered vocals, bouncy synth lines, and noisy beats suit the original's aesthetic well. Check it out below. (Blamma! Blamma! gets extra points for making the longest remix title in history.)
Whoever dreamed up the paring of Lykke Li (MySpace) and El Perro del Mar (MySpace) was ... a genius. (It's might've just been record label politics, but in all sincerity, putting the two Swedish chanteuses on the same bill is a phenomenal idea.)
The artists represent the two main cities in Sweden (Ms. Li hails from Stockholm while El Perro del Mar comes from the slightly less trendy Gothenburg); they both are reviving soul music in their own way; they both slyly dig their way into your heart with their minimalist yet rhythmic and funky style and aesthetic; they both will leave you wanting more. Like a well curated museum exhibition, the Lykke vs. del Mar U.S. tour is moving in how the two singers contrast each other. Lykke is in your face and unabashedly pushes the envelope -- you'll succumb to her wacky dances and melt to her bold vocal talent -- while El Perro del Mar is more subdued and delicate, sublimely merging the old soul of the 1960s with the lo-fi indie-pop of Swedish compatriots like Jens Lekman. The back-to-back sets will stun you ... the similarities with connect the two while the differences accent the other's talents, fortes, and unique qualities.
BBBD is proud to say that it was one of the first Stateside blogs to show love for Lykke Li (thanks to a tip from the wonderful T. Cederteg, and we urge you all to check out a show. This is a rare and exciting opportunity! Check out the widget after the jump to get the scoop on shows and all that good stuff.
BBBD's favorite Bergen record label, Powerblytt (MySpace) has a new CD coming out called Powerblytt Myths Volume 1 with "tracks by the Work remixed by Njaal, Oslo-based electro-poppers Frost remixed by Skatebård, Swedish avant-soul poster boy Juvelen remixed by Krazy Fiesta, and one by Bergen's new-kid-on-the-block, Njaal." Sounds good, good, good to us!
The Work -- the owners and operators of Powerblytt and its affiliated club -- were kind enough to send a mini-mix of the compilation our way, so check it out below and be sure to grab the thing when it's out! From the stellar mini-mix, the 12" is bound to be packed with disco-infused ragers, techno-y bangers, Daft Punk-esque guitar jams, and a bit of everything in between.
The Victorian English Gentlemens Club Remixed by Nite Cells
BBBD can be disgustingly choosy when it comes to remixes. We want solid edits, uniques mixes, and boss original cuts to fuel each and every one of them, so a cruddy, lazy MSTRKRFT "fix" of some wannabe disco-rock track (making this all up) doesn't fly.
Be assured, then, that Nite Cells is pretty darn good ... and it's not just became they're based out of BBBD's HQ of Los Angeles, too.
The Hollywood DJ duo just remixed "La Mer" by the Welsh agit-pop outfit the Victorian English Gentleman's Club (MySpace). The trio's angular, bombastic, yet soothingly melodious cut was a jaw dropper when we first heard it, and after dozens of spins, it's relentlessly stayed fresh and appealing. The Nite Cells reinterpretation acts as a complete 180, though, integrating heavy, glitchy bass lines where spastic, noodling hooks used to reside and practically eliminating all vocals for a double dose of disco-infused glistens and swirls. To draw a cutesy conclusion, both jams are unique in their own way and we love them the same.
Max Barbaria & DJ Vibe, "Love Your Family" Mixtape
BBBD isn't the place for mixtapes, so consider this a bizarre exception to that unofficial rule.
Max Barbaria is one cool dude. As one of the members of the LOLA New York fashion label collective, he dabbles in his fair share of that world while also working with DJ Vibe on a series of mixtapes that they distribute and sell to various boutiques in and around New York City. The latest mixtape, Love Your Family, is ... eighty minutes of blissed-out glitchy funk, bass-heavy ghetto-tech, Italo-disco, space electro (God, I could bullshit genres all day long), and everything else under the sun. It's a jammer, it's a rager, it's one hell of a ride. I wish I wasn't confined to this stupid work chair, as I would be boogieing all up and down the street. Or something. I'll save it for tonight; this is as good as reason as any to rock out on a Tuesday!
The mix is unique in that it incorporates a whole bunch of original material that Max and DJ Vibe produced on their own. Below is one of those tunes hoested by me and a few zShare lines (my favorite!) Don't kill my bandwidth folks ... only one download per person (grin).
The mixtape is being offered as a super cool package, too ... if you're sick of 256 kbps encoded audio, pick up the special box-set containing the disc, a LOLA T-shirt, and Max & DJ Vibe Wayfayer shades at the LOLA shop (?) -- good deal!
L.A.'s Acid Girls just sent over a special new remix they recently completed for "Sirens" by U.K. grimy garage artist, Dizzee Rascal. The remix is being considered for the U.S. single release, and I honestly can't see why it won't be selected. But hush -- we can't jinx it! (For some bizarre reason, Maths + English hasn't been released in the States yet -- Def Jux is finally bringing it across the pond on April 29, though.)
It's really strong. A clatter of minimalist, reverberant beats start the rager off; a glitchy, heavy bass line drops in with Dizzee's angsty vocals; an abrasive synth ditty congeals all the turbocharged elements; a siren enters at the climax of the cut and the music recedes. Acid Girls' interpretation of "Sirens" is unique in that it doesn't too openly reject the original material, instead springboarding off it and finding something simultaneously new, unique, and fitting in relation to the first version. How many DJ's can claim such an achievement? The Acid Girls Hear It Too Remix is distinctly their own and perfect for any club ... and most definitely something that Dizzee would be happy to put his name behind. Jam to it, folks!
One of BBBD's favorite Swedish record label, Hybris (which has recently united with a few other labels to form The Swedish Model -- check it out!), has a whole bunch of new singles out this month.
My favorite is "March Song" by Biker Boy (MySpace) and the accompanying Kalle J. remix. See, Biker Boy is releasing a new song every month and, predictably naming them, "[Name of the month] Song." Here's what he's got to say about his third attempt at the series:
Enjoy the new floorfiller "March Song"! Download for free during the first week of March. The song is also remixed by the genius Kalle J! Dance, dance, dance.
Enjoy it! A sort of Pet Shop Boys synth-infused mellodramatic pop tune with a great atmospheric vibe and bouncy rhythms.
I just got this great remix of "Wanderlust" from Frankfurt's B-Ju ... it's a contemplative and dark club track, definitely, but the original Björk sound and style shines through despite some major editing. One of the better remixes I've heard ...
