Sorry

We have been on a bit of a hiatus here at Trainspotter due to finals and the holidays. We will be returning better than ever in the new year. I'm porting the blog to a domain so that will mean no more broken links. Also there will be more regular content. You can also expect a new mix from me in the next week and a top albums of 2007 chart. So sit tight boys and girls.

Jichael Mackson's Wicked Game

I've gone through so many micro-phases in 2007 that its impossible to keep track of all of the Techno subgenres that have pleased my ears this year. But, I've passed by enough little insular electronic music cliques to know that the very best tracks manage to transcend their subgenre to define their own niche in the broader community of music. Jichael Mackson's The Grass is Always Greener from his Wasn't Me EP on [Musique Risquée] is a track that does just that. Jichael Mackson combines Bob Ross and Chris Isaak in a perfect example of the weird beauty that can come from the recontextualization of American pop culture that occurs when different cultures cross-pollinate. The sensual chords of Wicked Game mingles surprisingly well with the soothingly bland artistic advice of Bob Ross--a lone peculiar success in what I imagine to be the long line of disappointed television painting show hosts.

Let Jichael Mackson resurrect those innocent feelings of childhood lust and confusion that were prodded awake by a supermodel rolling around in the sand on VH1 in 1994:


Jichael Mackson - The Grass is Always Greener [risque014]

Oh, and if you doubt the haunting qualities of Chris Isaak's sun-bleached guitar strumming, consider this, Chris Isaak has only a two degree seperation from David Lynch:

Chris Isaak -> Angelo Badalamenti -> David Lynch

David Lynch seems to be some sort of specter that hovers near everything good.

Sennh is With You

Traum is a fantastic label known for their highly melodic releases--Dominik Eulberg, Gabriel Ananda, Nathan Fake, Dinky, Fairmont, come to mind--and Sennh follows in that tradition more than competently. His recent 12" I Am With You wraps warm heart-swelling chords around a tech house thump that becomes more intense at the right times, then he drops in a pretty percussive plinking melody that runs up and down your spine. A really beautiful track.


Sennh - I Am With You


And here's another Traum track, it's a remix of Minilogue's Seconds by Moonbeam, whose Eclipse 12" [Traum] was a personal favorite of mine from this year.


Minilogue - Seconds (Moonbeam remix)

GTMK - Mosquito

GTMK is Gregor Tresher & Monika Kruse. I don't know much about either of them, but together they make a solid team. They have released a fantastic record on Intacto. The B-side 'Mosquito' is so good it makes you itch to listen to it over and over. It is fast-paced and tight with the intention of making people go wild. This track looks to be at the heart of my next mix. 'Panchakarma' is more laid-back, but just as powerful.


GTMK - Mosquito [Intacto]

Burial

Burial's new album is generating so much buzz I doubt he'll remain an anonymous London dubstepper for much longer. I hate to join the, erm, hype machine, but he has made some really great tracks, and there's no denying that. The best of his new album tempers the hyper-dramatic swooning vocals with murky dubbed-out effects, while keeping the beat straightforward enough to keep my interest. I think his more atmospheric, beatless stuff works better in a certain altered state, if you know what I mean.

Here are my favorites from the new LP, Untrue [hyperdub]:


Burial - Archangel


Burial - Untrue

check out his myspace here

Cadenza es como la influenza

Cadenza released the luscious Contemporary 0.1 and Classics last month as a 2 disc cd. Contemporary 0.1 has been mixed so beautifully by Luciano. The mix features Luciano himself, the Romanians who started Arpiar (Petre Inspirescu and Rhadoo), Argenis Brito, and Digitaline, and the Chilean Alejandro Vivanco among others. Cadenza is headed in the right direction continually becoming more and more amazing. Even though I enjoyed the mix better, Classics, a collection of past highlights, is still top-notch. Check out Matt's Thanksgiving Feast for a track from that disc. Here's a couple that I love from the mix:


Alejandro Vivanco - Madre Tierra
"Respira por tus manos, respira por tus pies...agradece" - beautiful


Petre Inspirescu - Galantar
This song sounds like trying to start an engine that won't start. BUT, it is not your engine it is the engine of your worst enemy, then you realize they are stuck and you are moving forward - so satisfying. It is 1 of 2 Pedro songs that appear on Contemporary 0.1 - the other, 'Racakadoom', you can find in Matt's Cyberjungle mix. You don't want to miss the Arpiar showcase at next years Winter Music Conference in Miami.

I Feel Like a Deer in the Headlights (again)

With a revving engine, Doppler-effected car horns that might recall the Chelonis R. Jones's nu-classic "Deer In The Headlights," and a grimy gurgling bassline, Booka Shade really save what I felt was a pretty crappy Dubfire track, "I Feel Speed." Don't bother with the original, here's Booka Shade's driving dub:


Dubfire - I Feel Speed (Booka Shade Dub)

Switch Remixes The Futureheads

Remember UK band The Futureheads?. I recently came onto a promo remix Switch put out of the song Worry About it Later off The Futureheads' second album News and Tributes. Switch completely butchers the song, but in the result is wonderful. Short loops of lyrics repeat throughout the song, with a steady bassline and heavy synths added...it doesn't disappoint.



The Futureheads - Worry About it Later (Switch Remix)



The Futureheads - Worry About it Later



MY favorite Futureheads song:

Steed Lord!!!! + H&M + music

Fashion and music undoubtedly go hand in hand. Iceland's Steed Lord (M.E.G.A, Demo, A.C. Banana$ and Kali) recently released a line of clothing for the sweden-based meccastore H&M. If you haven't taken notice of Steed's style yet, well you're missing out. Clothing primarily consists of 80's inspired designs and materials...spandex, windbreakers, etc...with wild neon colors and geometric shapes.

Musically, Steed Lord flawlessly mixes house and ghetto genres to create a wonderful style of music, which the clothing line only compliments.

Steed Lord - You (Klever Remixxx)




Steed Lord - Dirty Mutha




Steed Lord - Dirty Mutha (Crookers Remix)

Donnacha Costello - Colorseries

THIS is exactly what I love about minimal. So simple, so beautiful, it's kinda like what Steve Reich would sound like making dance music. All his tracks capture that bittersweet melancholic ecstasy that Aphex Twin's "Xtal" does so well. Colorseries is an album created out of a collection of tracks selected by Costello from his previously released series of 12"s, along with a few tracks of unreleased material from the Colorseries sessions. I can't get enough of this album, I'd love to hear all the colors he's released.



Donnacha Costello - Orange A


Donnacha Costello - Mustard B

(Minimise)

Radio Slave - Bell Clap Dance

OK enough brooding from me. It's time to start dancing again. I need a cowbell and some clapping to get started. Wait, Matt Edwards has the remedy. He begins with the bell and the clapping but then an addictive six-note scale chimes in. After that you'll be dancing all the way to bliss. If you need more convincing on how good this Radio Slave track is know that Villalobos used it in his Fabric mix that I posted a little while ago from RBMA Radio.


Radio Slave - Bell Clap Dance [Rekids]

Digitalism - Idealistic [Video]

So it seems that two months ago I posted an unofficial video for 'Idealistic'. I just saw this video yesterday and I believe it is the official one. Digitalism keep putting out great videos all so beautiful and well-shot with interesting and clever concepts. This video is totally representative of how I am feeling right now. All the happy times and memories of the past 5 years have been erased and it feels like I meant nothing to her. I don't know what was real or if it was all a lie. I thought I was going to marry her, but I guess I was just idealistic...The video was directed by Guillaume Berg and Bastien Lattanzio.

Thankful For Music

Even though I'm still feeling down and I miss her for some reason, I still have plenty to be thankful for. I'd be lost without my family, friends, and music. I hope everyone has a happy thanksgiving. Matt's feast looks delicious - here is what's cooking in my kitchen (buy some of these records instead of buying a bunch of stuff on friday that you don't really need):

Much better than her Blondie LP - Michaela Dippel is really evolving into something special and so is Areal.



Ada - Barren Space [Areal]


Pan-O-Rama is a terrific long player and includes many gems such as this one.



Pan-Pot - Crank [Mobilee]


You can always expect great things from James Holden. The ending really gets me going counteracting the tryptophan. I found this track at the wonderful Random Circuits.



Avus - Fancy Arse (James Holden's Sunday Night Extension) [Perc Trax]


Complex and spacey. I love the tapping of the woodblock. I believe it is a woodblock anyway.



Ruede Hagelstein - Der Kammbläser [Lebensfreude]


Recently featured on Deadset's podcast for Resident Advisor and Ewan Pearson's Fabric 35 this track will really get you swingin' and groovin'.



Johannes Heil - All For One (Tobi Neumann's Swinging Remix) [Klang]

Thanksgiving Feast

What better time to post a smorgasbord of tracks than the beginning of this lovely holiday season? Not a difficult task, as this has been one of the most exciting years for music in recent memory from where I'm sittin. That's plenty to be thankful for.

Let's start with something deep and sinister:



H.O.S.H. - Don Alfredo with Adriano [Kindisch]



Follow that with a soulful emotive minimal classic:



Luciano and Pier Bucci - Amael [Cadenza]



Zone out, way out, deep space style:



Smith N Hack - Falling Stars [Smith-N-Hack]



Get Discofied:



Metro Area - RMM Special Dub [Environ]



And some tasty electro synthpop RnB for dessert:



Daedelus - My Beau [Ninja Tune]


That's all folks, have a happy Thanksgiving!

Shawn Khan is DEAD

Shawn Khan died two weeks ago from betrayal and heartbreak. No he did not die by the hands of Amz and Natalie, but by the actions and words [words are so easy to say] of two others who each do not fit the classification of a human being. Shawn Khan is BACK as a zombie - not as a zombie looking for revenge - but as a zombie that is haunted by his death. He will go on a search for the music that will ameliorate his overwhelming pain and return the function of his brain. Thank you to all those who have been kind and supported the zombie.

At least he died before the genocide of DJs:

Dinky Goes Big

Dinky's name belies her expansive banging sound. The drum sounds hint at her South American roots in Chile, and the vocal samples alternately shout, murmur, gasp, and whoop like half-heard come-ons on the dance floor; these awesome ingredients are then looped to infinity in a swinging minimal-style, very funky. It's all held together with a kind of elegance thats hard to find elsewhere. One of my favorite minimal releases this year.


Dinky - Horizontal [Ringing EP]


Dinky releases her stuff on her own imprint, Horizontal.

Lies in Disguise

New project from Le Castle Vania and Blake Miller (from the Moving Units and Weird Science!!!) called Lies in Disguise released their first remix on So Sweet Records from UK's Partyshank called Penis vs Vagina. The Lies in Disguise myspace promises original songs from the famous duo, hopefully some vocals from Blake Miller will appear.


Partyshank - Penis vs Vagina (Lies in Disguise Remix)


Younglove - Discotech (Weird Science Remix)


Partyshank - Gary

Shit, Robot!

Shit, Robot? No, Shit Robot.

Some carefully placed punctuation might've improved the moniker, but since Shit Robot is on DFA he's automatically hip, so what does it matter?

This track is some massive Lindstrom-esque arpeggiated space disco with a deeper bent, not as groovy but just as far out--think Phaedra or Giorgio Moroder.


Shit Robot - Chasm

I have to say, though, I think I prefer Hatchback for my space disco fix. This track is a little lighter, funkier, more cosmic, perhaps a little less appropriate for a high energy dancefloor, but I think the journey is more satisfying.


Hatchback - Carefree Highway

Rodion + Gomma = YES

I can't take Rodion off my playlist...The Electric Soca Remixes on repeat all day every day. It sounds like heaven, seriously, listen. All of Gomma is actually hottt right now. Gommagang 4 compilation dropped not long ago, and features the song Atala Ride by Rodion, from the Romantic Jet Dance LP AND 2 remixes of Box Codax's Naked Smile.


Rodion - Electric Soca Cosmo Vitelli Remix


Rodion - Atala Ride


Box Codax - Naked Smile (Metronomy Remix)

Electric Soca Video:

Len Faki "My Black Sheep" (Radio Slave remix)

Deep and dubby like Villalobos, but pounding, furious, restrained like only Radio Slave is. This track is not unlike getting sucked into a black hole, it just gets deeper.



Len Faki - My Black Sheep (Radio Slave Remix)

Plastic Operator Lack Plastic Hearts

I recently received an album from Plastic Operator, who many have compared to Postal Service, that found me at a time where the album could resonate most effectively. It is called Different Places, but it seems that we are in fact in the same place - heartbreak. Mathiew Gendreau and Pieter Van Dessel seem to hold women in high regard as they look to them for self-worth, security, and happiness only living to please them. Plastic Operator and I differ in that they tried to make her happy while I barely tried when it was already too late. Nice guys always seem to get left in the dust. However, Plastic Operator are not left for dead; closing track 'The Long Run' has them realizing that they will be "alright" without them. I wish I were at that point. Plastic Operator's most popular song is probably 'Folder', which is about a guy, like me, who has difficulty communicating in the way he should. The video is rather interesting - it was directed by Pete Circuitt:

My favorite song on Different Places is 'Parasol', because it is a reminder of happy times no bullshit no problems. It is the most refreshing song on the album and Sarah Ferri's vocals are a nice addition. I'd like to hear more of her on the next record. Plastic Operator are electronic and poppy akin to Hot Chip, but Jesse Rose and Oliver $ come in and make 'Why Don't You?' ripe for the dance floor. What is so good about the remix is the use of the strings and piano from the original as compliments to their techno rework. Don't worry Mat and Pieter, us nice guys will be appreciated one day:


Plastic Operator - Parasols


Plastic Operator - Why Don't You? (Jesse Rose and Oliver $ Remix)

Gaiser and More Basteroids

Here's a sweet minimal house track on M_nus by Gaiser with a clever 2001: Space Odyssey reference:


Gaiser - Withdrawal

And Shawn just posted about Basteroid, but I just wanted to add this track, I think its my favorite on the album.


Basteroid - Jacktales

The Last Song I'll Ever Hear?!

Satie's first Gymnopédie
It moves so slowly, yet reminds me of riding a bicycle in the sun, the feeling of part of you moving faster than the rest, your body gliding lazily through the air as the spokes flutter quickly with light glinting off the chrome in every direction.

And here's something more uplifting to make sure I'm not just depressing you:


Booka Shade vs Plastic Operator - Night Falls Won't Back Down
Tom Petty lyrics over Booka Shade, never thought that'd work, but somehow, its so wrong its right.

Basteroid - More like BASSteroid

I can only assume that Basteroid is a combination of the words bastard and asteroid, which both have a grand significance in my life. Quick story: my parents had me about 4 years before their wedding - bastard; asteroid - the only game they had at the sub shop where they met in Chicago. More importantly, Basteroid is Sebastian Riedl who brings the bass so hard that it literally upsets populations of ducks. So fittingly his long player is titled Upsets Ducks out on Cologne label Areal. 'Un Dos Windows' clocks in at 9:36, but if you have the patience it is so rewarding. It starts off calm but then Riedl kills you, innervating all your bouncing parts until he drops it back down at around the 6:30 mark only to hit you with a barrage of bass that will once again smooth out. Downright splendid and bleepy. 'I Want To 3 4' begins in a similar fashion but doesn't let up - minimalist? I say maximalist. Check out some other goodies from the album on his myspace:

Basteroid - Un Dos Windows


Basteroid - I Want To 3 4

Studio, or More Awesomeness from Sweden: The World Capital of Amazing

If Studio is anything to go by, Sweden is just too awesome, and you should probably pack your bags and go live there. Unfortunately, ridiculous generalizations about a place based solely on great music tend to fall apart under close scrutiny, so I'll just conveniently pretend it's a utopian snow-paradise-winter-wonderland kind of thing where quality music flourishes and all else falls by the wayside. If you haven't heard Studio, then you're really missing out, and you're doubly shamed because that means you also missed the Baby Shower, where I played their fantastic track, Origin (Shake You Down By the River) from their Yearbook LP and their West Coast LP, both utterly fantastic albums. But don't despair friends! Another Baby Shower (appropriately titled Baby Shower II) is happening in Pensacola as you can see in the little sidebar over there.

Until then, enjoy these fucking awesome remixes by Studio:


Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (Studio Remix)


Rubies - The Keys (Studio Remix) (this mp3 is lower quality, but I just had to post it. Its so beautiful, and the bassline makes me happy in a way I thought only Kim Deal could.)

Enjoy!

Studio's label is Information, and I really encourage everyone to buy their stuff, not only because their cover art is perfect in its simplicity, but because I'm poor and I'd love to come over to your house and drool on a vinyl copy of the West Coast LP.

Modeselektor - New Video

Yellow jump suites, tea party, nude pictures, monkeys, chainsaw, chase in the woods, strobe lights, dance party! What? New Modeselektor Video - 'Black Block' - Directed by Christian Feldhusen:

UPCOMING! The Toxic Avenger and Franki Chan

Party starters The Toxic Avenger (Simon DeLacroix) and Franki Chan are coming to Florida. They are playing at PS14 in Miami tonight, at Club Firestone in Orlando on Thursday night, and at Czar Bar in Tampa on Friday night. It is the distortion wizard Simon's first US tour so you don't want to miss it. The Toxic Avenger has just released his debut single on IHEARTCOMIX, which Franki Chan founded. Frank Chan is also a party planner and a DJ. Check these two out it should be one hell of a party.


The Toxic Avenger - Superheroes 2007


Fredze Fred - All That Motherfuckers (The Toxic Avenger Remix)


Franki Chan SxSW 2007 Mix

1. The Beach Boys - Wouldn’t It be Nice (Stunned Jake Jefferson Remix)
2. A-Trak - Frenchies Act A Fool
3. Tiga - Far From Home (Digitalism Remix)
4. Matt & Kim - Yea Yeah (Flosstradamus Remix)
5. Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Battle Royale
6. The Teenagers - Homecoming (GunsN’Bombs XTC RMX 1996)
7. The Toxic Avenger - Superheroes
8. Riot In Belgium feat. Gini - Le Music
9. Daft Punk - Digital Love (Red Foxx’s Bmore Surprise Mix)
10. My!Gay!Husband! - Carlisimon IHEARTSNAUSAGE
11. The Futureheads - Worry About It Later (Switch Remix)
12. Justice - We Are Your Friends (Scottie B, King Tutt and Samir Remix)
13. Blaqstarr - Supastar
14. Ocelot - This Is Our Time
15. Eric Prydz Vs. Floyd - Proper Education (Club)
16. Michael Jackson - PYT (J2K + Samir Edit)
17. Soulwax - NY Lipps
18. Diplo - Shake It Up Baby
19. DJ Paparazzi - Yummy Knockout
20. Snowden - Black Eyes (Le Castle Vania Remix)
21. Prince - I Would Die For You

Live Free or Die?

Today is a sad day for all of us, because whether you know it or not, our generation, the internet generation, stands for nothing if not freedom of information. Art, music, political affairs, weapons technology--information. What divides us but what we know? If we care about anything, we care about our ability to choose the information that we receive. The freedom of information on the internet unfetters us from the shackles of a corporate dominated media. The only way to guide our political machine away from its kamakaze divebomb into foreign affairs is to be the generation that understands the changes that have taken place within the last century--technological, social, global change--and to modify our beliefs and our behavior to find a maintainable way of life that emphasizes individual autonomy. Music is just the beginning, and it is what speaks to us on the most visceral level. It is the soul of our generation.

Oink.cd, a beacon of communal respect for art and the creative individual on the internet, was shut down today, and the guy who ran it, whom I only know by the name of Alan, is dealing with the legal consequences of allowing people to share their music. How long will it be before we all understand that these bureaucracies are not protecting art, the artist, or our rights? Any true artist wants their work out there, they want to be heard, they want to be seen, they want to be understood by as many people as possible. They are not protecting the artistic individual. They are protecting the businessmen and the tax collectors. They are protecting themselves and their money.

It doesn't matter whether you used Oink or not, this crack-down represents the direction of governmental policy and the growing divide between two different value systems. If you care about music, if you care about art, if you care about freewill which is tied inextricably to freedom of information, today is a very sad day. Hopefully I won't be needing to make another post about this for a long time, but the way things are going, it's not looking good.

The only proper course of action I can think of is to share. Share your music, share your art, share your ideas. They are yours. Connect with other people, don't let money guide your course through life. Don't let anyone stop you.

Ricardo Villalobos - Fabric

If you were in London on the night of the 29th of September, 2007 and you were not at Fabric shame on you. One of the most prominent figures of minimal, the Chilean Ricardo Villalobos, played that night. Luckily, for those that could not attend due to vast geographic seperation Red Bull Music Academy Radio, which is an excellent site that has many archived shows of your favorite DJs, recorded an hour of his luscious set. This recording is more house-y than minimal and shows that Villalobos is on his game with whatever he chooses to play. I've never had he opportunity to see him live and even though his sounds already blow my mind I can't fathom what the live experience must be like.

As most of you know he just came out with Fabric 36, which is an cohesively mixed artist album that is not just one track after another. It includes a bunch of unreleased original tracks as well as the recently popular '1º Encuentro Latinoamericano de la Soledad'. Villalobos music is so powerful, because it paralyzes your brain to one tone but then tricks and pokes at it with his atypically constructed rhythms all the while keeping your stepping on the dancefloor. He is an artist demanding of a live viewing so if you ever get the chance don't miss out.

Viva Horse House!

Ricardo Villalobos @ Fabric Sept 29, 2007 [alternate link]

Ricardo Villalobos - 1º Encuentro Latinoamericano de la Soledad [alternate link]

Matthew Dear - Don and Sherri

Matthew Dear can do it all, whether it is techno as Audion, minimal as False, or danceable pop using his given name. He also has another alias, Jabberjaw, under which he has released material on Perlon. Although he has so many projects he doesn't half-ass any of them and that is what makes him so great. Matthew Dear has released the second single from the terrific Asa Breed, 'Don and Sherri', on Ghostly International - a label he helped start. Here's the video (Directed by Judy Wellfare and Jeremy Hollister):



On the single you will find remixes from Hot Chip, DJ Koze, and M.A.N.D.Y. The Hot Chip remix isn't really a remix, but instead is a cover slowing down and brightening up the dark track while using their own vocals. The Hot Chip version was recently on Booka Shade's DJ Kicks mix. DJ Koze remixes 'Elementary Lover' with such a sexy groovin' beat.


Matthew Dear - Don and Sherri (Hot Chip Version) [alternate link]


Matthew Dear - Elementary Lover (DJ Koze Remix) [alternate link]

Moodswings in the Cyberjungle

Here's the mix I played at the cyberjungle on the 11th at Transitions.

>/>/>>>Enter the Cyberjungle <<<\<\<

For dancing or surfing or letting your brain drip out your ear.

/////////////|\\\\\\\\\\\\\

And just so no one thinks I'm too lost in music to keep up with current events: here are some exciting recent developments in space.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\|/////////////

And here's the Tracklist: Biosphere-Tranquillizer/Chloe-Suspended/underground dance artists united for life-most precious love (df future 3000 instrumental)/Samim-Blackdeath/Andre Kraml-Safari (James Holden Remix)/Losoul-Overland/Solomun & Stimming-Eiszauber/Guy Gerber-Late bloomers/Heinrichs & Hirtenfeller-Violet Rain/Audison-Gamma Limit/Herbert-Moving Like a Train/Anders Ilar-Radius/Petre Inspirescu-Racakadoom/Chin Chin-Appetite(Chicken Lips Extended Vocal Mix)/Raudive-Zeitgeist/Cut Copy-Hearts on Fire (Joakim Remix)/E-Contact-Banna