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Fourth release from the fidget label of the moment, Cheap Thrills, and Herve alias, Action Man. "Alarm Bell(1)" has anthem written all over it with a ridiculously simple but super-sticky siren signature. Also check "Zombie Dance(2)" and "Under Your Skin(3)." -the mgmnt
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Nicely loaded short run whitelabel from the UK. The electronics-heavy "Mercury" is kind of a different look for the Bloc boys, and the remixers here give it three suitably different styles. Herve(1) - aka Count of Monte Cristal - comes with some...
expand review huge ass buzzing bass inna typically heavy Dubsided stylee; Flosstradamus(2) get real dark, synthy and 80s reverby with it; and Brazil's CSS(3) steals the show with their upbeat, percussion-heavy revamp. Note: the labels appear to be completely flipped here - Herve's remix is on the A-side by itself, with Flosstradamus (B1) and CSS (B2) on the flip. A-side plays at 33, B-side at 45. -Van Hammersly
quick audio picks: 123
If you have a soft spot for early 80's style r'n'b funk beats, squiggle synth and vocoder action (like me), then you already know Chromeo is pretty much one of the only groups making original material in that style these days (and...
expand review doing it up proper). "Tenderoni(1)" continues their reign of serious synthesizer funk with Dave 1 busting the smoothy smooth vox and P-Thug rocking the keys to make you boogie out your seat. The OG mix is fresh to begin with, but they went ahead and threw in the beefed up MSTRKRFT version(2) which ups the intensity to stadium-rocking levels, and the twisted Sinden Remix(3) to make people loose their shit. Another very crate-worthy 12" from the Chromeo dudes. -snackmaster
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I must admit... when I saw that we got another Deadset album, I rolled my eyes to myself and was like "whoopy" in my internal monologue. But, being the trooper I am, I put it on, and immediately retracted my previous statements....
expand review The UK duo of Deadset sure rocked a spot with this one. I'm all about funky synth lines, and you're going to be pretty hard pressed to find something this ass-shakingly good as in "Buzzer Says Werner(1)." I could do without the damn police siren, but whatever... nothing's perfect, right? My good friend and resident NYC party rocker Derek Plaslaiko hit me with this a few times last week, and I was definitely pleased to know that we now carry it. I, personally, am a little more partial to the flip however. "Cardinal Rules(2)" has that slumped and shuffled minimal style that seems to be blowing up all over the place lately. It just jerks along, and you really can't help but to get a little swerve going when you hear those warped chords coming in. Two bumpy, fun and fantastically well produced tracks here. Recommended. -minimal man
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Ok, this is Mad Decent's most loaded release to date. Not only did Diplo call in the Justice League of Remixers, but we stepped up our artwork game (so clean!) and the vinyl mixes sound really, really good. If you got Blaqstarr's...
expand review Supastarr EP, you know he's not your typical Bmore producer. No gimmick tracks here, just dark, crazy original production. "Shake It To The Ground(1)" has been begging for remixes from the start, with its minimal beat and 17-year old Rye Rye's crazy flow. Current remix king Switch and Santogold(2) team up for a fucking bonkers kuduro-flavored mix, which interpolates... well, you'll know when you hear it. Drop The Lime's remix(3) has been getting tons of play - I used to think this dude was all Kid606, but this is hot as hell and totally ready for the club. All this, plus a dirty, bassy mix from SF's Claude VonStroke(4). Comes packaged in the standard Mad Decent sleeve with sticker & artwork by Rory Them Finest. Only 2,000 copies produced. Ummm... recommended. -Larri Byrd
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Head straight for Trevor Loveys' remix here(1), an absolutely slamming, insane and squelchy electro house monster with sick little "dance all night" vocal samples thrown in. Loveys just gets better and better! Dan Le Sac's "RFCI remix(2)" features TK and (the hotter...
expand review than hot) Blu Jemz on vocals, on top of some heavy beats and Casio sounding arpeggiated keyboard action. Plastic Little's remix(3) injects a serious electro bassline and some classic funk samples over the boys' raps. Pretty sick. Last up, the Dub Pistols' "Retox Dub" remix(4) is huge! Slick breakbeats, dope percussion and more electro madness for the headz. -Alison Tara
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Duke Dumont, who previously remixed Debbie Deb on Turbo Recordings, gives the super-popular fidget imprint Dubsided a new angle to chew on. Dumont starts it off with "Prelude(1)" a direct page from Kanye's book with pitched up soul sample and boom bap...
expand review beats floated underneath. A bite, yes, but quite interesting in context. "Hoy(2)" sounds like Diplo track, crafting exotic samples into a future-now dance track. Cool as phuc if you ask me. B-side starts with more soul sample madness (Eddie Kendricks this time) on "Interlude(3)," then finally gets into the fidget with "Feltham(4)." The EP ends with "Postlude" a backwards version of "Interlude." Quite forward thinking and thematic for a white label style release. Highly recommended. -the mgmnt
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WTF is Fake Blood? They're the newest group to come out of Herve's Cheap Thrills label. These Londoners love the grimy electro sound and have done remixes for Arman Van Helden, Bonde Do Role, and South Rakkas Crew. This is their debut...
expand review 12" and features an ill dirty electro track "Mars(1)" sure to have the bass addicts going nuts. Also check the flip for their hype theme song, "Blood Splashing(2)." Love the sick drum breaks incorporated in the beats, it gets it uber-hype. -C'mish
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Woah, they actually cleared the "Thriller" sample? Guess that's what happens when Ministry of Sound is licensing your shit. This is the Data Records promo repress of Herve's massive single from last year, originally released on Dubsided but now sporting a spiffy...
expand review new Count of Monte Cristal remix. (Yes, that's Herve remixing himself remixing Michael Jackson.) In true Dubsided style, "Cheap Thrills(1)" is 90% dirty, buzzing bassline and 10% ultra-catchy sample; when the two meet towards the end of the track and Herve starts freaking those synths, it's lights out. The Count's remix(2) takes it even further via gated, pulsing bass, yelping vocal snips and a Bmore tempo breakdown. Plays at 45. -Chris Lemon-Red
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Cheap Thrills number five... Herve's young label is on fire. On this team-up with Kissy Sell Out, the duo throws a slight curve. "Rikkalicious" isn't the straight, aggressive fidget sound we're accustomed to. Rather, it incorporates alternating melodic techno sections (think Osborne)....
expand review It's super-effective, using trance-principles for moving the crowd. It comes in two versions, a club mix(1) and a 12" mix(2).
-the mgmnt
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Heavy-duty import 2x12" stacked with big name remixes for the latest singles off Hot Chip's Made In the Dark album. On the first slab, Dubsided don Switch gives us two distinctly different takes on "Hold On" - the hammering "LA remix(1)"...
expand review with its insane rave synths and repetitive "give back a little twist..." vocal chop, and the breakbeat- and dubstep-informed "LDN remix(2)." Fellow londoners Mock & Toof(3) take a more mellow and housey approach on the flip. Over on the second record, it's a German invasion with Kollektiv Turmstrasse(4) and the English-born Berlin-residing Mr. Pearson(5) and each putting their mitts on "Touch Too Much." Plays at 33. -Van Hammersly
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Hot Chip with a little punk funk number(1) full of gritty electric guitars, indie vocals and nice synths. Solid Groove once again provide the winning remix(2) (which was previously only available on a super limited UK promo double pack) with more...
expand review gigantic drums, twisted effects and the vocal hook from the original. These guys can do no wrong- and they just provided the office with a burst of late afternoon energy much needed. On the flip, "Plastic(3)" is another winner and last up, Naum Gabo brings on another remix of "Over and Over(4)." -Alison Tara
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