quick audio picks: 12
Germany's Exploited label is quickly becoming the collector's choice, partly due to these amazing rework 80s covers Marek Polewski from Floor 5. As for the music, expect push the limits electro. The Bloody Beetroots' remix(1) of "Choo Choo" wasn't supposed to...
expand review be released on vinyl, but after much blog buzz (it's quite mental in a good way), the label decided to properly release it complete with a b-side remix by Institubes' Tacteel(2). -the mgmnt
quick audio picks: 123
French whiz kid Bobmo returns with three tracks of full-on electro damage (not Norwegian black metal covers of AM radio favorites, as the cover would suggest). A-side has the heavy raver "Rock The(1)" and skiddish acid synth workout "Legally Dead For 4'31(2),"...
expand review but the B-side wins again with the echoey and extra-choppy "Get 'Em Junior(3)." Chalk another one up for Institubes. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12
Limited green vinyl 10" from Institubes featuring the standout track from Bobmo's debut EP, the quasi-Bmore stylings of "To The Bobmobile(1)." The real gold is on the B-side (actually, the "K" side) which has an exclusive remix from Kazey & Bulldog(2), who...
expand review bring the track into REAL Bmore club territory (or as real as a club track from France can get) with some Samir-style horns. Great pic sleeve, too - take a minute and decode. Plays at 45. -Larri Byrd
quick audio picks: 123
I always found it interesting that this dude and Digitalism were both from the land where minimal reigns supreme, because there stuff is the exact opposite of subtle. Busy P himself said that Boys Noize could have easily been on Ed Banger....
expand review But oh well, he said screw signing with a label and started his own. So here we are with the third single of his debut album, appropriately tittled, Oi Oi Oi. First let me say that I guarantee that 9 out of 10 moms would HATE this, and we all know that is not a bad thing. The Original(1) is a bruising minimal electro cut with only a slight underlying synth line near the end. Listening to the sound sample should give you a good idea of the entire track. Remix man number one, Feadz, has a pretty diverse musical background, from making tracks on Germany's BPitch control label, to producing new electro hip pop cuts for Uffie on Ed Banger. Here he gets to utilize some of that Berlin-style attention to fine detail, while still keeping the intensity level at 10. The real shiner on this 12 though is Para One's remix(3) of non-album track 'My Head'. Less choppy than the usual Para production; think Soulwax remix without the epic build. This is peak time shit to the highest degree right here. I can see Steve Aoki right now at Cinespace - shirt off, sweating ballz, doing his little Jesus on the cross pose, staring at the heavens with his eyes closed as his disciples do handstands or backflips or whatever the hell they do there. Major! Also, with three handy noise loops at the end of side A. -Rezound
quick audio picks: 123456
So-Me went extra crazy hand drawn style for this eye-searing limited pic disc 12" from Ed Banger honcho Busy P (aka Pedro Winter, aka Daft Punk's manager, blah blah, you know already). In addition to the slumpy, glitched out title track(1), here...
expand review we get four remixes of the Busy/MURS collab "To Protect & Entertain" from the Ed Rec III comp. While the original mix(2) always felt a little clunky to me, the Ed Banger fam comes correct on the new versions: Mehdi smooths things out with his "99 Rap Mix(3)," Mr. Oizo(3) keeps it stompy, and even So-Me scores on his spazoid cut-up "Get Naked Remix(4)." Add an all-over-the-map Bmore-rave-house mix from Crookers(5) and this shit's a wrap. These probably won't be around long, so... -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 123
Skittles & a pot of gold my ass! When you get to the end of the rainbow, you'll find Busy P blasting rainbows out of his hands like nobody's business. He could've called the track something tame like "Roy G. Biv," but...
expand review that wouldn't be as shocking as "Rainbow Man(1)" would it? I guess when you manage Daft Punk and Justice, AND run Ed Banger, you can do anything you want. The title track burns like industrial dance and is perfect for warming up your crowd. I spin this in my sets and its a great segue into anything, kinda like this next track... "Chop Suey(2)!" This is the go-getter of the bunch that mixes electro, ghettotech and "Doo Doo Brown" styles with that patented Parisian flavor. "Let me see you pop that pussy!" – a nice surprise for such a rainbow-licous cover. Busy P's remix of Fancy's "What's Your Name Again (3)" sits on the flipside and is a CRUSHER. What I mean by that is it's the type of track you use to take your crowd over the top. Trouble & Bass, youknowhaddameen. Spin this at the hypest moment and watch the mosh start. Plays at 45. Limited edition white vinyl. -Commish
quick audio picks: 1234
Don't know if you keep up with the guitar bands overseas, but these London dudes are causing a stir with their tight, sharp licks, addictive melodies, and dance energy. This is their second appearance on Kitsune since their "Poor Innocent Boys" track...
expand review on Maison 2, and it seems they've only gotten more potent. Check their heavy chords and riffs on "To Cut A Long Story Short(1)." They've got monster sounds! To follow that up you've got Vicarious Bliss doing two remixes(2, 3), that slow it down and add a dense instrumental touch. Pure fire for the French-Electro minded. Streetlife, who did a sick remix for CSS' "Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above" earlier this year, also turns in a vox chop ballistic missle of a remix(4) that deserves an stadium sized audience. Autokratz turns in a choppy 80s flavored remix(5) that's a little more jammin’ than his tasty 12" earlier this year. All in all, a powerful original track with some insane remixers on wax can't be a bad look. Break out the strobe lights and cigarettes, it's party hardy time! -C'mish
quick audio picks: 123
Debut release from Curses! on Paris' mighty Institubes label. Don't be quick to group this in with all the other french-electro that's been coming out these days, 'cause this one is truly exceptional. Curses! is the mysterious alter ego of Brooklyn bass...
expand review monster Drop The Lime (who has been keeping ridiculously busy these days touring and remixing for everyone from Blaqstarr to Juiceboxxx and Dre Skull and even... himself!) and though this is his first release as Curses!, dude is obviously no noob to the game. He's been producing and rocking parties (including the infamous Trouble & Bass parties in BK) for years. I was lucky enough to witness his live show last year, and that shit was mind-blowing! But enough back story... as Curses!, DTL draws inspiration from the dance floor sounds of the past (think 90's house) and translates them for the dance floors of today by infusing it with his signature NYC bass style. "This Is The Way(1)" is a perfect example, with a screamin' diva vocal chopped and stuttered to perfection, hip-house sample drops ("Pump up the!") and jackin' bass and synths all over pumping drums. Straight slammin'. And if you REALLY want to blast the dance floor into smithereens, drop the DTL Remix(2) which takes all the elements of the original and punches them up to 11. Flipside features the strange mutant of a track "Hungry For Love(3)," which is unlike anything else out there right now. Part breaks, part dancefloor, part ambient, part prog rock, all masterful. Give it a listen and you'll see what I mean. Recommended. -snackmaster
quick audio picks: 12
This single dropped in France back in 2005, but with Para One blowing up and Dabaaz's album finally ready, we're thinking it's still a safe bet. Proceed directly to the B-side here for the Para One-produced "Le Da(1)," which is bound to...
expand review grab you whether you appreciate its farting, off-kilter electro beat or Dabaaz's swaggering Frenchy flow. Disque Primeur's own Drixxxe gets behind the boards for the A-side, "Explose(2)," a fireworks-sampling beast of a track which firmly places Dabaaz on the same Euro-crunk level as his countrymen, TTC. (And I mean that in a good way.) Includes instrumentals for both tracks. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 12
LAB US EXCLUSIVO. Import-only pic sleeve 12" featuring two of the biggest tunes from Dabaaz's new full-length. A-Trak gets behind the boards for "Regarde-Les(1)," scratching up a Clipse sample and crafting yet another ridiculously infectious beat. Flipside features the Drixxxe-produced "Tu Veux...
expand review La Guerre?(2)" - the term "Eurocrunk" kinda makes me wanna shoot my face, but this is pulled off so nicely, it doesn't feel like a joke. Totally dark, Dirty South style production. DJ Paul & Juice would be proud. Includes instrumentals for both tracks. Limited stock. Recommended. -Chris Lemon-Red
quick audio picks: 123
Leaving aside the fact that even Hot 97 DJs have been big-upping the original version of "Technologic" ever since Busta's "Touch It" reinterpretation, this massive tune by Daft Punk has been ripe for a remix(1) for a while now. It just...
expand review so happens that Digitalism is ready to do some remixing, so the Kitsune kids and the french duo come together in a way that makes cosmic sense like Tim and Dawn in The Office. This track is so epic that I predict either an all-out love melee on the dance floor or a collective breakdown into tears about the need for a revolution in our lifetime. Or it's possible that somebody might just come up to the booth and record check you (take it back to '78 and peel the label off that sh*t!). In any of those scenarios you should feel proud of what you've accomplished. In fact, when the vocal breakdown ends and the luscious guitar chords come in, go ahead and shed some tears of joy for yourself my friend. And should you ever find yourself playing at a biker bar that turns into an experimental music venue after ten, might I suggest dropping the Justice Mix of "Human After All(2)" to bridge the gap. Just stand back, cross your fingers and watch the mingling begin. The Emperor Machine Version(3) is handy if you're interested in executing really long mixes with an essence of Daft Punk rather than slapping people in the face with a vocoder. If that doesn't concern you, just pierce their souls instead with the Digitalism mix. -Telekinetic Kat
quick audio picks: 1234
This one is for everyone who's been in line at a club or a party and had some dude push past them like "Yo I'm on the list - yeah, I know the DJ"Montreal's Chromeo hooks up with Parisian phenom DJ Mehdi...
expand review on the Ed Banger label for this track about trying to get on the other side of that velvet rope. In keeping with the theme of the record, I gotta say that we've been bumping this shit in the office for months, ever since Ed Banger sent us the advance copy. Mehdi lays down a sick (and I mean SICK!) electro groove
indepth
