It’s easy to forget how constantly in motion the world of music is. With the surge in blog popularity and the newly established lack of dependance on the music industry for promotion, new artists are able to rapidly establish themselves as producers without the previously inevitable wait times, thus allowing for the constant influx of new artists that keep the so called “scenes” in a constant state of motion. Now, there are indeed multiple obvious benefits to this sort of system, the primary one being that it has become nearly impossible to find ourselves bored with our absolutely massive collections of beats and bangs, however, there is a bit of a problem (although I suppose not all would consider it truly problematic) that many tend to overlook: Since we’re all so occupied with the scrutiny of new artists, we seem to have become more than slightly prone, as well as ignorant, to the loss of the old.
Seriously, what happened to these guys? It seems as though they simply released Attack Decay Sustain Release, and then immediately gave up all aspirations for any future works. To be fair, yes, they have certainly been performing around the world, but their tours look to be quite poorly promoted, to the point that if I did not make the effort to see what the boys were up to, I’d have no idea that they even still existed.
Even further, I think it sent us all through a good scare when The Hype Machine saw the release and spread of two exceedingly sub par works under the Simian Mobile Disco name, and it wasn’t until I got my hands on their latest remix that I was even able to stop myself from worrying whether we were ever going to see those two Brits again. Fortunately, they’ve hit the studio with all the pent up ferocity from the last year and a half, and I’ve got a peculiar feeling that this could be a meer wink toward the future.
I’ve come to a massive realization today. Over the past several months we’ve all likely heard everything one would think there is to hear about the now immortalized Justice. Their acceptance in the world of electro is about as controversial as America’s recent election (GObama!), and somehow, we all just can’t seem to agree on whether they are indeed still capable of causing further revolution within the world of electro, or if the success of Cross was a stroke of luck. I’ve heard people tell me they’ve gotten cocky with themselves, and no longer put effort into their work. I’ve heard even more people tell me that they’ve gone soft, and that they’re trying too hard to milk their album for all it’s worth. And I’ve heard the euphoric screams of the other half of the disco world who believe that there isn’t a man on earth capable of outdoing them. But somehow, I’ve never been able to fully agree with any of these theories. Well here’s the deal.
Last weekend I went to Dim Mak’s Hard Haunted Mansion festival in Los Angeles, (the rest of which I shall describe in detail later), and I was presented with the opportunity to see this controversial band once again, the last time being over a year ago. At first I wasn’t even sure if I’d take advantage of the opportunity; Their set overlapped with Boys Noize’s, and that choice proved itself to be truly difficult for poor old me. I was, however, able to convince myself that since there were so many other phenomenal acts in the house that night, that they would all be competing to stand out among the others, and that this would certainly provide for an incredible set, if such a thing existed. I figured I’d stay, at least for the beginning.
Soulwax took the stage before Justice (again, to be described in detail later…), and oh was it incredible. I was barely able to blink for the whole first half of half of the show, but then it happened. The incident that has finally allowed me to realize what it is that’s so disconcerting about Justice presented itself before me: A tall, bored looking guy pushed himself right toward the front of the stage, and started chanting Jus-tice! Jus-tice! Jus-tice! right during a particularly quiet part of Soulwax’s set. I stared at the guy for a while, essentially because I was altogether confused as to how someone could find a lack of entertainment in a live Soulwax show. There was nothing I could do to stop the guy, so I blocked him out of my mind as I made every attempt to try to get caught up in the rapture of the moment. As the band neared its finish, however, that became an impossible task: It was as though thousands of shirtless bros that can only be described by the perpetual “douchebag” stereotype had come out of nowhere and begun to wander forward in preparation for the coming appearance of Justice. But not because they actually care about the music. No, it was more because they’d learned through the stories of others that that’s what you’re “supposed to do”. When it came down to it, I stayed for Justice’s intro and early set (which was actually quite wonderful, now that I’m able to see clearly), but at 15 minutes in, I could no longer put up with a bunch of assholes that would rather take their shirt off and carry their girlfriend on their shoulders than have a good time, or even perhaps dance (gasp) to this strangely labeled “dance music”.
So here’s the bassline. Justice has not gotten worse. They’ve hardly wavered at all in their constant flux of solid remixes and danceable, as well as enjoyable tunes. The only thing that’s changed is the demographic of the people that listen to them. And I think we can all agree that it is rather difficult to truly enjoy an artist when you know that half of the world will also claim to be fond of them, when in reality, the sole reason that there’s a Justice folder in their computers is to FIT IN.
The Rest of Hard Haunted Mansion
With that out of my system, it’ll be quite a lot easier to express to you how ridiculously incredible the rest of Hard Fest was. With just about every artist I’ve ever wanted to dance to all gathered together in the same place, it truly required a decent amount of effort to simply contain myself, and to keep from running from event to event like a crazy person.
We started off the night listening to 2 Many Djs, and oh what a kick off it was. It was rather unfortunate that the first half of their set took place while I was still waiting in line, but fortunately, the line was directly adjacent from the stage, and I was able to hear everything loud and clear. Pardon me if this comes off as blasphemy to any of you with a more rigid artist agenda, but 2 Many Dj’s show went far and beyond any other DJ set I’ve ever seen in my life, coming to a fair and even tie against Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 show. Honestly, if they’d had the light show and the gear to make an experience out of their music, 2 Many would have taken the cake. Their mixing style is deliciously erratic, constantly jumping between transition noises and lick, and with an affinity to quick cuts, and they make sure to make full use of their plethora of turntables and noise making things. The number of different tracks and sounds that they are able to keep going at the same time pulls my jaw to the floor. Truly amazing. Here’s a couple tracks that I was particularly fond of.
From 2 Many Djs we decided to move over to the Hard stage and check out Simian Mobile Disco. Admittedly, these guys were the most unexpected and atypical artists of the night, especially for a Dim Mak event, but that had no effect on the thoroughly invigorated crowd. Simian started out with their classic Sleep Deprivation intro, and then proceeded to take things to another dimension altogether. The fascinating thing that sets these Brits apart from everyone else is their tendancy to improvise quite a lot during their sets. Their customized setup allows them to alter their tracks far enough from the originals that they become more interesting and curious to listen to than the average dj set. Their ending was an art of it’s own. Easily the heaviest, most intense composition of the night. They even left all their gear live and producing obnoxiously loud noises as the walked off stage, which (after more than three minutes of constant noise had passed), forced a dumbfounded roadie to walk out and attempt to figure out how to turn it off. Needless to say, it got the crowd chuckling.
I’d post a couple of Simian Mobile Disco’s tracks as well, but I think by now we’ve all probably heard Attack Decay, Sustain, Release, and the really hasn’t been much in the way of new material from them since then.
After Simian came Soulwax, the indescribable quartet (two of which make up 2 Many Dj’s) from Belgium. If there’s anything I can say about these guys, it’s that they know better than anyone how to build the energy. When Simian finished, I was flat out weary, and was almost disappointed that I would have it in me to really enjoy Soulwax’s set, but after less than five minutes of audio craft work (no pun intended), they had me going all over again. As a word of advice, if you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether paying to see Soulwax would or would not be worth the show, you need only watch their recent documentary “Part of the Weekend Never Dies” to be suffused with the ultimate passion and desire, not to mention disbelief that you might have failed to take advantage of such an opportunity.
Next was Justice, but I’ve already covered that above.
My final act of the night was the esteemed Deadmau5. I swear, he’s like the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride: unbelievably scary, but in a damn cool way, and with damn graceful style. The show started like this: Deadmau5 (or so we believe) walks out onto the stage wearing his distinguished giant red mouse head, and turns on some bouncy, dancy, but light music, whilst starting to bob his head. Shortly after however, a black figure sneaks up behind him and taps him on the shoulder. As Deadmau5 turns around, his doppleganger another giant mouse, except with comically creepy jagged teeth, black fur, and red eyes, comes into view. The evil counterpart then plays some creepy funeral music, chokes the other Deadmau5 to death, and takes over the decks and drops (you guessed it) Ghosts N Stuff. Epic. Absolutely epic. If only I could describe the wreckage that ensued the intro of that gloriously Halloween themed track. Perhaps I’ll post a video…
As well as the track that’s been wreaking havoc on Beatport for the last week or so…
I can’t say I’m not a little frustrated. The normal process by which I write a majority of my updates seems to have fallen through; In the past, my time was very rarely spent actively searching for new tunes to cover. In fact, the case was actually quite the opposite, in that most of the music I choose to share has found it’s way to me, simply due to the tendency of high quality music to spread rather easily through our tightly linked disco districts. Recently however, I’ve been lucky to encounter a track or two that I can even bring myself to listen to, much less love. Maybe it has something to do with this supposed “recession” we’re in. Maybe the contracting money supply is also contracting the creative pool of the many producers that most of us rely on to keep our spirits lifted. And yes, I can see how one might point out that my guess makes little sense, but how else should I account for the drastic change in the quality of music output? Seriously, check this out:
Two of my favorite artists of all time are Daft Punk and (to a somewhat lesser extent, due to their having not been around for quite as long) Crookers. Both artists have managed to put out works that far exceed the standard, to the point that they’ve created miniature revolutions within their respective niches, and both have done it on more than just a few occasions. After listening to their latest, however, I’ve found myself stumped (not to mention nearly brought to tears) as I wonder whether either will make a recovery from the extremely questionable tunes they’ve released.
Crookers have always kept their style plain and simple. Their clean beats are well cut, and feature an exceedingly minimalist nature, but despite this, they’ve always managed to keep their tracks progressive enough that upon reaching the end, one feels as though he or she has been taken through the song, and not simply exposed to a couple of bland beats for three minutes. Their remix of Isa Gt’s “Pela O”, however, turns their reputation upside down. Literally none of what’s mentioned above is present in this track. In fact, with random loops that simply repeat and alternate back and forth providing the sole bit of substance for the track, it’s hard to find anything interesting at all.
As much as I hate to say it, I think the Daft Punk track I’m about to include is even more of a failure. I’m actually banking on the off chance that perhaps some lonely bedroom producer discovered how to recreate the Rollin’ and Scratchin’ synth line, and then proceeded to use the Daft Punk name to promote his mix, because I find it incredibly difficult to accept the fact the both Guy Manuel de Homem Christo and Thomas Bangalter would find this take on Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out suitable to release.
Franz Ferdinand - Take Me Out (Daft Punk Remix)
Please children… work your magic. Make me feel better.
Edit: I can’t explain to you how relieved I am to have discovered that this “Daft Punk remix” is, in fact, a counterfeit. As such, in an attempt to halt the spread of an undeserving bedroom producer’s pilfered track, I’ve removed the download link. The stream, however, will remain up for some time, in order to make an example of this unfortunate experience.
It’s been a while since an incredibly well done disco track has been matched with an equally amusing video. I think it’s safe to say that a large portion of the time, lyrics and poetic meaning in house and electro music are (assuming they even exist) just so flat out awful that putting the time into making any kind of video would do nothing but shorten the artist’s life by means of wasted time (Honestly, no offense to the guy, but look at the original video for Benny Benasi’s Satisfaction. If either of them are an attempt to appeal to any of the normal human emotions, I’m clueless as to what that might be). This being the case, we find ourselves part of a world where a video itself is a rarity; a video of quality is essentially nothing more than a myth.
Taking the above into consideration, I’m sure you’ll see my reasoning in choosing not to waste a single moment in assisting this slinky little visual, courtesy of London’s Bodyrox, in corrupting our youthful eyes. Experience tells me it’s sure to get you feeling a little hot…
And since the sound of frenzied girls telling you to “push it in and pull it back” is likely to be cemented into your mind so quite some time (and because mp3’s tend to act in a similar fashion to morphine for many of us disco addicts) , it’s generally recommended that you grab a copy of this track to support your habbit and quench the cravings. I’ve included both the original, as well as a D Ramirez extended dub for those of you who like to see kids sweat.
I realize the Lemur’s probably going to egg my home for saying this, but I feel I owe you all the deepest of apologies for having nearly disappeared from the blogging world for more than a week! *Cringe* Now, I could go on and spend a bit of time assuring both myself and the disco starved kids around here that my excuse is within reason, however, I feel that it makes more logical sense to simply satisfy the collectively lustful hunger for audio that I’m sure we’re all likely experiencing, as soon as possible. (My excuse would have been lame anyway) As such, I’m proud to present to you, without further ado, Roger… Seventytwo!
So I realize I’ve I’ve been doing quite a bit of genre classification recently, and I’m not entirely too proud of it. Genre’s tend to be based more off of the mathematical side of music (how many beats in a bar, different repetition styles, etc.), and it’s only thanks to my rediscovery of this particularly festive Rogerseventytwo track that I’ve been able to regain control over my mind, so that I might return to appreciating and grouping songs based on the way they make me feel, and not the title that iTunes assigns them.
You might ask why it was this particular track that jarred me back into reality, and I could definitely spend some time answering that question if I wanted to. I could mention the sparks that flew the first time it came on. I could mention the peak hour, euphoric feeling that only a certain few tracks have ever allowed me to feel. I could mention how it was instantly categorized in the holy archives of my mind among the likes of Daft Punk’s One More Time, and Voodoo Chili’s I Need, as one of those triumphant, blissfully sustained cries of joy where no matter how many times you’ve heard the same 4 second loop, you’re always disappointed when the track winds to a close. But in this case, I don’t think there’s any better way to experience the wonder that our humble little Dutch friend has fabricated than first hand. I would, however, recommend that a buddy agrees to keep an eye on you before you let this little kicker do it’s thing. You’re going to want someone to find you when you get lost in your head.
It’s strange seeing my so called electro world being split so readily in two like this. It seems the heavy electro sounds that brought the dance community so close together a few years back have progressed in such diverse ways that we’re no longer able to uniformly agree on what defines the most desirable new sound, and as such, we’ve been left with two entirely different genres of music that are both somehow still grasping to be considered electro. I suppose it is a bit strange, and almost a bit frustrating to think that there are going to be multiple tastes and preferences to satisfy along our future disco endeavors, but let me assure you, this can only be good: This may, in fact, require that a little effort be put back into the “job” that is Dj’ing, and as such, I feel there could be a massive drop in the number of freeloading blog abusers sometime in the very, very near future. The threat of required effort, my friends, is natural selection at its best. (That is, if natural selection were real, of course. But the earth is only 6000 years old, remember? Sarah Palin told us so.)
The Two Branches of Electro
That title made me feel like I’m writing a history book. Maybe I should make an outline due at the end of the quarter.
Anyhow, it seems the first half of the split electro genre has not only skimmed the fat, but it’s actually dumped a good 75% of its musical meal right out the window without losing a single bit of integrity. It’s like this: Rather than being served a burrito with everything that makes your taste buds get freaky, all crammed into one delicious dish, you’re now receiving a single bomb ass steak, and a baked potato. In the end you’ve only got about 10% of what you had before, but somehow it’s just way better. And steering away from this failed food analogy, I’d go so far as to say this musical sect could more easily be defined under minimal than under electro, although my opinion is likely to beg a rebuttal.
I suppose artists like DeadMau5 and his latest BSOD, The Royal Rumble, and even Herve (especially alongside Sinden), have all veered more toward this side of the argument more than the other, however, the audio craftsmanship of Australia’s Bass Kleph brings it all home. Presenting to you: The epitome of blip-tastic bounce.
As for the other side of our post apocalyptic electro world, well, that’s where I think all the Treasure Fingers, Twelves, Dangers, Van She Tech’s and DatA’s of our time fit in. They’re the guys who’ve taken the exact opposite approach to their furthering of electro, and have chosen to cram every last bit of harmonic Daft Punk influence into an already brimming sound, in order to create tunes that are nearly impossible to fully comprehend. In fact, I’d go so far as to say I don’t think I’ve ever heard the same song twice. (Figuratively speaking of course).
I think the way us disco fans listen to music has changed considerably over the last couple years. Maybe I’m just stuck in some weird state of mind where everything always seems as though it was better “back in the day”, but I feel like in a certain sense, we’ve all gradually lost part of our ability to truly appreciate music for what it’s worth. Now before you get all up in arms about my blasphemy, let me explain.
Due to its increasingly powerful capability to make our musical transactions instantaneous, the internet has allowed us to wreak havoc on our own musical tastes, and I’d be lying if I were to say I didn’t see it coming. In the early nineties, the net was all about buying the cd’s that you used to have to hike down to the local record store for, and after experiencing this ultimate convenience, we all began to look for even more potential spontaneity. Naturally, we were pushed into digital music downloads, which (as far as I’m concerned) totally eradicated the need to even like a song before stuffing it onto an iPod, and finally, we arrived at what’s generally accepted to be the current way of things: a musical scene controlled almost entirely by blogs.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m most definitely in favor of blogs (I do run one). What I’m not in favor of is the unfortunate practice that I’ve taken the liberty of titling “blog abuse”. Many people have become so accustomed to getting all of their music from a certain collection of bookmarked websites that we’ve begun to lose our concept of taste. It’s almost like Oprah, and her viewers’ weird willingness to read everything that she tells them to, and nothing else. Though a large portion of the music out there has indeed been touched by this little predicament, it seems that the electronic scene has taken the bullet right to the heart. Disco is a genre that revolves around DJ’s, and as such the people who choose to abuse the disco blogs frequently do so whilst keeping their dj sets in mind, thus creating a circle of what could be considered musical inbreeding. The result: you get themed DJ’s. Forget variety. Forget the idea that a dj should introduce you to new music, whilst keeping you comfortable by slipping in a classic every now and again. Forget being mesmerized by a dj’s unique style and direction. Say hello to a set full of everything that you already heard on Missingtoof over the last two weeks.
That’s not even the worst of it. While unsavory music collections and poor taste do indeed provoke a sour face, the hardest blow has been planted at the heart of our own ability to enjoy the music we listen to. With the rising popularity of electro and house music in recent years, we’ve seen a massive increase in the number of half-hearted wannabe dj’s, and a bit of contact with this amateur scene has allowed me to see that as these kids scour the internet for music, they don’t even look for music that they enjoy. I’ve heard things like, “Oh! This track would be great for a transition” or “I bet people would dance to this!” but I honestly can’t even remember the last time I heard anything close to, “I love the way this song makes me feel.” How can anyone be a good dj if they don’t feel an emotional connection to the beats they throw?
Indeed, music has a universal power to unite people, but that unity is largely due to the mutual feelings that each individual experiences within his own heart.
I’m almost shocked at how much thought a single Twelves remix provoked in me, but I’m consoled each and every time I press play, and listen to this remarkable piece of art all over again. It was clear a while back that these kids were more than just another bandwagon dj tag team, but this track honestly takes the cake. Seeing as this is the first time in months that I’ve loved a track enough to leave it on repeat (it’s been an hour now), I feel it’s safe to say that The Twelves have added an emotional touch to dance music that has almost become a rarity, and that if you’re one of the aforementioned people that has lost a personal connection with their music, that this latest track is likely enough to put you back in touch, if not provoke tears of joy. It’s always nice when music makes it hard not to smile. If you’re in need of reminder as to what emotion feels like, this track’s for you.
Here’s one we’ve all been waiting for for a while. I’m pretty sure the Los Angeles trio known as The Royal Rumble have somehow managed to purloin a book of trade secrets from Steve Jobs, because it seems to me that the manor in which they release their tracks is strikingly similar to that of Apple: They keep you wanting more than you can have, by releasing a single incredible (and may I emphasize incredible) mix at intervals far longer than you’d prefer. In short, if the Royal Rumble three happen to read this, let me assure them, their techniques are proving quite fruitful, seeing as each of their releases leaves me both incredibly satisfied, and yet itching for more at the same time.
This latest track, a remix of Graveleaf’s “The Crusade” continues to embrace the familiar Royal Rumble sound (which, for those of you who’re finding yourselves a little confused, consists largely of whoops, whops, and other loopy and almost [pardon me if I'm overstepping my boundaries here] minimal sounding noises) but that’s not to say that it has, in any way, become repetitive. In fact, for those who’ve found themselves reading my lengthy trains of thought in hopes that you might find a few solid tracks to throw in your next set, the smooth transitions and gentle progression that tie this thoroughly bouncy track together will likely prove to be exactly what you’re looking for.
Busy P was, is, and always will be where it’s at. I don’t know where this guy gets his ideas from, but whether he’s got a tank of manatees pulling musical notes out of a pile or he simply purchased a relentless creativity chip from some weird corner of Ikea, anyone who’s owned a pair of headphones within the last year can tell you that the guy has got more musical gravity than just about any other entity in the electro universe. I suppose I could discuss his having detected the potential of multiple internationally successful artists before their sounds were even remotely popular (The guy opted to manage Daft Punk way back in the early nineties, before they’d even acquired a record label, and I’m guessing we’ve all heard the rags to riches story of Justice’s one-song, chance encounter with Mr. Winter. Look where they ended up!), but I feel that there’s even more glowing potential in the French Producer/Ed Banger owner’s own original works. Where most producers tend to have a decent ear for what people know and love to hear, Busy P has the considerably rarer ability to know what listeners don’t know they want to hear. Confused? Let me explain:
Remember 2006? Of course you do. That was the year Justice released their turn-the-world-upside-down Cross album, and hence, that was the year that the electronic scene was driven entirely by steady kick-snare beats and tricky, glitched out transitions. But while our faithful Justice and their nine-hundred spinoff counterparts were all following the same 123 bpm formula, Busy P had already begun to push his standards to entirely different places. Personally, I was drawn in by the Rainbow Man EP, which, though it drew several elements from the trendy hits of the time, had an unusually sedated drive to it, which managed to make it that much heavier. From there, though, colors started flying. A few months ago, To Protect and Entertain tapped into the Electro/hip hop crossover genre (one that happens to have become more than just a bit popular as of late) at a time when few more than The Chemical Brothers had even touched it, and apparently having already moved on, P’s latest track, a remix of Das Pop’s Underground, has nearly combined the weird Helium voices of Bass Kleph’s aptly titled work with a mess of frumpy, windy, slidy synths that’ve got me saying nothing but mmmmmm mmm MmnmLOL. Let me assure you that no matter how you try, it’s likely impossible to comprehend Busy P’s train of thought, but if you take the time to appreciate this mix friendly blend of whacky confusion, (in addition to grabbing one of the most well produced tracks in quite a while), you might, at least for the moment, feel like you have some sort of clue as to what’s going on.
And just so I don’t leave you with only a single track with which to occupy the rest of our night, I figure I should probably help spread the latest by Van She Tech (special thanks to Discodust for the heads up). The track has got a definite Russ Chimes feel to it (I guess the Nu-Disco-ish influence is spreading), but a careful bit of side chaining every now and again definitely gives it a unique touch. Sometimes I wonder just how far off the map Van She Tech would have to wander to screw up a mix. Thus far, I’m convinced they’re invincible.
I know my posts have been coming in bursts recently, and trust me, the last thing I want to do is perpetuate the cycle, but as you may have surmised from my previously unscheduled publications, sometimes it is simply imperative: Tonight, the unfortunate streak of bleak and uninteresting electro house tracks ends, for I have, by some stroke of luck, stumbled across what is easily the heaviest, noisiest, and most tastefully confusing production since the surprising Kam Denny remix of Ce Ce Peniston’s “Finally”.
BSOD. Does it stand for Blue Screen of Death, or am I just confusing myself? I’ve got no idea, but what I do know is that the quiet night of French linguistic practice that I had planned has been entirely ruined, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. The endless stream of clicks, beeps, whoops, and whip-whopping (all of which makes the contribution of Joel Zimmerman, or more commonly, Deadmau5, very, very apparent) is more than enough to beg a rewrite of the definition of euphoria. Now if only I had an empty warehouse full of deranged and shameless youth…
Again, I must stress that this piece of audio wreckage is pushing insanity, so please, listen responsibly! I’m pretty sure the surgeon general would agree.
