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.

Das Pop - Underground (Busy P remix)

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.

Walter Meego - Forever (Van She Tech remix)

I must say it’s been quite some time since we’ve heard almost anything from the Ed Banger crew. I have this strange inkling that Justice might well have been struck with the misfortune of sailing off the edge of the earth in their gallant search for a proverbial new world, and even the immovable, longtime members seem to be shying the news as of late. But hush children, I assure you, there’s no need to worry; Though it may seem as though our beloved team of groundbreaking artists have hidden themselves away in their laboratories, you’ve simply found yourself at the mercy of a well kept secret. See, our good friends over at Dim Mak have (incase you failed to notice the exclusive appearance of Mr. Pedro Winter himself only a month ago) all the while been supplying LA’s truest disco fans with a constant stream of awe inspiring dj sets and sweaty, sweaty parties (think underground railroad), and, though it saddens me to say it, you’ve been missing out!

Fortunately, you shan’t be left in the dark yet again, seeing as Dim Mak has officially gone all out on their upcoming Avalon-strocity of a dance party and has managed (by means of some ridiculous supernatural power) to summon the dj Feadz to make Los Angeles sparkle upon the night of the 12th of September. (That means you’ve got a little over a week to go ahead and cancel all your appointments and such. Don’t worry, you didn’t really need to go to them anyway) Considering a live Feadz headliner has become somewhat of a rarity since the inception of Uffie, it goes without saying that this isn’t something you’re going to want to miss. And as if that’s not enough for your metaphorically Irish electro tolerance, I suggest you take a look at the rest of the lineup. We’ve got Kid Cudi (I’m sure you’ve heard Crookers‘ Embrace the Martian?), Paparazzi, Them Jeans (If you’re unfamiliar, you must live in a cave), and the notorious Hyphy Crunk, all waiting to help you lace up your dancing shoes. Sure, a couple of those names do indeed frequent LA, however, having them all to yourself together in one night is pushing insanity.

For those of you who’re finding yourselves a tad confused, here’s a couple tasters to get your blood running hot. I trust the next couple minutes shall ensure that I’ll be seeing you there.

Feadz - Go On Beef (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Feadz feat. Spank Rock - Back It Up

Kill the Noise - Hey You (Paparazzi Remix)

We all know the internet has had quite a large effect on the music industry; Sometimes I doubt that there remains a single soul left in the world that hasn’t contributed a dollar to Apple’s iTunes at least once in their life, but looking at this massive change from a modern perspective, it’s all good, right? Digitalization has allowed artists like Radiohead (and several other open-minded trend setters) to release their work upon completion and without corporate delay. Further, I feel it’s safe to say that a fairly large chunk of those of you who are reading this would find yourselves shit out of luck when it comes to discovering new music without the abundance of audio blogs on the net. In fact, you might actually be forced to (gasp) scour a record store. And I mean, yes, there’s the whole issue of creative copyrights, but seeing as it’s been discussed just about everywhere else on the net, I’m sure we’re all quite aware that merchandise and performance make up most of a musicians income anyway, so really, the only ones getting hurt by free music downloads (in most cases!) are the massive (although it must be mentioned that they seem to be losing steam) record labels. Point being, to sit back and accept the digital takeover as a collective win for the music world is quickly becoming an effortless feat, and this makes it twice as hard for the hesitant few to point out the complications that most certainly do arise.

Sure, there are thousands of complications here and there that I could complain about, but what’s really getting to me as of late is the notion that the ease of the transfer of music across the globe may actually be having a negative affect on the concept of culture that separates one nation’s musical style from another’s. Thinking back a couple years, ever since French artists like Justice pioneered the nu-rave electro sound back in late 2005, we’ve been hearing nothing but knock offs of that particular sound, regardless of the country of origin, and it’s only when an artist emerges that truly has pioneered a unique and individual style that it becomes easy to see what we’re missing.

Balkan Beat Box

Hailing from all over Eastern Europe, the project known as Balkan Beat Box claim a “strong urge to create a new musical breed that surpasses the old reality borders,” and after having a listen to a couple of their works, you won’t doubt that they know what they’re doing, and exactly how they’re going to do it. Their music incorporates the talents of 10 unique instrumentalists to create an almost Klezmer-fused electro style distinctive of the Eastern parts of Europe, and though you might find yourself a bit overwhelmed and confused at first, approaching these tracks with an mind will truly open the floodgates of possibility and leave you begging for more. In fact, the Balkan sound has so quickly become irresistible that several other artists, including the Italian Crookers, who were previously completely unrelated to the sound have already made the effort to embrace it within their own work.

Here’s a funky saxophone heavy Balkan Beat Box track, as well as the aforementioned Crookers effort.

Balkan Beat Box - Digital Monkey

Crookers - Gipsy P

Rayflash

Hopping back in the plane, I must say it’s certainly about time we return to Japan to follow up on the early summer post on the Japanese crunch god, Rayflash. Though I can’t go so far as to say that his music has much of a Japanese influence, I can certainly endorse the fact that Ray has truly extended his reach into entirely untouched areas of electro. His mixes are notorious for their audible pool of influences, reaching just as much into the Daft Punk library as they do into the heavy electro of artists like Circuit Freak and The Bloody Beetroots, and his latest track is certainly no exception. His nearly eight minute long remix of Artego’s “Girl” will take you on a pummeling electro journey through crunchy, hair-raising worlds, and I can guarantee that, assuming you make it out alive, the place you end up will not be the one you expected. All things considered, I would advise that you make use of your seatbelt.

MP3: Artego - Girl (Rayflash Remix)
YSI: Artego - Girl (Rayflash Remix)
ZShare: Artego - Girl (Rayflash Remix)

And for those of you who simply can’t be satisfied by a paltry single track, I thought you might like to know that our good friend Ray has made a special effort to cater to your (and I do mean your; he loves us all) interests. He’s come up with a mixtape that will fill more than an hour of your life with the warped out glitches of his dj sets, and may I say that he’s done an unbelievable job. You may have noticed I’m not prone to posting mixes, but trust me, this one will take power over you. I simply couldn’t hold back.

YSI: Rayflash DJ Mix 2

ZShare: Rayflash DJ Mix 2

Deepest apologies for having nearly disappeared for almost a week; I’m finally on the mend after a bit of an illness, which, when combined with far too many hours of work, has proven overwhelming. On the positive side of things, however, my lack of updates has allowed me to build up a substantial collection of goodies that have been kept in their cages and away from trouble for far too long. Naturally, approach these tracks with caution; They do like to pounce, and could leave you feeling very confused and unprepared come Monday morning.

Nite Cells

In all honesty, this first act, a couple of Hollywood producers working under the name Nite Cells, had me a bit confused at first: For a reason that I have not yet come to understand, they call themselves minimalists, yet the first 15 seconds of any of the tracks they have up for preview on their Myspace will not only beg to differ, but they’ll leave you wondering why Boys Noize hasn’t decided to hop in the same boat and call himself a minimalist as well. Nite Cell’s latest track, which happens to be a remix of the Division Kent tune “L’Heure Bleue” (a track that was covered a few weeks back), is on par with some of the heaviest, grimiest pieces of electro I’ve heard, and building on that, it seems as though the boys might well have uncovered a well guarded technique that is (at least in my opinion) sure to give Justice’s formerly exclusive twangy, slap bass synth a run for its money. I’ve got a strange feeling that Nite Cell’s could be in for heavy dose of success quite soon.

(Speaking of Justice, is it just me, or does anyone else see the ironic resemblance between these Hollywood kids, and their Parisian peers?)

MP3: Division Kent - L’heure Bleue (Nite Cells Roquefort remix)

Soulwax, MGMT, and other Exciciting News

It’s been a while since I’ve made any sort of comment on the swelling sea of fists that is mainstream electro, but experience has recently allowed me to realize that mainstream music is (in most cases) mainstream, for a particularly solid reason: It’s damn good. And this, my friends, is precisely the reason that the Belgian phenomenon known as Soulwax is causing such a commotion with their shows as of late. The humble group have borrowed from the likes of MGMT and created a very nicely rounded remix (of which we’re lucky enough to have a decent quality pre-release recording) that has more than enough power push all your buttons at once. Soulwax provides their familiar mystical, progressive-electro touch, which is then fused with a magically curious MGMT nostalgia, and after hearing the result for the first time, I’d go so far as to say you might find yourself torn between whether you’d rather be getting down and dirty with all the hot bodies around you, or simply pondering the concepts of existential thought. Either way, make sure your seatbelt is fastened before (and I must stress before) you choose to download this track, because you’re in for a (pardon the cliche) wild ride.

MP3: MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Nite remix bootleg)

While on the subject of Soulwax, it’s worth mentioning that the boys have recently completed a full length film entitled “Part of the Weekend Never Dies” (which should make sense to those of you who have indulged yourselves with the renowned “Nite Versions”) with hopes that they might be able to “capture a scene through Soulwax, not the other way round.” (Which I’ve taken to mean that they might be documenting a tour as seen through their own eyes?) Assuming you’re as excited as I am, you can check out a preview, as well as enter a drawing to receive one of ten free copies of the film at DazelDigital.

And on that note, I feel I should close for the time being; Late nights are proving difficult for my recovering mind to handle. Keep in touch, as I should have the second half of this post up soon. Hopefully someone out there is sweating double time to make up for my absence.

This is a rather painful subject to have to address. I only mean to express my disappointment. I hope it won’t be interpreted as disrespect:

Justice

Back in 2006, there wasn’t a soul in the entirety of the electro community that would hear a bad word about Justice. Remember Coachella 2006? Remember when they did dj sets and tore their crowds apart with those heavy hitters like Waters of Nazareth and Stress? What happened? My theory: that little electro community that I speak of grew one hundredfold, and the plethora of new fans allowed Justice’s ego to grow equally large. Cross came out, and their somewhat renowned DJ sets turned into “Justice Live”, which is an incredibly confusing title considering you’re going to struggle if you attempt to find anything even remotely live about their show; A guy I know came back from Coachella this year infuriated at the fact that a whole ton of the people that saw Justice’s set were complaining that they may as well have stayed in the hotel room and listened to the cd. He said to me, “They don’t know what they’re talking about. They just aren’t listening hard enough to hear the differences.” At first I sympathized with the guy, thinking, “Yeah, I suppose their are a lot of newbies in this scene. Maybe they just didn’t know.” But after thinking it over for a few minutes, I realized that his opinion is absolutely ridiculous. The fact that you have to perk your ear like a dog to hear the good qualities of a piece of music means that the music just isn’t good. Don’t get me wrong, Cross was and still is a spectacular album, but that doesn’t mean that Justice couldn’t put a little more work into their live performances, especially considering they’re using them as an excuse to not begin work on a new album. The two have been interviewed several times in the past couple months by people curious to know what’s brewing in the Justice cauldron, and each time they have responded with something along the lines of, “We feel that we put a good deal of effort into Cross, so we’re just focusing on touring right now.” Jeez, there are only so many singles your can pull out of that single album… Okay so maybe I’m being a little harsh. (That Stress video was undeniably awesome.) They haven’t literally been up to nothing at all. The guys have recently released a remix of MGMT’s Electric Feel. Unfortunately, it seems a little below the bar that many of their other tracks have set. Hopefully that’s merely due to the fact that this little sneak preview that’s been blogging about is only a segment of the full song ripped from a radio show, or even just because touring likely puts a heavy strain on production quality.

MGMT - Electric Feel (Justice Remix)

Let’s cross our fingers for a solid comeback. God knows they’re capable.

The prospect of starting a blog in order to praise the incredible musical artists that I adore has been on my mind for what seems like forever, and honestly, it’s taken me far too long to actually get around to doing it.  There are so many things that need talking about these days.  The music scene, especially here in Los Angeles, is in the middle of what seems like a huge process of change, and for once, I think it’s headed in the right direction.  If anyone had asked me in 2006 whether I thought dance music could make a comeback, my answer (sadly) would probably have been no.  I never thought I’d live to see the day where frat guys choose to play Justice’s Cross album over the formulated hip-hop that’s ruled Los Angeles for so many years, but I was wrong.  Electro and Indie-electronic is popping up in little niches and alleys all over So Cal, and it’s happening fast.  Granted, Justice is now probably the furthest removed you can get from the heart of the hipster scene, what with these incredible producers popping up all over the place, but hey, when even the frat guys are taking steps in the right direction (tiny as they may be), you know it’s something big.  

So I suppose the primary reason I’m starting this blog is to hopefully rid our enlightened disco dj’s of the need to constantly turn down the angry requests for “Crank dat” (Don’t hold me to the spelling.. I still haven’t figured out how to write street language), and bless them with those carefree, euphoric requests for our beloved Daft Punk (no, not featuring Kanye West).

Disco is the second reason I’ve started to write.  There are still way too many people out there that, upon hearing the word disco, immediately dismiss it as a genre of music that died back in 1976, and that my friends, is a crime.  Disco never died.  You know what happened?  People got sick of the Beegees, and since they didn’t know what to call them besides Disco, they threw the whole genre out the window, and left all the dance producers stuck without a genre, wondering what happened.  In fact, the term dance was only invented because people needed a name for the style of music, but were unable to call it disco due to the fact that no one would ever listen to it if it were so named.  This definitely needs to end.  No one should ever have to call their music, “That kind of music that you can dance to that they play at clubs that isn’t rap or hip-hop.”  It’s Disco.  Disco Disco Disco.  And after thirty years, I think we might just be ready to admit it.  Uh oh!

On that note I’m going to leave you with a single track today.  I know it’s been around for quite some time, but if you listen to it straight through, I’m sure you’ll find that it’s more than relevant.  

Skitzo Dancer (Justice Remix)