The Kids Are Radioactive

[image via flickr/mujitra/ | CC BY 2.0]

The talented young producer and freshly-signed Binary artist, The Kids Are Radioactive, has recently finished a remix of Brazilian artist Boss In Drama's track Favorite Song. With a smooth groove, the remix keeps the disco vibe of the original in tact, while cleaning up the vocals with crisp compression and multiplying the layers of strings, synths, and percussion for a track of non-stop energy. The Kids Are Radioactive has some awesome stuff planned for the rest of the summer, including the release of his original track Perpetual Drag on Binary Records upcoming first compilation LA Lights. Be sure to check out  The Kids Are Radioactive at myspace for more music and news.

Boss In Drama :: Favorite Song (The Kids Are Radioactive Remix)

Buffetlibre Remixes

[image by Roboto]

Buffetlibre have recently finished two new remixes - one for the Danish pop group Cartridge and their track The Woods, and the other, featuring production skills from Sidechains, for the world famous UK pop star Little Boots and her song Remedy. The first remix, The Woods, builds around the original's bright melody with bizarre sounding noises -- such as camera-like clicks (a play on the word Cartridge?) and a glitchy bubbling synth -- a smooth synth accompaniment, and a low driving bass line. Accented with syncopated claps and following the light vocals of Mathias Wullum Nielsen, this track is a sure pop gem.

Cartridge :: The Woods (Buffetlibre Remix)

The second remix, Remedy, opens with the immediately-recognizeable Little Boots singing a short melody, which becomes a repeated element throughout the song. It then builds gradually, with fast high-hats and claps, to the first verse, which is soon interupted by a short afro-beat breakdown filled with timbales, whistles, and a deep stomp (a surdo?) that gives way to an explosion of sound. Whether your into bright, eccentric pop or straightforward pop hooks, Buffetlibre have what you need, and, what's more, we can guarantee that it won't sound like anything else you've heard recently. Be sure to check out Buffetlibre and Sidechains at myspace for more music and news.

Little Boots :: Remedy (Buffetlibre vs. Sidechains Remix)

Freak You!

[image via myspace/freakyoumusic]

It's always an exciting moment when we find a new Freak You track. This might be because, compared to some producers, his output is a bit sporadic -- juggling two careers keeps him busy, especially since one of them involves running his own wine restaurant -- or perhaps our excitement comes from knowing that everything Freak You touches reverberates with an essence of  elegance on full throttle. The latest track featuring the young Frenchmen is no exception, and, what's more, it also features the talents of another promising producer: Digitalfoxglove. Together, the two have created the aptly titled Beasts and Flowers, which combines some of the fiercest and some of the sweetest synths we've ever heard. Check out Beasts and Flowers below, and be sure to visit Freak You and Digitalfoxglove at myspace for more music and news.

Digitalfoxglove feat. Freak You :: Beasts and Flowers

D. Ramirez North American Tour

Following the release of The Wired EP [Slave Recordings: 2009] (Beatport), UK producer D. Ramirez is set for a number of North American tour dates this August, including DJ sets in New York, Montreal, Toronto, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Hailed as "the producer's producer", D. Ramirez concocts crisp house music with a big club vibe. You can check out D. Ramirez's July 09 Mix and a sample of one of his latest tracks Satur8 below, and be sure to check out D. Ramirez at myspace for music and news.

D. Ramirez 1 Hour Mix July 09

D. Ramirez :: Satur8 (Edit)

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES

August 6 :: Minneapolis :: Karma
August 7 :: New York City :: Pachita
August 8 :: Denver :: Vinyl
August 14 :: Houston :: Richs
August 15 :: Los Angeles :: Giant at Vanguard
August 27 :: Montreal :: Club Parking
August 28 :: Toronto :: This Is London
August 29 :: Chicago :: Crobar

D. RAMIREZ 1 HOUR MIX JULY 09

1) D. Ramirez Feat. LDV - 'Wired' (Robert Babicz Mix MP3) - Slave  
2) Romanthony - ' Let Me Show you Love' (Hiro Edit)  - White  
3) Depeche Mode - 'Wrong' (Magda's Scallop Funk Remix) - Mute  
4) Bradler & Dualton - 'Definitely' - Flow Vinyl  
5) Hobo - 'Midnight' (Original Mix) - Minus 
6) Mark Farina - 'Life' (Pezzner Mix) - Ohm Records  
7) DKS - Thats Jazz (Pig&Dan Club Remix) - Hysterical    
8) Will Saul - '3000AD' (I Cube Mix1) - Simple     
9) D.Ramirez Feat. LDV - 'The Road Of Excess' (D.Ramirez Chant Mix) - Slave   
10) Stuart Bridges - Popsicle Meltdown - 'Missed Connection' (Cut and chop Mix) - Kult  
11) Wake - 'Turbulence' (Koen Groeneveld & Addy van der Zwan Remix) - Abszolut 
12) D.Ramirez Feat. LDV - 'Wired' (Original Version) - Slave  
13) Tim Sheridan and King Roc - 'Ghosts That Live In Her' (King Roc Remix) - Very Wrong Indeed Records  
14) D. Ramirez Feat. LDV - The Road Of Excess (The Excessive mix) - Slave 
15) Jim Pavloff - 'Driver' (Sender Remix) - Send Records  
16) Dirty Vegas - 'Changes' (D.Ramirez Squeezebox Mix) - Toolroom

Brodinski | BUGGED Out!

Highly-respected by the likes of Soulwax, Tiga, Busy P, Erol Alkan, and Switch, France's Brodinski has earned a reputation as an energetic entertainer and a deftly-skilled DJ. When combined with a refined musical sense, this combination produces excellent results. Yet, Brodinski's blend of bass heavy house, melodic minimal, and noisy techno isn't always our cup of tea - we tend to gravitate more towards gritty glitter-filled disco and electro rather than the deep, dark recesses of the aforementioned genres - but, after listening to the latest installment of BUGGED Out! Presents: Suck My Deck mixed by Brodinski, we are considering ourselves converts to the wobble and wonk of dance music.

Featuring tracks and remixes from  Yuksek, Boy 8-Bit, Duke Dumont, Renaissance Man, and more, the release presents a diverse collection of dark and bouncy tracks skillfully mixed for a very pleasant listen. The album is currently available only at HMV, but be sure to keep an eye out on other digital outlets. You can also check out New State, BUGGED Out! and Brodinski at myspace for more music and news.

BUGGED OUT! Presents Suck My Deck Mixed By Brodinski @ HMV

Tracklist

01. Late Of The Pier - Bathroom Gurgle (Duke Dumont Remix)
02. Kenton Slash Demon - Khattabi
03. Okain - Jim Raynor
04. Gregor Salto ft. Thais - Mexer (Funkin Matt 3AM Remix)
05. KC Flightt - Voices (Riva Starr Remix)
06. Yaron Cohen - Laffy Taffy
07. Momma's Boy - Betowe
08. Broombeck - The Clapper
09. Format:B - Boing 030
10. Lucio Aquilima - Disco Bus (Roland M. Dill Remix)
11. Rhythm Code - The Scorpion
12. Popof - High & Down
13. Tom Flynn - Blow Out
14. Paul Ritch - Nordbanhoff
15. Noob - Petite Bestiolle
16. Heiko Laux – Mirabella
17. Boy 8-Bit – Wolfen
18. Renaissance Man - Harlem
19. DJ Zinc - Blunt Edge
20. Tiga - Shoes (Djedjotronic Remix)
21. Franz & Shape ft. Motor - Melt (Sex Schon Remix)
22. Yuksek - Supermenz (Dub Version)
24. Iron Curtis – Solgerhood
25. Orlando Voorn - The Beholder (Marco Bernardi's Respect To Mix)

2009 in Review | Part 2/4

[image via the312hole]

The dog days of summer are upon us and that means its time for the second edition of B&T's 2009 in Review series. In the first edition, we brought you a number of new releases from artists like Circle Square, Fever Ray, and Tigersapien, but, since we haven't actually listened to a full album since March, we've decided to change things up and focus on the live music that we've seen in the past few months.

The band that gets our top spot is The Juan MacLean for their performance at the Double Door on June 17. Featuring songs from both albums, Less Than Human [2005: DFA] and The Future Will Come [2009: DFA] (Amazon, Beatport, Juno), the performance was an exciting mix of new and old, but wasn't, however, without mishaps. Technical difficulties during the intro to Give Me Every Little Thing forced the band to restart the song, which, perhaps due to the increased anticipation, became the biggest dance session of the night. Be sure to check out The Juan MacLean at myspace for more music and news.

The Juan MacLean :: One Day (James Curd Remix) [128kbps]

Next up on our featured list is Glass Candy for their performance at the Dark Room on May 7. We've never really seen anything like this band before. Emerging out of Portland, but signed to a label also based out of New Jersey, this duo seems to be popping up on everybody's radar this year. Certainly not new by any accounts, Glass Candy have been recording and performing for over a decade and, in this time, Johnny Jewel and Ida No have managed to create a chemistry that is as much magic as it is mystery. Be sure to check out Glass Candy at myspace for more music and news.

Glass Candy :: Miss Broadway

Our final feature for B&T's 2009 in Review Part Deux is Classixx for their recent DJ set at Smartbar on July 17. Featuring slowed down deep disco, the duo provided an excellent ambience to the dark club  pleasantly populated with people that came to dance. Highlighting their remix of Holy Ghost's I Will Come Back, the actual number of Classixx tracks and remixes in the set was surprisingly sparse. This, however, made for a very enjoyable evening as the crowd was introduced to sounds, new and old, that fit the Classixx aesthetic. Be sure to check out Classixx at myspace for more music and news.

Classixx :: Cold Act Ill (Extended Mix)

Holy Ghost! :: I Will Come Back (Classixx Acapulco Nights Version)

Its been fun!

DCUP :: Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

Villains | Fixin To Thrill

[image via myspace/villains]

The latest remix from Villains happened to make its way to our inbox as we were fixing to head out for the night, and, never one to say 'no' to hard electro, we immediately had to get this one in our iTunes and see what it was all about. Taking on Dragonette's Fixin to Thrill, the track opens with a kick/clap combo under a syncopated vocal sample building gradually until 1:00 when a build-up allows for the bass and vocals to enter. This is the just the beginning, however, and the second breakdown brings the real treat with massive distorted synths and Martina Sorbara's enticing vocals. Be sure to check out Villains' myspace for more music and news.

Dragonette :: Fixin To Thrill (Villains Remix)

Better Swimmers | Crosstown Rivals

 [image via flickr.com//misserion/ | CC BY 2.0]

Crosstown Rivals' Exits EP will be the first release on the new Winnipeg-based Better Swimmers digital record label. The release will feature the original track Exits as well as remixes from fellow Canadians Vitamisforyou, Get Famous!, and DJ Co-op. The release is being offered as a free download at the Better Swimmers website. So, you can hop over their to pick up the release, and in the meantime you can check out our favorite tracks -- the original version with its lo-glitch dance-rock and DJ Co-op's refined electro-pop remix. Also, be sure to show some love to Better Swimmers at myspace and get their friends count rolling!

Crosstown Rivals :: Exits
Crosstown Rivals :: Exits (DJ Co-op Remix)

Kids At The Bar

[photo: matthew isaac | via myspace]

Kids At The Bar recently decided to release their remix of Empire Of The Sun's Walking On A Dream. There have been countless interpretations of this track in the roughly 6 months since the release of the original, but none have delivered such an efficient and effective take as Kids At The Bar. The song opens with a bouncing kick under a set of claps, a synth loop, and Luke Steele's chopped vocals. The main chorus comes in as the claps carry the energy higher until exploding into a heavy turbine bass that drives the song through another series of breakdown, build-up, and high energy thrill session. Be sure to check out Kids At The Bar at myspace for more music and news, including remixes from Trash Youreslf, Daft Punk, and Data.

Empire Of The Sun :: Walking On A Dream (Kids At The Bar Remix) [zshare | mediafire]

Duck Sauce

Duck Sauce is the new collaboration of A-Trak and Armand Van Helden. They've recently released  a two track EP available  exclusively at Beatport. You can find the upbeat disco-house song Anyway at LA Friendly and be sure to check out Fools Gold for more music and news.

Duck Sauce :: Anyway (via LA Friendly)

Rock For Kids | ImissyouMJ.com

[image via facebook/ImissyouMJ]

Rock For Kids, an organization dedicated to raising money to support music programs for underprivileged children, recently organized the ImissyouMJ photo memorial in celebration of the music of the late King of Pop. The final commemorative work will be a mosaic  of 10,000 pieces displaying Jackson's famous white glove and each tile will feature an image provided by one of the 10,000 contributors. The completed memorial will be presented to the Jackson family and every person that provides a donation will receive a poster of the artwork. Be a part of music history by signing up for a $25 donation at ImissyouMJ.com. Also, you can visit Rock For Kids at their website to learn more about some of the great things they are doing for youth music education.

**BONUS**

Don Diablo :: Song For MJ [Video]

GBG Belongs To Artsists

[image via flickr.com/rob-sinclair | CC BY-SA 2.0]

Air France recently unveiled their “Love Letter in Three Parts” in honor of their hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. The site includes the new track GBG Belongs to Us which features the duo’s signature warm, nostalgic take on Balearic house. The site also includes a short clip and a guide of the group’s favorite hot-spots in town. Since these sensuous Swedes are obviously very much in love with their city, let’s take a closer look at the rich music culture the city has to offer.

With a population of just 501,452 the historic city of Gothenburg, or Goteborg as the locals call it, has fashioned some of the most hauntingly unique musicians since the turn of the 21st century. Jens Lekman, Jose Gonzales, The Knife, The Tough Alliance – name a Swedish musician and chances are they call Gothenburg home. Just for fun, we tried calculating the indie-pop star per capita ratio for the city and came up with a whopping 17,000 – that is every 17,000th citizen gets to be reviewed by Pitchfork. By comparison we calculated that our home Chicago has an indie-pop star per capita of about 100,000. Perhaps there’s something in the tap water or could it be the harsh winter weather that kindles the creative mind. Whatever it is it seems like the city has provided great inspiration to its citizens and its citizens have wholeheartedly embraced the city in return.

Air France :: GBG Belongs to Us [128 kbps]

Villa | Diva Edits

[image via myspace]

The Belgian trio Villa, in accompaniment with the disco label Mindless Boogie, recently released three free tracks (edits featuring some of history's choicest disco divas) in celebration of Mindless Boogie's 20th release. Our favorite, Agneta, is a smooth, tropical take on Agnetha Fältskog's Wrap Your Arms Around Me. The edit exaggerates the original's percussion and builds upon the strings to create an utterly epic chorus. Anita comes in a close second, with a slightly filtered, totally soulful edit of an early 80's disco classic: Anita Meyer's Why Tell Me Why. Combining a laidback bass line with string swells and Anita's sultry vocals, this track is as timeless as disco comes. So, mix up your summer drink of choice, turn up the stereo, and enjoy these fine gems.

You can pick up all Mindless Boogie releases on Juno, and get the third diva edit, Tina, at Mindless Boogie's free download page. And make sure to check out Villa on myspace for more tracks and news (their Good Morning Mix is definitely worth a listen).

Villa :: Agneta
Villa :: Anita

Sonido Desconosido x Jessie Evans

[image via myspace/jessieevansmusic]

Berlin's Jessie Evans recently put out her first solo album, Is It Fire [Amazon], on Fantomette Records. The album, recorded between Mexico and Berlin, is a study in the exoticism of rhythm  with live percussion adding an authentic touch to the production. We were lucky enough to receive a copy of Sonido Desconocido's remix of the song Let Me On from the album. This track takes the original, with its laid-back latin groove, straight into outerspace by adding a tight backbeat, a subtle layer of reverberating synths, and a laser-like synth lead. The percussion is touched up, too, and it gives the track a nice tribal feel to compliment the spaciness. You can find out more latin-tinged jams at Sonido Desconocido's myspace and be sure to check out Jessie Evans' myspace for more music and news.

Jessie Evans :: Let Me On (Sonido Desconocido Remix)

Don Diablo | Burns | Linus Loves

Linus Loves' debut single Prom Night was released on 21:12 Records this past May. The release, found at Beatport and Juno, features two huge remixes from Burns and Don Diablo. There's been debate amongst players in the scene as to who has the better remix with Don Diablo receiving support from the top (Franki Chan, Punks Jump Up, and Steed Lord). But after listening to both repeatedly for the past hour, we still can't come to a conclusion. Both remixes are entirely different beasts -- Burns turns up the overdrive for some hard electro whereas Don Diablo flips the original into smooth yacht-house. We'll let you decide this one for yourself but be sure to check out Burns and Don Diablo at myspace for more music and news

Linus Loves :: Prom Night (Burns Remix)
Linus Loves :: Prom Night (Don Diablo Remix)
Linus Loves :: Prom Night [Video]

Supercar

[flickr.com/quitelucid/ | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0]

It's been more than four years since Supercar disbanded but we at B&T have recently rediscovered the Japanese synth-poppers thanks, in part, to our not so mild addiction to Mild Seven cigarettes and a healthy desire to learn more about the Japanese music culture. Here are our thoughts on the electro pioneers of J-Pop.

Within the 1990's J-Pop scene, which was marked by a play-once-and-trash mentality, Supercar carried themselves as a pop band partial to irresistible synth hooks and dreamy vocals. While drawing influence from fellow electro rockers Cornelius and Rovo, Supercar created a total universe rarely achieved in J Pop music. Yumegiwa Last Boy would serve as their breakthrough song thanks in large part due to it being used as the theme song for the indie movie hit "Ping Pong". At once utopian and epic, the song's ambiguously mystical lyrics claim that a boy at the edge of dreaming and waking can reach the state of infinity. Appropriately, the band evokes those traits with its majestic synth arpeggios and hypnotic harmonies. Like the Knife's "Heartbeats", the song inevitably became a staple for Japanese hipsters and though the band no longer exists, its influence can be heard today through the likes of Capsule and Perfume. Enjoy Supercar's Yumegiwa Last Boy on B&T and be sure to check out some of Japan's finest act as of late: Avalon, Narctrax, Rayflash, Shinichi Osawa and 80kidz at myspace.

Supercar :: Yumegiwa Last Boy (160 kbps)

Future Beat: Vinyl Life

New York's Vinyl Life is set to release their debut self-titled album through Tape Theory. The LP will be available on August 4th in cassette on August 18th (both at the Tape Theory Store) and in digital formats on September 9th. Produced with a minimalist intent and designed for the dancefloor, Vinyl Life provides a refreshing sound for hip-hop -- one that came to party. Whats more, in the age of midi and, now, OSC, Vinyl Life have shunned digital music instruments and instead rely upon all-analog gear in order to capture the aesthetic of early electronic pioneers. As a result, the album has a crispness and clarity that is rarely found in digitally composed works and, even better, it features some amazing classic synth sounds!

Check out Vinyl Life's tribute to the godfathers of electro, Kraftwerk, as they remake Its More Fun To Compute into the tricked out ode to underground music, Good Life.

Vinyl Life vs. Kraftwerk :: Good Life (It's More Fun To Compute)

Also, Vinyl Life put together a huge mixtape for the release of their album, which they describe as, "[spanning] 30 years of jackin tracks... Mixed on two turntables." You can find that here, and be sure to check out Vinyl Life at myspace for more music and news.

Vinyl Life "Jack The Hype" DJ Mix

Heartbeats

Burns' Turbo EP [Amazon, Beatport, Juno] was released this June on 2112 Records. The release is  number two in a four part series of EP's -- the first being Disko -- and it features a 'Radio Edit' and 'Club Mix' of Heartbeats as well as the track Turbo and its Jokers of the Scene remix, which can be found here. The latest track to hit the net is the searing, guitar-driven Heartbeats. With a simple and consistent theme, the track moves fluidly throughout a number of digressions and deviations, before returning to what sounds to be a monumental guitar sample. So sit back and enjoy the fireworks and be sure to check out Burns' myspace for more music and news, including a number of forthcoming US tour dates.

Burns :: Heartbeats (Extended Mix)
Burns :: Turbo  (Thanks to NME's 'The Daily Download')

Mr. Oizo | N.A.S.A.

[image via GRIN]

The latest in the catalogue of remixes from N.A.S.A.'S The Spirit of Apollo [Anti: 2009] comes from Ed Banger's Mr. Oizo and features Karen O, Fatlip, and Ol' Dirty Bastard. The track flips the original by chopping and filtering the guitars into a smooth overdrive and adding a syncopated backbeat under the original vocals. You can find The Spirit of Apollo at Amazon and be sure to check out N.A.S.A'S myspace for more music and news.

N.A.S.A. :: Strange Enough (Mr. Oizo Remix)

Louis La Roche | Leonardus

Louis La Roche's recently released his Me & Her EP on Ever After Records. The release contains four infectious house tracks -- one in particular that we haven't been able to get out of our heads for weeks. Sunshine Hotel opens with a fat, driving bass that quickly cuts out with a low-filter, allowing for the entrance of a soulful house piano and vocal sample from this '79 track -- the combination of which is sure to get you dancing.

Louis La Roche :: Sunshine Hotel


Another solid track from the EP, Distant Lovers, was recently remixed by Dutch up-and-comer Leonardus. While the original starts simply with talk-box vocals and slowly builds with bongos and almost-trancey synths, Leonardus transforms the track into filtered disco-house.

Louis La Roche :: Distant Lovers (Leonardus Remix)


You can pick up the Me & Her EP at Amazon, Beatport, or Juno and be sure to visit Louis La Roche at mypsace for more music and news, including info on a handful of promising forthcoming remixes and new EP. Also, be sure to check out Leonardus on myspace for more music and news.

Moments of a Crisis

[image via flickr.com/kkoshy/ / CC BY 2.0]

Im A Cliché recently released its first compilation, Moments of a Crisis, in celebration of the label's five years. Available through Beatport and Topplers Music the release is a two disc set of new and unreleased material from Simian Mobile Disco, Yuksek, Cosmo Vitelli, Runaway, and more. Below is the video teaser which presents a series of jocular interpretive dances featuring music from the release. Also, be sure to check out one of our favorite tracks, Canyons' Blue Snakes. This song is a rumbling expedition through a bewildering realm of jittering percussion, climbing synths, and reverberating incantations. You can find Canyons, Cosmo Vitelli, and Im A Cliché at myspace for more music and news.

Canyons :: Blue Snakes
Moments of a Crisis at Beatport

[video via youtube]

Sidechains | Booty Luv

 [image via myspace]

Sidechains recently remixed UK duo Booty Luv's Say It. The bro from Barcelona never seems to disappoint and with this track he gives Booty Luv's bouncy dance-pop the balearic treatment with rolling synths and sweeping melodies. Be sure to hit up Sidechains' myspace for more music and news.

Booty Luv :: Say It (Sidechains Remix)

Farewell Sakura Night

[image via flickr/spilt-milk/ | CC 2.0]

Sakura Night recently announced that he was retiring his current alias due to a dispute regarding the MOTU compilations, which took their inspiration and name from the Masters of the Universe media franchise owned by Mattel. The sad news comes with a silver-lining, however, as Sakura Night has put together one last compilation with all of the music he was involved with under his current moniker. The Ghost Car Compilation, as it is fittingly titled, can be found here, and more info regarding the situation can be found here. Also, be sure to check out one of our favorite tracks from the comp, Sunset Cruisin's The Perfect Wave, which features a zen-like sample of the legendary forecast from Bodhi in the 1991 classic Point Break.

Sunset Cruisin :: The Perfect Wave