Whatup yall, I just finished my last midterm (health & nutrition, what a joke) and I'm headed down to the beach for the rest of the day, but before I did I figured I'd drop you guys some of what I'll be listening to down on the beach and over the weekend. A healthy balance of relaxing and raging. Enjoy.
We put this up a while ago in one of our 'beauty is simplicity' posts, but I wanted to repost it today because I really think it deserves some words. Charles I, the youngster producer out of LA, strays from his typical electro stylings on this one to put together an amazing piece of gorgeous house. The vocals are really amazing too. This is probably one of my favorite summertime/beach jams of all time, really really awesome. Honestly it's impossible to listen to this one and not just feel happy. Charles I - Simple State of Mind (Original Mix)
Weekend Music Pyramid is a young producer out of France (I believe he's 16 or 17) who's been doing some really impressive, almost Alex Gopher style electro lately. We've featured some of his tracks before. The remix I have for you today by him strays from his typically more melodic style and dives straight into the realm of monster dancefloor-ready electro. A Millie by Lil Wayne might be a little old by now, but honestly this remix pumps a ridiculous amount of new life into it. Literally the louder you play this one the better it gets. Lil Wayne - A Millie (Pyramid Remix)
And to top things off I give you some wonderfully done progressive house by the Swedes Frederic Van Hooft and and Karl Aberg. This sounds Avicii-esque in terms of the straight quality of the production. Honestly I don't get why the swedes are so damn good at making amazing progressive house.. I'm not sure I care enough to find out, but I definitely hope to see some more from these two. Frederic Van Hooft & Karl Aberg - La Deng (Original Mix)
This new Luckybeard (alternate alias of Phra from Crookers) remix of A-trak's Ray Ban Vision is totally ill. He takes the original and twists it into a sexy bass and kick drum driven track that ends up, in my opinion, way more interesting and bangin' than the original. I heard crookers say in an interview that they started off in Hip Hop and then progressed into electro. This sounds like some straight Crookers-style hip hop, I'm definitely hoping we see more of this.
The Djedjotronic remix part 1 of Chromeo's Hot Mess was a thumping techno track that has long been on the Bright & Shiny list of favorites. However, it's the little known 2nd remix that I have for you today. For whatever reason the track never really got any attention and was never released in America. I don't know why though, because it's equally as crazy and huge as the first remix, maybe even more melodic. Plus, after witnessing Djedjo himself raging his face off shirtless in the middle of a group of (what appeared to be) 4 american college girls during Sidney Samson's set at Ultra this year, he has been awarded a Bright & Shiny lifetime champion award and all of his crazy music should be praised and listened to on repeat. Chromeo - Hot Mess (Djedjotronic Remix 2)
The new Jack Beats EP lives up to the hype and then some as the follow up to their world dominating 2010 remix of Big Boi's Shutterbug. Both of the Jack Beats originals on the EP, Elevator and All Night, are ridiculously good and worth your money: buy them on beatport. All Night is the best track on the release though, as it's one of the rare instances where sheer beauty meets club destroying beats and the two mesh seamlessly. John B and Jack Beats bridge the gap with a set of piano stabs for the ages, pulling together the ambient beginning with the sideways tribal dance rhythms of the middle, and the result is a top notch track that retains a real sense of completeness from start to finish. I've seriously had this song on repeat since first buying it. Simply incredible.
We brought you a preview of this track a while ago when we first sang the praises of LA group No Body. They have since won the remix contest for Steed Lord with this remix, and upon winning gave it away for free. It starts off beautifully and builds into an absolutely filthy bassline drop. Dancefloor pandemonium ensues. This song is MASSIVE. Steed Lord - 1 2 3 Want Me (No Body Remix)
And finally we have the latest from 18 year old producer slash Bright & Shiny homeboy Ekstra. He sent over this remix of Junior Jack's My Feeling a couple days ago - you might remember we posted the absolutely amazing Deniz Koyu remix of it a while ago, and let me tell you this Ekstra remix is right up there with the best of them, pure progressive-electro madness. If you don't believe me fast forward to the 2:40 mark and tell me you don't get an irresistible urge to fist pump.. Junior Jack - My Feeling (Ekstra Remix)
Those Modeselektor fellows are such cheeky German fucks. Every time I turn around there's a song I fall in love with, only to find out it's made by those crafty bastards. This shit is so hot you could drop it on Laura Bush's face and she'd graciously thank you. Modeselektor - Monkey Flip ft. Nazizi & MC Abbas
Boys Noize brings us another huge track. The vocal track really freaks me out but the electro is just so soothing for the bones. I dunno what to say about this guy anymore except that he's the future and may very well be some combination of robot and alien. Look out for the remainder of Housemeister's LP: it's phenomenal and out now. Housemeister - Music Is Awesome (Boys Noize Remix)
Alright so somebody had better give be shit for this, cause I'm about to post my first ever trance song on Bright Shiny Music. However, I do have good reason, 1)I can't get the vocals out of my head, I've been singing them all day and 2) please refer to the ABSURDLY LOUD NOISES which emit from your speakers at 3:56. I can only imagine this track coming out of a huge sound system, the bass pulsing through you. Not to mention everyone going completely fucking batshit for this track, it's fantastic. God bless Above & Beyond for their tasteful brand of sociopathic trance music. Above & Beyond - Sun & Moon ft. Richard Bedford (Club Mix)
Swanky Tunes have been churning out the massive festival tracks with such regularity I'm starting to think they're gunning for the Swedish House throne. Although, "Feedback" sounds suspiciously like Daft Punk's "Rollin' and Scratchin'" (and this sounds too much like this), I'm gonna let it slide considering the track absolutely killed when Joachim Garraud dropped it at Ultra in the world-renowned Root Society Dome. Similarly, when Fedde Le Grand dropped "Oh Yeah" in the Carl Cox Tent it was a serious problem... every single person in attendance soiled themselves uncontrollably. Let that be a lesson to you: never rave without a diaper. Swanky Tunes & Hard Rock Sofa - Feedback (Original Mix)
After a long and inexcusable absence due to computer troubles, I, Sir Real, have returned. I missed you, my dearest friends, very much and promise never to leave you again. Now, I bring you house music.
With three years in the public eye, Lone has proven himself a producer capable of excellence with any number of styles. Now, in 2011, we find Lone showing yet another side, and I suspect this one's here to stay. His entire EP, released April 11, is perfect. You buy it now. This track demonstrates his unique style beautifully, a spacey sound which pays homage to the tradition of Chicago house. Welcome to the future of house. Lone - Rapid Racer (Original Mix)
A regular-lookin' dude from Bristol, Julio Bashmore separated himself from the bustling bass scene with his cultivated, and decidedly techy take on house music. This track straight blows my fuckin' mind, that's the only way to put it. At first glance, you think the song is just about fully developed by the 2-minute mark, and then you sense the real song stirring from the depths around 3:12, taking the track to an unprecedented level of bangin'. Once again, the future of house. Julio Bashmore - Battle For Middle You (Original Mix)
Continuing with the trend of happy house are the Bingo Players. Surprising, right? The Bingo Boys have traded in their thumping, progressive-dutch sound we know and love for a summery, french house inspired feel that they pull off without breaking a sweat. Bingo Players - Cry (Just A Little) (Original Mix)
Tomorrow is April 20th. This tells me a couple of things. Firstly, it tells me that no matter what religious customs were forced on you from a small age, be they judeo-christian, eastern-buddhist, or some form of paganistic tree-dancing tradition (hopefully), tomorrow is the holiest of days. It also tells me that you will be in need of lots of good music, and that if you are worshiping correctly tomorrow you will be in no physical or mental state to arrive at this website or use a computer in any way. So, in honor of the holy season I present to you Mega Post: 420 Edition. Please use irresponsibly.
First off, Sublime is one of the greatest bands of all time. Definitely in my top 3. This is my favorite Sublime song, and it happens to fit in with the festive spirit.. (more festive selections at the bottom) Sublime - Let's Go Get Stoned
This is probably the craziest song of this post. I don't know if you're gonna want to listen to it tomorrow, as it may make you go apeshit and do the opposite of chill, but it's simply too good not to post. I don't know how Botnek aren't a bigger name already. Every release by them is simply outrageous, and this one is no exception. Starts with a big sounding progressive house lead in only to drop into.. well you'll see. I could see this melting some serious faces in a dj set, like pretty much every other Botnek song... Beatauceau - Behold (Botnek Remix)
On the infinitely more relaxing side, this Phantogram track is really nice. It's not new, but I stumbled across it in my itunes today and was really stunned by how beautiful it was. Definitely worth a revisiting. Phantogram - As Far As I Can See
The 14th Minute sent this remix over to us a week or two ago and I guess somehow we missed it in our inbox cause I stumbled upon it last night. Anyway, this is an awesome, completely fresh take on Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (The 14th Minute Remix)
I don't think this is new, but that doesn't make it any less amazing. I've been checking out some more Azari & III recently and they do some really awesome stuff. Honestly this is like 1980s Chicago house... 2010 style. Try to think of anything better. I dare you. Seriously. Azari & III - Indigo (Original Mix)
Fools Gold gave away this Jokers of The Scene remix on their website last week. I wasn't digging it that much at first but I gave it another listen from start to finish played mega loud and I realized this one is absolutely EPIC. This is the second or third really epic Jokers of the Scene track I've come across. When I say epic I mean epic... like, makes you feel as though you're running through Mordor epic. Plus it's a remix of Mixhell so bonus points, gotta love Brazil.. Mixhell - Antigalactic (Jokers of the Scene Remix)
From the new Ed Banger release, "The Bee Side", we get Breakbot's newest tune: Fantasy (feat. vocals from Ruckazoid). If you've followed Bright and Shiny for a while, then you know that I have a slight obsession with Breakbot. Frenchie extraordinaire strikes again with this latest funk laden track.
I enjoy the rounded, deep, kick drum on this track. Style of Eye nailed it with this remix (Sweden is so talented). The synth hook that comes in around 1:38 is a great addition to an otherwise exciting song. Progressive haaauuus.
Noah Lennox, from Animal Collective, released a solo album entitled Tomboy a few days ago. On it was this beautifully layered track. Not the most original track I've ever heard, but still pretty great none the less.
HEY! Long time no see... I've been the laziest blogger ever lately. I would say I've been super busy with school, but that would be kind of misleading. I've actually just been so demoralized from the all the work that I'm neglecting to do that the guilt prevented me from accomplishing anything, even things that I love (like such as: music blogging). ANYways, I'm back and I'm here to bring you the best tunes from around the worrrrrlllld. Enjoy your weekend; for me.
I'm totally late on this one, but it really really deserves to get praised. La Bombe's own Stockholm duo, Blende, recently came out with a killer EP that features two originals and one awesome remix. The first track, featured below, is a really neat electro thumper. The song continuously evolves throughout; starting out very Siriusmo-esque and sprinkling in some beautiful Daft Punk influences, eventually culminating in an extremely well rounded track that has been on repeat for weeks. Just head on over to beatport and buy this whole EP for your own sake.
The next track on the EP features a very vocoder Chromeo sounding vocal line that just oozes funk. Nu disco vibes all over the place on this one. That bass synth that comes in around 1:04 is great, it really gives the track some momentum. I'm pretty confident that based on the well executed diversity that Blende has presented with this EP, they are on the up and up (and up).
Lastly, the Louis La Roche remix. How could you not love this guy. Keeping much of the integrity of the original, LLR shakes things up a bit and turns this one into pure French touch gold. Disco for the win.
This is an old ass track, but for me (and I hope for you), SebastiAn never ever gets boring. That synth that comes in at the beginning is orgasmic. Get yourself a good pair of headphones or speakorz for this beaut.
It's monday, and this means I know you all need a hefty dose of face melting bass and thumping beats to get you through the impending doom of the work/school week. Lucky for you, that's exactly what I've got. We'll start off with some newer talent..
Allow me to introduce: Ekstra. Ekstra, aka Bright & Shiny homeboy Kevin Suhr, is a 19 year-old producer from Santa Barbara, California who's been quietly honing his skills of electronic dance destruction for a while now. He recently sent me his newest track Formula, and let me tell you it is an absolute BOMB. Part dutch-house, part electro, and entirely freakin' nuts. If this track is any indication, expect huge things coming from Ekstra in the near future. Be sure to head over to his soundcloud to check out some of his other tracks. Remember where you heard it first.
No Body are LA based producers Ruben Smulovitz and Kevin Chapman. They're a recently formed group, but based on their few productions, they're definitely one of the groups to watch right now. Also Smulovitz runs one of my favorite blogs, DSCOTech so he gets respect for that too. Their newest release We Speak American is a hard hitting electro track that features one of the most hilarious samples ever used in a song (from Pulp Fiction). Check it out below, also have a listen to the still unreleased Steed Lord remix they did, it's great as well. No Body - We Speak American (Original Mix)
Hey Today! firmly established themselves on the electro scene in 2010 with a series of extraordinarily high quality and high energy remixes and releases including their remix of Tiga's You Gonna Want me, which peaked at #1 on the beatport charts. Their newest release, a remix of Busy P set to release on the forthcoming Ed Banger compilation Bee Sides, is a pumping track that manages to bridge the gap between techno and electro and has already been supported by big names like Brodinski. Check it below. Busy P - Procrastinator (HEY TODAY! Remix)
The new Crookers Dr. Gonzo EP dropped today, and if nothing else, it definitely lives up to the strange off-kilter electro sound that Crookers have made their name off of. My favorite track off the EP is Springer, a quirky and bouncing electro track that I can honestly say is unlike almost anything I've ever heard. Bizarrely catchy.. Crookers Present Dr. Gonzo feat. Neoteric & Wax Motif - Springer (Original Mix)
I've got a smattering of incredible tunes for you guys today, from oldies that I stumbled upon recently to brand-spankin-new bangers, all selected with the intentions of preparing you for the thursday through monday rage session known as the "weekend" that's coming up soon, so buckle up and enjoy.
Up first we have Steve Angello's edit of The Moment, a track that many people consider one of the biggest anthems of Miami 2011, since it was played by everyone from Tiesto to Swedish House Mafia. It dropped on Size Records not to long ago, and was Tim Mason's first official release.. if this track is any indication, he has a HUGE future ahead of him. Also be sure to check out this interview with Mason himself by our friends over at the Dancing Astronaut. Tim Mason - The Moment (Steve Angello Edit)
I was never really the biggest Tocadisco fan, but this song came on the speakers when my ipod was on shuffle the other day and I had to scramble across the room to check what it was because the track was so good. It comes off of his 2009 album TOCA 128.0 FM. Not necessarily new, but definitely really awesome. Tocadisco - All This Night (Club Mix)
Another oldie but goodie, this track has got virtually everything you would want from an epic progressive house bomb.. a beautiful opening part, gorgeous woman's vocals, and finally an absolutely massive crescendo of energy at the end. One of my new favorite (old) tracks. Ercola - Every Word (Wendel Kos First Sunlight Mix)
Although I have to admit by the end of 2010 I was getting a bit tired of hearing Babylon by Congorock in virtually every dj set anywhere, NT89 recently released their remix for free and it's completely given the track new life. This one might be even bigger than the original.. completely nuts..
Before he had even graduated from college, Californian producer Sticky K was already signed to Dubsided Records, the label of UK house titan Switch (1/2 of Major Lazer) alongside heavyweights like Herve and Sinden. Three years later, at the age of 23, he's remixed everyone from Crookers to Larry Tee and released multiple high quality original productions that show he's one of the most exciting young talents emerging onto the dance music scene right now. Based out of San Francisco, Sticky K has made a name for himself both in California and on a global scale with performances at major festivals like Los Angeles' HARD Haunted Mansion and killer tracks that have been supported by big name DJs across the world including everyone from Diplo to Foamo. He played in Santa Barbara earlier this year alongside Destructo and I was lucky enough to get to meet and talk to the man himself, and I can say he's one of the chillest and humblest DJs you'll meet anywhere. He was good enough to answer a couple questions for the Bright & Shiny nation, so check them out below along with some of the dude's best tracks.
[Bright & Shiny] You've enjoyed a lot of success recently, such as your inclusion in the lineup at the 2010 installment of the legendary HARD Haunted Mansion, but I want to rewind a bit and talk about your roots. I'm a student at UCSB, and I know you graduated from here not too long ago. How did being in Santa Barbara help craft where you are as an artist now?
[Sticky K] I can't say if Santa Barbara in particular was important in my development as a producer, but I think more generally just being in college and having a bullshit easy major that I did made it easy to find time work on beats. As far as DJing though, because of the social lifestyle of Santa Barbara, it did lend to more house parties and chances to try stuff out and get shit crackin'! Larry Tee - Let's Make Nasty (Sticky K Remix)
[B&S] How did you get into electronic music in the first place?
[Sticky K] My roots in electronic music are deep in Warp Records, like Boards of Canada, Autuchre, Jimmy Edgar, what was considered at the time as "intelligent" dance music, whatever that means. At the same time I was listening to this kind of music I was really into bay area hip-hop and this was the peak of the hyphy movement in 05' and there was a lot of weird crazy drum machines and synths. This was important because I first started making hip-hop beats and then started making house tracks. Crookers feat. MC Leka - Para De Gracinha (Sticky K Remix)
[B&S] How do you think your sound has changed since the early days of your career? I remember hearing the Willowz remix you did as well as the Maru one (two of your more recent releases), and being extremely impressed because they were really good and they also seemed to have a different feel from most of the other stuff I had heard from you. Is there any particular direction you're trying to take your sound right now?
[Sticky K] My number one rule for making music is to never force it...so no matter how bad I need to make a club banger, if I feel like doing something more deep than so be it. I'm not really in control of the vibes they kinda control me... The Willowz - I Know (Sticky K Remix)
[B&S] 2010 was obviously a huge year for you, between playing at HARD Haunted Mansion alongside some of the biggest names in the game, and your inclusion on Beatport's favorite Electro-House of 2010 list. What can we expect from you in 2011?
[Sticky K] In 2011 I have a bunch of new singles coming out. "Prince of Persia" came out on Dubsided on March 15. I hope to break out a bit more this year, just to have the general awareness of my music increase a little more and hopefully do some more touring... You never know though... you can't plan these things.
[B&S] What's your studio setup like? Any one piece of equipment you couldn't live without?
[Sticky K] My studio setup is can be considered a perfect example of wabi-sabi. No, but seriously I don't like to tell people what I use because it doesn't matter what you use. I just have a computer/midi keyboard and some small M-Audio monitors. Modest, but gets the job done. Sticky K - The Weirdo (Original Mix)
[B&S] What's your creative process like when you sit down to create a track? Do you go in with structured plans of what you want to accomplish or do you have a more free flowing approach? Is there a different process when you do remixes vs originals?
[Sticky K] As far as my process of making music I have to be a bitch and quote "to try and talk about music is like dancing about architecture." I cop out like this because in reality I have really no idea what hell I'm doing most of the time.
[B&S] Haha fair enough. Obviously the electronic music scene is totally exploding right now, with loads of great stuff coming out in all of the different sub-genres. What artists do you look at as being particularly inspiring or innovative?
[Sticky K] There are so many good artists out there right now it's mind blowing. Makes it harder for me. Some of the favorite guys out there right now are Savage Skulls from Sweden, along with another Swede, Tony Senghore. From France you have the Club Cheval crew and if you haven't heard of Canblaster go to his soundcloud page right now!
[B&S] Finally, if you could play any venue in the world, what would it be?
[Sticky K] If I could play any venue it would have the Social Club in Paris. It's small, but has character.
One of my favorite up-and-coming groups, Botnek, released their newest EP for free this morning on soundcloud. A) that was really cool of them B) that was even cooler of them because the EP is actually really, really bomb. Check out both the tracks off the EP below, and be sure to head over to their soundcloud for even more good listening. Botnek - Dozer (Original Mix)
Kaskade has been playing his remix of Skrillex's Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites in almost all of his sets recently (including at Ultra) and the response across the board has been pretty phenomenal. It makes sense, since I can see how Kaskade's uplifting style would blend perfectly with Skrillex's heavier edge, but unfortunately the song hasn't been released yet and it doesn't have a release date slated for any time soon. Lucky for you guys, Bright & Shiny has got managed to get our hands on a pretty solid quality copy of it that should hold you over until the official release.. Skrillex - Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites (Kaskade Remix)
