Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Alive

This is the second track by Blende that I've put up in two straight posts and if you think that's a coincidence... well.. it's not. This dude is carving out a really distinct and catchy sound for himself and it's definitely got him on my list of producers to look for to break out in 2012. This remix of Adrian Lux's recent single 'Alive' features the same sort of energizing hands-in-the-air electro that he used on his Worldwide remix, and if I had to sum it up in an analogy I'd say it's basically the type of song that if you heard it while you were driving it'd make you want to floor the gas and start singing along at the top of your lungs.. so uh, grab it below and you've been warned, maybe don't play this one around any sketchy drivers. Or do.
Download: Adrian Lux feat. The Good Natured - Alive (Blende Remix)



This Michael Woods track came out last year, but if you managed to sleep on it as hard as I did and have never heard it before then you're definitely going to want to give it a listen. I have no idea what kind of synth he's using on this, but it's retardedly dope - almost like a dubstep wobble, but with more of a big room edge to it. Certified fire fo yo ears.
Download: Michael Woods - No Access (Original Mix)


If you're not familiar with Viceroy yet, well, you are now. Hailing from Los Angeles, California, the dude has been exporting the sunshine state vibes worldwide with his party soaked remixes and originals. His tracks scream 'summer' so loud they almost feel like they were made at a pool party... for a pool party. 'Beach Bum' for instance, is a track that basically does what those corona commercials falsely advertise that drinking corona does. You know, when you open a corona and are suddenly on a beach.. honestly how many times has that happened to you? I'm pretty sure I've drinken like a million coronas and have yet to find myself suddenly in the caribbean. But try listening to this track and you will actually find yourself on a beach somewhere, even if a minute ago you thought you were in a snowstorm in mongolia. Seriously, there's a reason this guy's motto is "summertime all the time".
Download: Viceroy - Beach Bum (Original Mix)


*** After the success of our last show with Fare Soldi, we're proud to announce that we're teaming up with our homies over at Upside Sounds again and bringing Viceroy himself to EXO Lounge in the great city of St Louis. If you're anywhere near STL you're not gonna want to miss out on this one, cause Viceroy will be bringin' the summertime funk while Bright & Shiny's own PK lays down some sultry opening beats. For all the info be sure to head over to the Facebook Event page. If ya don't know, now ya know.




Our good buddy Zooash released his '6am edits' collection recently and, like you could probably guess, he's taken a bunch of already great songs and refurbished them for some serious afterhours dancefloor power. My personal favorite is this ethereal reworking of Digitalism's Stratosphere, but be sure to check out the full collection of 6am edits here. Also, if you're missing out on your daily dose of thumping techno be sure to revisit the essential mix he did for us, it's some serious heat.
Download: Digitalism - Stratosphere (Zooash 6am Edit)



BONUS BEATS
Download: Malente & Zero Cash - I'll Be There (Modek Remix)


Download: Klaxons - It's Not Over Yet (Brodinski Remix)



Stay Classy,
Augustus


Monday, November 28, 2011

The Funk Electric


Boy do those boys over at Hot Creations got it goin’ on. Here we have the Jamie Jones and Lee Foss collective, Hot Natured, giving this recent Waifs & Strays original a hot makeover. Make sure to follow their label and future releases, you will not be disappointed. Also, support the crew and purchase this on beatport.
Waifs & Strays – Body Shiver (Hot Natured Remix) [Stream Only]


After hearing the Subb-Ann remix of this song off of Augustus’s earlier post and doing some research, I came across this Solomun rendition. This one has a much different feel to it; slower tempo, more pronounced vocals, and a funky beat with some fat bass. Give it a try.
Noir & Haze – Around (Solomun Vox Remix)


We have come to know and love Botnek for his interesting and crazy approach to music. This song, coming off of Southern Fried Records, presents a little different style for him (not quite as insane) that has got some groove. The sounds of whistles, Panamanian percussion, and Latin-American vocals abound in what will surely get you on your feet. Buy the track here.
Botnek – Panama Bass [Stream Only]


DJ T. has been in the game for a long time and I continually enjoy his music. Clockwork, however, completely inverts this song of his and throws you in the front row of the show. As the track builds, the sound of a crowd encompasses the beat and the crisp percussion, emanating the experience of a live show. Subtle, yet powerful.
Dj T. Ft. Khan – Leaving Me (Clockwork Remix)


Last week my good friend, Beau, showed me this one and let me tell you, this is pure gold. As advertised, this is indeed a long ass mix, complete with a rolling beat that seemingly never ends. Top it off with some sexy vocals that will put you in a trance, and it will leave you wondering what was possessing your body for the last ten minutes. Rinse and repeat. Now go buy it and enjoy some more.
Murk, Intruder – Amame ft. Jei (Long Ass Mix) [Stream Only]


Bonus:

Evren Ulusoy and Sezer Uysal - Singing In the Bathtub (Soul Minority Remix)


Casino Times - That's The Truth



- Jimmy

Friday, November 25, 2011

Back On It

I rediscovered this circa-2008 banger recently and have been playing it over and over ever since. Rap over electro beats is always a killer combo, and Kanye straight destroys it here. The bouncing groove of the first section is sooo goood. (If you're uninitiated as to who N.A.S.A. are, check out this pretty cool Creators Project segment on them... http://thecreatorsproject.com/creators/nasa)

I'm not sure what I can say about Brodinski that we haven't already said yet. The dude is a wizard, and I absolutely love him. His newest track, like just about everything he does, seems crafted for the explicit purpose of making people absolutely lose their face (most likely on some dancefloor at around three in the morning). The release of this track signifies the first record to come out on his new label, Bromance Records, while the other first track on the EP is a dope effort by fellow Frenchman Gesaffelstein, which you can check out a preview of below. Support the dudes and buy both the tracks off beatport, yo.




London based produced Blende, who you might remember from his ferocious "Worldwide" remix with Adrian Lux (chex it here), recently sent over this unreleased Skrillex remix to us and I have to admit I was pleasantly surprised when I heard it. I was expecting something dubsteppy and Skrillex-like, but Blende completely twists the track around and turns it into an almost Daft Punk-like feel good track with a real groove. Quite good.



New Laidback Luke out on his label Mixmash. I will say I'd been unimpressed by some of the stuff Luke had been putting out over the past year and the way that his live sets have gone in a poppier direction, but this track is completely off the chain and shows the Dutchman getting back to his roots. So retardedly massive.
Bonus Luke:



Double Bonus


P.S. Washington, DC, if you haven't checked out our most recent post you is straight loafin'. We're giving away tickets to Danny Daze's show at U Hall this Saturday (!!!!) so click here to learn how you can be entered to win this incredible prize. The show also features the stylings of Tanner Ross (Wolf + Lamb/No. 19) as well was Outputmessage (of Volta Bureau) and our friend Lxsx Frxnk (Blisspop). This is NOT a show to be missed so get involved and get down.


Augustus

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

[GIVEAWAY] Bliss w/ Danny Daze & Tanner Ross at U Hall


WASHINGTON, D.C.-- This Saturday, Danny Daze (Hot Creations) is coming to U Street Music Hall, and he's bringing that funky Miami sound that we love so much with him.  I had the pleasure of witnessing such a cataclysmic event in Chicago just two weeks ago.  Daze had Augustus and I dancing 'til the club closed, dropping jam after jam until we couldn't dance anymore.  So bring your dancing shoes, and come close out your Thanksgiving break Bright & Shiny style to the bouncy sounds of Danny Daze. Oh yeah, and up-and-comer/total boss Tanner Ross (Wolf + Lamb/No. 19 Music) is gonna be there, plus hometown heroes Outputmessage (1/3 of Volta Bureau) and Lxsx Frxnk (Blisspop). In other words, DC is about to be shakin' like it's the War of 1812. Shit is real.

Did I mention we have the hookup? Grab yourself a pair of FREE TICKETS, as well as some bonus tracks you're liable to hear this Saturday, after the jump.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

dirtybird Residency at U Street Music Hall ft. Justin Martin & Ardalan 11.17.11

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Listen up. Tomorrow night, dirtybird Records takes over U Street Music Hall with some of those bouncy, bass-infused house sounds that have made the San Francisco based label so famous. This is the beginning of a beautiful union, as tomorrow night inaugurates a quarterly dirtybird residency at U Hall: something we here at Bright & Shiny have been incredibly excited about since its announcement. Beats come courtesy of house heavyweight Justin Martin and recently-signed whiz kid Ardalan. [Dirtybird head-honcho] Claude Von Stroke's set at U Hall this past summer was one of the best nights in recent memory, and I assure that tomorrow night is not to be missed.  Details and bonus bass after the jump.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Beats in Space presenting: Paradis


Today I bring you Parisian duo, Paradis.  Their debut releases came out this past September on Beats in Space Records and I must say, I am impressed.  Apparently this duo submitted a demo to Tim Sweeney's label in hopes they he would take interest in their productions and were lucky enough to snag a spot on the label.  The group is comprised of Simon Meny & Pierre Rousseau, two young men that have both been trained and born out of a variety of genres from classical, to jazz, to hip-hop.

The A side of the record features "Parfait Tirage", an extremely relaxing ambient piece of music.  Compelling vocals add a lot of texture to the bouncing bass line that seems to lull you in to a state of meditation and the percussion is subtle and tasteful, much like every other aspect of the track.  Listen below.


The B side features "La Ballade de Jim", a wonderfully deep techno track that once takes your mind to a far away place.  This utilizes samples from a 1980's track by Alain Souchon.  Expect more beautiful synth leads and even more soothing vocals.


Buy these tracks here:
Beatport
Juno
Itunes

Also, like these boys on their Facebook Page

Love, Patrick



Wednesday, November 9, 2011

On Repeat

Some old, some new, it's all been on repeat.

We're a little behind on this one, but it's still worth sharing with you guys. The Duck Sauce single 'Big Bad Wolf' gets the Dada Life treatment here. You can probably guess what that means... lots of champagne and bananas. Forreal though, this one is hard hitting and party rocking as per usual from the crazy swedish duo - another festival anthem. I'm also excited to announce that Sir Real and I will be interviewing Dada Life this Saturday in Chicago.. so get stoked for that. If you guys have any burning questions that you want us to ask them, leave it in the comments section and we'll try to fit them in. As always, the more ridiculous the better.
Download: Duck Sauce - Big Bad Wolf (Dada Life Remix)



Subb-an dives way off the deep end on this one. This remix tools around a thick, delirious beat that weaves in and out around an addictive bassline. The perfect stomper for a dark dancefloor somewhere around 5am.
Download: Noir & Haze - Around (Subb-an Remix)



I thought the Alvaro remix of this song couldnt be topped, but Joe Maz proves otherwise. This remix is straight up bonkers and ludicrously catchy. By far the best version of this song that I've come across. "Johnny, la gente esta muy loca... what ze fuck?"
Download: Sak Noel - Loca People (Joe Maz Remix)



BONUS JAMS '03
Download: Diplo & Oliver Twist - GO (PeaceTreaty Remix)



Download: Adam K & Soha - Who Cares (Original Mix)



Aaand this is why we <3 Bart B More:





Stay Classy,
Augustus

The Curious Techno of Bowski

Young producers are always particularly interesting. Even more interesting is coming across a young producer who barely appears above the legal age to drink, yet seems to have an incredibly refined and mature sound. Such is the case with Bristol based producer Bowksi. While many young artists can seem content to stay within the predictable bounds of genres like progressive house and electro, Bowski has made a name for himself with his refreshing take on all things from the deeper end of the electronic spectrum. Despite their sometimes minimal tendencies, his songs are all laced with a quirky, bouncy feel that makes them 100% party-ready. Moreover, something about the way they hop along has almost hypnotic effect, like they're pulling you towards a dancefloor at the edge of your mind - one that's at once familiar and unknown. This remix from Disco of Doom's Invader Ep is a perfect encapsulation of that sound.
Disco of Doom - Doomsday (Bowski Remix)



Part of what makes Bowski so interesting is that his sound seems as retro as it is fresh. Elements as disperse as UK bass music and old school German minimal techno seem to poke through his productions. And some of the biggest names in the game are starting to take notice. Last year, after hearing one of his songs, the legendary french group Cassius personally asked him to remix their hit 'I <3 U SO' alongside dance music titans like Skream and L-Vis 1990. Fake Blood recently signed Bowski to his own label, Blood Music as well.
Cassius - I <3 U SO (Bowski Remix)




Joe and Will Ask - Let's Risk It (Bowski Remix)


Considering all of this along with the incredibly unique sound that Bowski continues to craft as his own, it seems as though the sky is the limit for this dude. It's safe to say we're excited to see what he comes up with next.

To keep up with all things Bowski be sure to follow his Facebook and Twitter.


Stay Classy,
Augustus


Monday, November 7, 2011

Moogfest Review




This past Halloween weekend, I attended Moogfest in Asheville, NC and was graced with a constant barrage of quality shows for three debaucherous nights.  Due to the permanently unprepared nature of my group of friends, I ended up missing the first couple rounds of shows on Friday, and much to my chagrin had to accept the fact that Little Dragon cancelled on me and did not in fact make their 8pm scheduled appearance at the Civic Center.  Below is a brief recap of my Moogfest experience, some of my favorite performances of the weekend, and of course, some relevant tracks that you’d be foolish not to add to your library.

We started off our Friday night with Moby at the Asheville Civic Center.  I was rather excited for a repeat of his Electric Zoo 2010 performance in NYC where he provided a pulsating crowd with an onslaught of glitchy house music and captivating LCD visuals, but I was sadly let down by what transpired.  Instead of his usual arsenal of a mixer and cdj’s, Moby brought with him a live band comprised of a vocalist, a violin player, a live drummer, a bass player, and himself on guitar, vocals, and … conga drums.  Maybe he was trying to prove something about the legitimacy of his musicianship?  But alas he merely sounded like a poorly arranged 80’s cover band… cheesy guitar riffs accompanied by lackluster vocals, oh yeah and conga drums.  Anyways, I’ll stop being mean to Moby. 

We left after about 20 minutes in order to make the half-mile trek over to the Orange Peel to catch Zomby.  This was one of those shows that I attended on relatively blind faith on recommendation from a friend, and it turned out to be one of the better shows of the weekend. Hailing from the UK (like most great producers these days…), Zomby began producing music in 2007 and has since garnered releases on labels such as Werk Discs and the notorious Hyperdub Records.  With his own genre bending style of smooth dub/dubstep/bassmusic, Zomby had the entire house moving from the moment he turned on his equipment.  With not much time to spare before Flying Lotus, we were only able to stay for about 40 minutes, but it was a 40 minutes well spent.

Zomby – Things Fall Apart feat. Panda Bear








Zomby - Float








Aphex Twin – Donkey Rhubarb








We made it back to Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, a strangely seated venue, just in time to catch Flying Lotus.  This show was something I have been looking forward to for quite some time and it turned out to be everything I wanted.  I was put into a trance by his genius mixing techniques and impeccable taste. 

Africa Hitech – Out in The Streets








Flying Lotus – Zodiac Shift








Flying Lotus – Astral Plane








Tyler The Creator – Yonkers








After closing with Astral Plane, the crowd would not give up.  We cheered him into an encore performance, and in typical FlyLo fashion, he opened with Hard in Da Paint by Waka Flocka Flame… which in any other context is rather absurd… but made absolute sense considering who was on the decks.

Saturday

Saturday was quite a joyous day indeed.  During our pre-festival activities, we donned our half-assed Halloween costumes (except Kat.. who really went hard in the paint with her Catwoman costume) and headed for the Civic Center to catch SBTRKT and Sampha


SBTRKT and Crystal Castles performed during the same time slots and it was a tough call to make, but in retrospect, I am confident that I made the right decision.  Their stage setup was complicated and intimidating.  SBTRKT was seated at a drum set that was partially live drums including hi-hats, a kick drum, and cymbals, in addition to a myriad of drum kit pads that he utilized throughout the set.  Sampha was on the other hand was equipped with simply a mic and a keyboard.  Between them was a long table filled with laptops, midi controllers, and a bunch of other machines with lots of knobs and dials…  Needless to say the show was a great success.  Maybe not as wonderful as I was expecting/hoping for, but what really made the performance for me was Sampha’s vocals.  He has a miraculous voice and sings with passion on every song.  He controlled a portion of the vocal effects and synths in addition to getting in a little dancing here and there.  For me, Something Goes Right, featuring godlike Sampha, stole the show

SBTRKT – Something Goes Right feat. Sampha








SBTRKT – Right Thing To Do feat. Jessie Ware








Radiohead – Lotus Flower (SBTRKT Remix)









Honorable Mentions: After SBTRKT we went over to the Orange Peel to see Twin Shadow before heading to the outdoor venue, Animoog, to catch The Flaming Lips throw giant balloons filled with glitter and confetti into the audience…

Amon Tobin was our next stop.  This was one of the most remarkable live shows I’ve seen in a while.  The display, which absolutely incredible,  was made up of a bunch of white cubes stacked up at the back of the stage and a giant HD Projector.  From start to finish he played a seamless set of bizarre sound effects, crushing bass, and abstract pieces of tracks that I’d never heard.  It was truly a cinematic experience.  Check the video below for footage.



Kode9 was the last show of the night, and to be honest, it was my favorite show of the entire weekend.  Kode9 is (you could have guessed) a London based producer and owner of renowned Hyperdub Records.  His set included a whole slew of different styles from dub, to old-school jungle, two step garage, drum and bass.  This man is an extremely knowledgeable musician and professor.  In 2009, he released his own book, Sonic Warfare, which entails essays on the use of sound in terms of politics, government, and fear.  It explores our subconscious relationship with music/sound/noise and attempts to depict how sound can be used with extreme effectiveness to control behavior and influence moods.

Burial – Archangel








Warren G - Regulate








Kode 9 - Essential BBC 1 Radio Mix








Sunday

Now if you happened to read our review of HARD Summer in LA, then you already know that James Murphy & Pat Mahoney put together the most soulful deep disco dance sets that anyone has ever heard.  This show was a religious experience.  James nonchalantly stole my heart that night.

Chic – I Want Your Love (Dimitri from Paris Remix)








Donald Byrd - Love Has Come Around








For more tracks from James Murphy and Pat Mahoney's Special Disco Version sets, visit this website for a comprehensive tracklist and free download.

The last noteworthy show of the night was Ghostland Observatory.  The lead singer has a ridiculous amount of energy and runs back and forth across the stage waving his flowing locks and screaming into the mic.  It is really quite a special sight.  This performance was much less focused on the vocals and guitar than on the digital release.  Instead, they cranked up the bass and the volume on their electronic accompaniments and turned the place into a straight up dance floor.  The lasers were a nice touch as well… I thought I was going to have a seizure.  Anyways… Great weekend, great festival, great shows.  See y’all there next year.

Ghostland Observatory – Piano Man








Ghostland Observatory – Midnight Voyage








Ghostland Observatory – Sad Sad City










Love, Patrick


Friday, November 4, 2011

Raw Groove

If you haven’t heard Oliver $’s Doin’ Ya Thang, get out from under that rock and check it out on Sir Real's post from back in the day. That track sampled vocal cuts from some performances by Detroit’s own, Moodyman, who is probably the realest dude you’ll ever come across, and an iconic figure in the world of house. This first track samples his Red Bull Music Academy interview and is quotable as hell and it meshes perfectly with this dope beat that Homework produced (remix courtesy of Andre Crom & Martin Dawson). If you have the time, I highly suggest you check it out; It’s actually less of him being interviewed than it is just him preaching to the crowd about life and music (word is bond). This second piece of Homework, I came across on youtube of all places and is probably one of the most aptly named songs I’ve heard in a while. If anybody can identify the original song they’re sampling I would be forever indebted to you. Let those dreamy synths wash over you.

Download: Homework – I’m Into This (Andre Crom & Martin Dawson Remix)


Download: Homework - Raw Groove



To my chagrin, this Danny Daze jaint hasn’t been posted yet, so here it is in all its glory. Probably my favorite song by the man from Miami, it pretty much defines his sound in my eyes (err.. ears). Also, check this hilarious video that features this song and make sure to support him by purchasing it on Beatport. If you find yourself in the D.C. area over Thanksgiving, make sure to pay a visit to U Street Music Hall on the 26th to see this guy drop some knowledge.

Danny Daze - Your Everything feat. Louisahhh! [Stream Only]



I actually happened upon this while searching for the original version. I decided to give it a chance and ended up liking it more than the original so I guess this Katorski guy knows what’s good. It takes a while to develop but wait for the real rhythm to creep in after the two-minute mark.

Download: Christian Malloni – Hell Yeah (Katorski Remix)



Bonus:

Download: Aeroplane - Big Boys Don't Cry


Download: Devolution - Good Love ft. Amy Pearson (Alesso Remix)



soulwax 'machine' from Radio Soulwax on Vimeo.

Needless to say, the Dewaele brothers don’t fuck around. This promo for Radio Soulwax pretty much sums up how we envisioned this project being created. Be sure to look out for Augustus' detailed experience of them and many other stupid-good artists in his upcoming Hard Haunted Mansion review.

- Jimmy

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Close Your Eyes

This first one is the type of song that just seems made for those intangible moments in life where you find yourself staring out over a sunset or reflecting on the deeper side of things. Everything about it from the perfectly layered bells and bassline to the dreamy vocals that float over the track combine to make it one of those songs that listening to it strikes an emotional chord. At least it did for me. One of my favorite tracks of the moment. The remixers responsible also have just about the coolest name ever, thunderlust. Yeah, thunderlust. Fuck with it.
Download: Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (thunderlust Remix)



I got this next one from the halloween post by our homies over at GDD, but this track has way more playability than being simply a hallows-eve jam. Hervé gives Beyonce his signature big british fidget house sound here and it straight kills as always.
Download: Beyonce - Countdown (Hervé Remix)



The latest from our boys Keljet. They take the Wynter Gordon hit 'Til Death' and mold it to their trademark disco synth-electro sound and it works like a charm. You might recognize this bad boy from the awesome mix they did for us, which if you somehow managed to miss you can listen to here. For all things Keljet be sure to head over to their soundcloud too.

  Wynter Gordon - Til Death (Keljet Remix) by Keljet


Deetron doin' his thang and predictably smashing it here. There's two versions of this remix, the original remix and the Dub, I personally think the dub is waaay better. The only difference is the other remix contains the full vocal track but in all honesty I think the song breathes much better by itself without the vocals cluttering it up. Deetron seems to be on fire lately though, everything I come across by the swissman is pure deep house gold. Soothing, groovy vibes on this one.
Download: Miguel Migs - Close Your Eyes feat. Meshell Ndegeocello (Deetron Dub)



Finally I leave you guys with this behind the scenes look at Crooker's recent Dr. Gonzo project...




Stay Classy,
Augustus


Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Roulé Rollin'


It's been a while since we put up some really funky French shit up here, but I think I have just the thing to satisfy all your french house needs, at least for the time-being. UK based Ridney, responsible for the uplifting summer jam "Always With You", went ahead and mixed up a tribute to Thomas Bangalter's (ever heard of that guy?) Roulé imprint, responsible for releases from such legends as Alan Braxe, Dj Falcon, and Bangalter himself. The mix ranges from classics like "Together" to songs that have never been released digitally (and most likely never will), all sourced directly from vinyl. Check the set below for some serious French education. Couldn't think of a better soundtrack to my day. 


And for some additional Daft Punk goodness, peep this ballin' video below of some guy killing it to "Voyager"


-PK