It's thursday and that means the weekend is finally almost here, which we couldn't be more excited about. It's not just any weekend... it's HALLOWEEN WEEKEND and that means a lot of things, all of them wonderful. Most wonderful of all though, it means that the legendary HARD Haunted Mansion is back to downtown Los Angeles and this year's edition is looking better than ever. We'll obviously be there, and we'll be bringing you coverage the whole time. Check the bottom of this post for our Bright & Shiny approved list of artists you shouldn't miss if you're gonna be in attendance.
I've been sitting on this song for a long time and it's honestly one of my all time favorites, I'm actually surprised I haven't given it to you guys sooner. Seriously everyone I play this to absolutely loves it. I have no idea who Adam G is or whether he's done anything aside from this remix, but I got this song from my main man petey bowles who deserves a shout out cause this song is literally incredible. It fits literally any situation, whether that's a bumping dancefloor well after midnight or a chilled out day by the pool... Give it a listen and you'll see what I mean... turn it up and soak it in
Download: Angus & Julia Stone - Big Jet Plane (Adam G Remix)
Finally, these last four should go perfectly with any ridiculous Bright & Shiny-type situations you might find yourself in over the next couple nights..
Download: Cicada - One Beat Away (Arno Cost Remix)
The good people over at RiotMaker Records were cool enough to send us this bad ass Fare Soldi remix the other day. We posted a streaming-only version of this song a while back, but here's the whole sh'bang. Fare Soldi continue to impress us with the versatility of their production skills; in contrast to their typical disco-fueled stlye, this track feels like straight badass electro with a fat bassline and vicious synths reminiscent of some earlier Boys Noize (a compliment of the highest order). Herr Style - Jack (Fare Soldi Jackette Remix)
If you don't know about Dillon Francis yet, consider yourself warned. Recently signed to Mad Decent, mr Francis has a fresh style that seamlessly blends bass heavy, but still melodic, electro with slurred down, almost hip-hop beats. I'm not surprised this kid caught Diplo's eye. This particular track is a perfect representation of the style Francis continues to establish as his own. DWNTWN - Transition (Dillon Francis Remix)
Highbloo has been on my radar ever since Brodinski included My Sitar in his monstrous set at this year's HARD Haunted Mansion. Time To Change Part 2 has been getting a lot of attention on the blogosphere, so here's Part 1. It's a relentless electro tune centered around an almost baroque-esque fugal synth line. I could see this one being worked into a darker themed dj set to devastating effect. Highbloo - Time To Change Part 1 (Original Mix)
The remix release of Cassius' I <3 U SO EP came out the other day, and it's stocked from top to bottom with really quality remixes. We already mentioned the awesome effort by L-VIS 1990 & The Neon Dreams on our comically underfollowed twitter, so I'll mention two others here. The Gessafelstein effort is a techy, bizarre, Siriusmo-esque piece of electro that'll suck you into some form of hypnosis if you listen to it for long enough. The Bowski remix is similarly deep, featuring a meticulous build and subtle yet huge percussion. Cassius - Les Enfants (Gessafelstein Remix)
Avicii has managed to hijack the classic by Eurhythmics and proclaim it as his own, and then release an EP with 3 versions that sound virtually identical. If that doesn't mean he's on top of the game right now, then I don't know what does. Nonetheless, bump this one like it's 1995. Avicii - Sweet Dreams (Avicii's Sweeder Dreams Remix)
A close friend of mine named Matt once wisely explained to me that the true power of dubstep lies in the sharp contrast between lightness and darkness that it can often provide. The hyper-polarization of themes, often played out between a beautiful woman's voice and dark, floor-crunching basslines, can, when done correctly, present a spectrum of emotion seldom seen elsewhere in music today. This Bassnectar remix is a perfect example of that. Ellie Goulding - Lights (Bassnectar Remix)
His Majesty Andre has been tearing it up recently, and his recently released Battle of The Spurs EP is an energy packed french house showcase that keeps up the intensity from start to finish. BBQ Sauce, starting with the name, is a track that makes no pretensions about being serious in any way shape or form. It's a fun filled french house track that shows why Andre is definitely one of the names to watch in 2011. His Majesty Andre - BBQ Sauce (Original Mix)
Released today, this one is typical Angger Dimas between the huge progressive synth lines and crazy electro breakdowns. For some reason I never feel like his tracks are mastered properly though... Kaskade - All You (Angger Dimas Remix)
Last but most certainly not least, we posted a radio rip of this track a couple weeks ago before it was released. Here's the original in all it's 320 glory.. (buy it here)
Starsmith first caught my attention for his production on Ellie Goulding's fantastic single "Starry Eyed." As an up and coming pop producer, I never have expected much from his original mixes, but this track is a surprisingly delightful nu-disco house jam. Look out for his debut solo single to be released on Neon Gold, coming this October 18th. Starsmith - Give Me A Break (Radio Edit)
I know it might seem like the world is coming to an end, what with Bright & Shiny posting TWO dubstep songs in a week, but at least let me try to explain. I heard this song at a frathouse the other night, and was drawn to the dank hip-hop beat at the beginning. When the wompwomp comes in the songs goes downhill fast, but I find myself able to tolerate this sort of dubstep, or Dup-Hop as we here at Bright & Shiny have coined it, because of the compelling hip-hop beat fixed firmly beneath the womps, as opposed to the usual reggae-inspired dub beats or driven d&b beats which dominate the dubstep landscape. Props to Bassnectar. Bassnectar - Bass Head (Original Mix)
We've been supporting Porter Robinson, 19 year old from Chapel Hill, NC, for quite a while now. I have not been too impressed by his new single "I'm On Fire," no disrespect to PK, but there's no doubting the kid is talented and I do have a couple of incredible remixes to share with you all. Right from the very beginning of every track you can distinctly hear the presence of Robinson's self-appointed primary influence, Wolfgang Gartner. And this is most certainly a good thing. Robinson takes the programming insanity that Gartner brings to the table and proceeds to smash it into as many things as he can. Robinson's frenetic productions have clear elements of electro, house, dubstep, progressive house and trance, yet as a whole his productions sound cohesive and resist genre categorization. Well played, my friend. First up is Robinson's hotly anticipated collaboration with Lazy Rich, "Hello," featuring Sue Cho on vocals. Second is his remix of Tim Berg's "Seek Bromance," a song whose many iterations never really really clicked with me. This outstanding remix gives the prog house anthem a thick electro sheen. Porter Robinson & Lazy Rich - Hello ft. Sue Cho (Radio Edit)
Australian duo Light Year have come up with a winning combination. "Sex Education" blends a heaping serving of funk with wonderfully strange computer noises reminiscent of Soulwax/2 Many DJs. Maybe that's why they've been getting so much support from the brothers Dawaele and good friend Tiga. Yeah, you need to hear this fucking song. No release information yet, but these two are working on a new EP entitled "Five Girls" so keep your eyes out for some more of this techno funk. Light Year - Sex Education
Big, fat yet deep, prog house bomb from the afrolatin Dutch master, Gregor Salto. I love Salto's consistently fantastic employment of knocking afrolatin drum patterns, but he even used a like pattern for his lead synth this time around. The Dutch are ahead of the game, like usual. Watch out for the final drop where Salto throws the lead synths from the original into the mix, forging an undeniable clubhaus anthem. Chris Kaeser - Go Deeper ft. Erire (Gregor Salto Remix)
Mondays... back from the untamed wilderness of the weekend to the responsibilities and commitments of real life. Or at least that's what it seems like... However, after years of research and clinical trials, I've discovered a fool-proof method for making sure that, as Soulwax says, "part of the weekend never dies". This method consists of finding the biggest and baddest tracks around, and then proceeding to assault your eardrums with them at the loudest possible volume. If employed correctly, the result should be somewhere between a decent boost and the inability to stop moving your body like you're caught in some sort of tribalistic dance circle.
This first song has been dropped recently by big names like Crookers and Felix Cartel, and it looks as if it's about to be one of the biggest songs of the fall. Antidote is a gem straight out of sweden with a drum pattern strobey enough to send an epileptic into a seizure.
Magnetic Man have been making a lot of noise with their recent self-titled LP. Up first we have a Steve Angello Remix that's absolutely massive... the buildup takes about two minutes, but the drop is well worth it. Angello seems to have a knack for putting together the most epic synth lines known to man. The second is a Bright & Shiny approved track off of Magnetic Man's new album that comes at the request of one of our loyal fans Stephanie. Magnetic Man feat. Katy B - Perfect Stranger (Steve Angello Remix)
Los Angeles' response to Dada Life, Religion have been one of my favorite up-and-coming acts for a while now. Known for their monstrous remixes and energy packed live sets, Religion have done it again with this genre-defying reinterpretation of M.I.A.'s Steppin Up. M.I.A. - Steppin' Up (Religion Remix)
Let me start of by saying that Uffie is pretty awesome. For whatever reason though, halfway decent remixes of her can be hard to find sometimes. Which is strange, considering she's on French super label Ed Banger. Far Too Loud have done here what few others have managed to do, putting together an Uffie remix that's entirely worth listening to. Uffie - MCs Can Kiss (Far Too Loud Refix)
HOMEWORK This is probably the only time you will ever see me post dubstep. Unless i keep hearing stuff like this, that is. Bassnectar manages to blend the stylings of dubstep with the rhythm hip-hop into something wholly irresistible known as Dub Hop. Bassnectar - Wildstyle method
