I am all about Mercury. The Swiss duo consisting of a former hip-hop DJ and a drummer produce wonderfully soulful, very retro-influenced house music. I came across them for the first time with their remix of Le Le's Breakfast, which is still an all time favorite of mine and is guaranteed to set any party off; if you don't believe me, you've clearly never heard the song or paid attention to its lyrics. Since then, I truthfully can say that I have yet to encounter one of their productions that I don't vibe with immediately. Their latest is a re-work of Zimmer's "Slave To Your Heart", released on the DiscoTexas label. It features an upbeat organ synth chugging along with Jeremy Glenn's vocals and spaced out atmospherics. I really like it. You will really like it. Check it out underneath this sentence that I've just written. And buy it on beatport! Zimmer - Slave To Your Heart feat. Jeremy Glenn (Mercury Remix) by Mercury (Switzerland)
Incoming Mosca track on Hypercolour. Cannot wait for this to be released, I'm in the midst of a serious garage/90's house sounding binge right now and this is right up my alley. Plus it's called "Eva Mendes".
This remix from Siriusmo may be 4 years old, but I don't care because it's amazing and I've re-discovered it. It's probably my favorite Siriusmo remix ever, which is saying something given who Siriusmo is and the insanity he is capable of. Also, it being so old and all doesn't make me feel guilty about putting it up for donwload. Enjoy! Modeselektor - Silikon (Siriusmo Remix)
Patrick and Augustus of Bright & Shiny made the trek out to Los Angeles at the beginning of August to attend the HARD Summer music festival in LA, an event we were drawn to equally for its impressively diverse lineup and for the promise of legendary after parties. Join us on a chronological journey through our festival shenanigans.
The first act we made it in time to see was Gesaffelstein, the Parisian producer who recently burst onto the scene with his style of jarring future-techno that he continues to pioneer entirely as his own. We were excited and curious from the outset to see what kind of set he'd throw down, since his music is in every quantifiable way different from your average dance music: the rhythms are chaotic, the transitions abrupt and jarring, and the layering of sounds are thoroughly unique and non status-quo.
For those curious about his appearance, the dude manned the decks donning a baller-ass tuxedo and proceeded to chain-smoke cigarettes for the entirety of his set. His set bobbed and weaved through a continuous stream of his own productions, which makes sense since I'm not sure what other music could congruently fit with his mental-ass style of techno. It should be noted that his style of mixing was not that of your average DJ; rather than traditionally mixing from song to song in gliding fashion as most disc jockeys do, Gesaffelstien's transitions matched his off-kilter and bizarre approach to techno by being jagged, abrupt, and thoroughly creative. All of these elements, in addition to his wonderful selection of proprietary beats, combined to make Gesaffelstein's set one of the highlights of the night. Here are some of our favorite tunes from the performance:
After Gesaffelstein, we made the trek over to the DFA tent to check out what the Juan Maclean was throwing down. We quickly learned that the DFA tent was, and would continue to be, a wondrous haven of soothing and groovy sounds. While the music had an overall funk-fueled sound, most all of it was bathed in thick synths that gave it a contemporary feel. I have to say, I was thoroughly surprised by how much I enjoyed this performance. We knew the Juan Maclean was legit, but this performance really opened my eyes to the wonders and power this gray haired mix master can bring to the decks.
The Juan Maclean - Feel So Good [Download Here]
Siriusmo, putting on his first ever American show, played almost exclusively songs out of his own repertoire. We had been extremely excited to see him spin since the man very rarely plays live (reportedly due to intense stage fear, which he's just now beginning to get over). Despite all the hype, his set was a little bit underwhelming. Don't get me wrong; the music he selected was all wonderful, and the light show was enthralling. But it was more the atmosphere; the crowd never really seemed that into it and as a novice DJ/party-starter, Siriusmo didn't do a particularly great job at attempting to increase the energy level. Regardless, we left his set glad to have heard his unique sounds blast out of festival-grade speakers, and even happier to have been able to witness the ways of this French wizard in person.
After Siriusmo, we booked it over to Digitalism, an act who we were entirely on the fence about from the outset. We all knew and loved the old Digitalism sound (circa 2007 and their rookie album "Idealism"). But at the same time we were let down by their newest LP, "I Love You Dude," and though it had its highlights, thought the release marked a downward trend for the group. So we approached their performance curious to see if these Germans from the hey-day of bloghouse could redeem themselves, or if they really had peaked and were just simply headed in the wrong direction. We soon knew the answer: Digitalism is here to stay. They absolutely ROCKED the stage with a hard-knocking live performance (versus a DJ set) that featured Jence and Isi working the synths, singing on the mics and performing alongside a live drummer. I cannot emphasize this enough: they absolutely KILLED IT. Probably one of the most high-energy sets of the entire night, which was a huge curve ball for us all... Definitely tied for the Bright & Shiny favorite performance of the evening.
One highlight of their performance was their live rendition of their classic party song 'Homezone,' during which instead of singing the original lyrics ("I have the biggest party ever at home / we have the biggest party eva") they switched it up to make it location appropriate, jumping around like a couple of crazies with the crowd, which was totally into it, shouting "LA, WE HAVE THE DANKEST PARTY EVA"... Mad props for that. Another highlight was their live rendition of Blitz, a song that is equally serene and beautiful as it is hard-hitting and energy-packed. Overall, a truly awesome performance. We walked away surprised and impressed.
Next up was French DJ/Ed Banger label boss/badass extraordinaire Busy P. This was hands down the performance of the night. His unique style and creative transitions were seamless and tasteful in every way, demonstrating the sonic maturity we've come to expect from the French tastemaker. We weren't sure what to expect out of his set, but after seeing him at last year's HARD Haunted Mansion, we learned that if there was one thing we could count on, it was for Busy P to bring a party like no other. In typical BUSY P W.T.F fashion, he arrived on stage wearing a pair of white overalls splattered with copious amounts of colorful paint and donning this really awesome Cool Cats hat that I've been thinking about buying for quite a while. He was fashionably late to his set, explaining to the crowd that he was off watching Duck Sauce...
This was no ordinary Busy P set. This show was billed as Busy Pictionary, meaning a collaboration between Busy P & So Me (The graphics designer for all things Ed Banger and Cool Cats). We weren't exactly sure what this would mean at first, but we quickly learned it was something incredibly innovative, something way cooler than we could have ever dreamed of. For the entirety of Busy P's set, So Me was set up five feet away on-stage with some sort of electronic tablet and pen which was connected to the massive screen behind the DJ booth where generic visuals would normally be played. Instead, So Me spontaneously drew stuff along with the music throughout the entire set. It was absolutely incredible; this man is a genius.
Mister P opened his dazzling set with a song that gave the crowd a much needed and appreciated breather from the relentless electro destruction that had just been mercilessly rained down upon them by Digitalism: the delightful and airy remix of Breakbot's 'Fantasy' by Video Village.
Busy Pedro then threw together a consistently groovy and thoroughly awesome collection of classics and new, unreleased gold, including the new Justice single, 'Audio Video Disco', and the new Mr. Oizo track, 'Douche Beat'.
"You want some new Ed Banger Shit or what???"
Mr. Oizo - Douche Beat
Then, all of the sudden about halfway through the set, Busy P completely cut off the music and in his characteristically French way, yells, "EY, LOS ANGELES, WHERE ZE FUCK ARE WE AT? ARE WE IN NEW YORK? PARIS? TOKYO? I DONT ZINK SO... WHERE ZE FUCK ARE WE AT?" Slowly, the sirens of one of the most famous California rap songs ever, 'Straight Outta Compton', crept out of the speakers. Gradually, as the crowd realized what was happening, people started screaming and cheering until finally he asked one more time, "LA WHERE WE AT?" and then the track dropped in perfect timing… people went nuts as the legendary track blared at full force. I can't find a video of Pedro visiting such destruction upon the City of Angels, but if you have one or know of one on youtube, be sure to leave it in the comments.
After playing out Daft Punk's Aerodynamic, he prepped the crowd for the new unreleased Justice track that he had promised everyone: [skip to about 2:00 if you don't feel like waiting]
After Busy P, Carte Blanche, a duo comprised of DJ Mehdi and Riton, took the stage and continued the amazing vibes that Busy P had doused over the crowd, throwing down yet another monstrous set. DJ Mehdi was dressed in all white, while Riton donned a black on black attire (see what they did there?). They transitioned from great track to great track, all the while dancing and visibly having a great time up there. Check out the video below and some of the great selections they played:
Our last show of the night was legendary DJ set from DFA label boss James Murphy and ex-bandmate Pat Mahoney in the DFA tent. This was one of the funkiest disco parties that I have ever been a part of and we consider ourselves truly lucky men to have witnessed it. To be honest, we recognized almost nothing they played seeing as it was truly a 70's disco fiesta, so download the songs we did manage to find, watch the video below, and reminisce on (or be jealous of) one of the best sets of Hard Summer LA 2011.
After Gesafflestein's set, we ran into him and Fool's Gold label boss A-Trak walking through the crowd. We were lucky enough to be able to strike up a conversation and impart unto them some Bright & Shiny stickers, which they hopefully took home and cherished.
Boys Noize:
Now just because we didn't catch very much of Boys Noize at the festival itself does not mean that we didn't get an earful of this beautiful man's mad techno sensibilities at the Hard afterparty. Stay tuned for our next post, devoted to the amazing warehouse rave stylings of The Well and the surprise appearance from everybody's favorite German man, Boys Noize.
Surprise!!! You may have seen my name tossed around here a few times, but I come to you now as a new writer for the Bright & Shiny team.
What this means for you all: More good music, more often. These friends of mine, that I'm sure you have come to adore, introduced me to electronic music so you should find that my muiscal tastes are very similar. On that note, let's get down to it. I've got some goodies for you today.
Marlon Flohr and Ralph van Hilst, better known as Bassjackers, released this banger a few weeks a ago and their dutch house sound is on point. But it here on beatport and check out some of their monster remixes if you haven't already. Bassjackers - Mush Mush (Original Mix)
My friends Beau requested this one at a party and it rocked the dance floor. Basically, people lost it. I don't know much about the Brooklyn-based DJ/Producer Gustolabs , but this Avicii edit wll get anybody dancing. Avicii - Fuck The Music (Gustolabs Re-edit)
The Magician, formerly one-half of Aeroplane, has been doing quite well for himself in his solo efforts and this Yuksek remix is no exception. Well placed piano stabs come in around the 1 minutes mark and compliment the vocals very well. I can't get this song out of my head. Yuksek - On a Train (Magician Remix)
This one comes off of Scream & Shout Recordings from newcomer(s)? Damn Stupid. Little is known about them, but coming from a label that includes the likes of Deniz Koyu and Bodybangers you can be sure they're not messing around. This electro number, 'Goodbye Girl', includes an apparent, but very effective sample of 'Animal Rights' and hits hard. Damn Stupid - Goodbye Girl (Original Mix)
I love the funk. Zapp & Roger, a soul and funk band from the 70's and 80's, are best known for hits like 'More Bounce To The Ounce' and 'Computer Love'. Their orginal 'Do It', however is the one that gets the special treatment from Australian Jacob Farah, or Jasper. A more upbeat rhythm and wonderfully choped vocals make for a great combination. According to his soundcloud, Jasper "lives by the ethos to music 'to make music is to make people smile". It also says he enjoys picking Smurf berries with the Smurfs in his downtime... Interesting. Zapp & Roger - Do It (Jasper Remix)
I also strongly suggest you check out Identity Festival because Erol and some B&S favorites (Kaskade, Chuckie, Avicii, just to name a few) will be terrorizing over 20 U.S. cities this Summer.
I leave you with this track off of Hey Champ's new EP 'Anything At All' that comes out tomorrow. The trio teamed up with Eliot James, who has produced for Two Door Cinema Club and Bloc Party, and they have come up with something special. Oh and they're giving it away on their website and here. Anything at All by Hey Champ
I've got a smattering of new releases from some high profile names today (although unfortunately jimi hendrix is not one of them), so buckle up and get ready for some seriously block rockin' beats.
This release has a much more underground feel to it than your typical Avicii track, but it's still an absolute stomper. The man has as versatile of production skills as just about anyone out there. Avicii - Street Dancer (Original Mix)
Unfortunately on beatport you can only buy the release if you live in Germany... I wanted to get the Vocal Mix, but since I couldn't buy it i had to look around the internet for it and after some searching I could only find this original mix. Still, pretty damn good. Duck Sauce - You're Nasty (Original Mix)
I dont have many words for you guys this morning, other than that we promptly realized with the yahoo music player we tried in the last post you couldn't skip around in the song, and that just wasnt gonna work. so with the help of our friends over at SSSOUND!we got a new music player for you guys, complete with all the skipping around action you could ever hope for. ok now for the music so i can go back to sleep..
Siriusmo & Jan Driver did two mixes of this track, the "remix" and the "dub". I think the Dub one is a lot cooler and more danceable (it's not dubstep). I don't know if this is my favorite Siriusmo track, but then again that's only because the frenchman has set the bar so high in the past. The Shoes - Stay The Same (Siriusmo & Jan Driver Dub)
I meant to post this a while ago but somehow never got around to it. This one's a staple on my morning playlists. Another relaxing, wonderful gem from the always on point Tensnake. Aloe Blacc - I Need A Dollar (Tensnake Remix)
Feed Me's EP, Feed Me's Big Adventure recently came out on mau5trap records. It's pretty solid over all and features some really intricate production that reminds me of a stripped down, less dub-fused version of fellow mau5trap artist Skrillex. Below are two of my favorites off the release.
First up I have an perfectly acidic electro track by Logo. They bring you this free from their studio. I'm really enjoying that piano part that comes in around 2:40.
This one really gets me. Kartell comes out of nowhere with this amazingly simplistic jazz house track. I cannot get over how cool listening to this makes me feel. He plays with the melody a bit, mixing it up just enough for it to remain consistently fresh but without over doing it. Great hi-hats.
I am extremely jealous of Siriusmo, which I guess makes me a huge fan. The constant mutation of each track he creates just serves to demonstrate his array of production skills and knack for original and unique harmonic progressions. Give me your talents........
ceo's debut album, White Magic, is a truly well done electro pop album. This track has a great chord progression that gives it the dreamy quality that is so appropriate for this genre of music. Listen for the great, "I keep it real", voice in the background.
Ed Banger All-Star DJ Mehdi takes a breather here with this relaxing down tempo remix of a superduper Miike Snow track. Mehdi takes this one to the next level.
Hey guys. I'm sitting here shoving Chick-Fil-A into my mouth and I really don't feel like typing a lot with my greasy ass fingers sooo.... here ya go!
Eumig and Chinon are simply amazing. I've got a sneaking suspicion that one day they're gonna be legendary. This is a nice light summery tune fo yo speakorz.
This is exactly what the doctor ordered. Soothing dreamy synths accompanied by a smooth bass line. This is the first I've heard of Artwork, but after listening to this track, I'm pretty sure it won't be the last.
Nightriders have seriously become a staple on all of my daily playlists. I LOVE LOVE LOVE their funky style. This Boston Dance Duo is doing something right.
Here's a tune with a little bang in it. A Steed Lord remix of a Reset! song. It just SOUNDS like a great combination. Right around 1:26, this one becomes a partypartyparty.
Now I'm not a huge hiphop/rap fan, but even I have to admit that The Pharcyde is where it's at. Here's a seriously beautiful electro styled remix by Philippians. I dare you not to download this song.
Here we have an RAC remix of a song by one of my favorite indie bands, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. A dash of warm synth here and there, and this suddenly becomes a great summer jam.
Well it's been too long since I've posted, and I'm sure you've all missed me immensely. But it's all gonna be alright, because I would never leave you. Ever. I have a bit of a curve ball post today, so set aside a few minutes to peruse through this fine selection of tracks. You won't be disappointed.
This first track is a remix of a song that has been a bit over played. That being said, I feel like Van She Tech really spruces it up to the point where it becomes a timeless addition to my musical collection.
LexiconDon dropped their first EP, Pink + Blue, a few days ago on August 24th. Bit Funk, who does no wrong, couldn't resist the opportunity to turn an already fantastic track into a sly killer.
Here's the curve ball. Today's post has a new section, never been seen before. This section is titled New Talent. Filled with up and coming artists that are just breaking on to the scene with some dirty tracks that will excite your ear drums and cause spontaneous dancing. Enjoy.
First up is a stellar remix by Swedish artist, ODahl, who recently put out an EP on August 4th. Keep an eye out for this guy in the future. Just sayin'.
Ok so I, Patrick, have a special treat for you today. The songs below are, as per usual, all excellent, but today my friends, is all about one song. This one song is essentially the favorite child of my song family. It gets the most hugs and the other songs are disgruntled at their lack of attention in the face of my honor roll student varsity athlete star child. This song is totally unreleased and wasn't easy to track down, so promise me you'll do yourselves a favor and bump this tune on some speakers with a little bass. Finally, the moment you've been waiting for:
This song combines two of my most favorite artists. Chromeo's electrofunk stylings worked over by a genius man by the name of Siriusmo, based out of Berlin, Germany.
Much like me on the basketball court, this song is on FIYAH. MillionYoung is an up and coming new artist with a lot of potenital. Here he takes a Neon Indian song and turns it into a shining dreampop example of what a song should sound like.
