If this week's going as slow for you as it is for me, you're gonna neeeed the tunes I'm about to drop on your face.
Starting off with some funky fresh french house goodness, I've got two jams from young Chicago dance producer Alpha Snail. We've posted some his music before, and for good reason. It's a shame that he's not a bigger name, as he's churned out some of the grooviest disco house sounds I've ever heard. Anyways, I'll leave it to his tracks to convince you, and convince you they shall. Thony Ritz - What I Am (Alpha Snail Remix)
And onto more dancey awesomeness, B&S favorites Fare Soldi uploaded this remix to their soundcloud just the other day (shouts to Patrick for the heads up). Calling perfect production "typical", isn't something I do with most artists, but it's certainly something I do with these Italians. Chilly Gonzales - You Can Dance (Fare Soldi 'Gonzobot' Remix)
On the harder side, I've got a bangin' remix from Bassjackers on Dada Life's latest release "White Noise/Red Meat". To honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the original from the Dada bros, but Bassjackers have deftly added a dutch house vibe that's simply too good to ignore. Dada Life - White Noise/Red Meat (Bassjackers Remix)
As I continue to add to the deeper and darker side of my music library, I come upon the name Prince Club quite often. They're a Canadian duo from Montreal and they're making some noise in the blogosphere with some seriously deep and groovy house releases. Jump on this bandwagon as soon as you can, folks. Adele “Rolling In The Deep” (Jamie XX Remix) (Prince Club House Edit) by Prince Club
Finally, a wonderfully uplifting remix from Wolfgang Gartner. Finish the week out strong errbody.
As a young teen, Sharooz began his musical ventures as a punk guitarist before ultimately shifting his sights towards dance music in 1998. Beginning his stellar career with debut single, Hell Yeah (2006), Sharooz quickly cemented himself as a major player in not only the UK electronic music scene, but worldwide. As he rose in popularity throughout Europe, he garnered the respect and support of many big names such as David Guetta, Pete Tong, and Roger Sanchez among many others. Playing alongside talent like Afrojack, Congorock, and Tocadisco, Sharooz’s reputation as an artist and performer began to grow, landing him many opportunities for remixing some of electronic music’s most sought after artists. By the end of 2009, he had completed two US tours as well as gigs throughout all of Europe. Capitalizing on his rapid success, Sharooz launched his own record label, La Bombe, in 2010. In addition to his label, he co-founded Sample Magic alongside fellow producer, David Felton. Sample Magic is a sound design company that has won numerous awards for its samples and loops, including Remix Magazine’s Product of the Year award. He was kind enough to give me an opportunity to ask him a couple questions. Now to hear from the man himself:
Amazing high energy house dynamite, Hysteresis, was just released last month. This one needs to come with a Surgeon General's Warning. Buy it here, now.
Beginning as a punk guitarist, how did you eventually make the transition into the underground electronic dance scene and how has your sound matured since your early days as a DJ? Who are your most prevalent influences?
I grew up in Belfast at the height of the political unrest. There were loads of random bombings and shootings. As a youth we naturally wanted to rebel against it all, so there was a thriving punk scene. We preferred the homegrown talents such as Stiff Little Fingers as opposed to the bigger bands. The punk scene eventually turned rave and I started sneaking in to see the likes of Carl Craig and Andy Weatherall every week. After a few years I got bored of Techno and got into Electro. Nowadays I'll listen (and play) from almost any genre as long as it serves the crowd well and makes people dance. I prefer to go by label rather than artist.
So here’s a scenario: You are commissioned to do a remix and inspiration strikes. What is your creative process and how do you go about making alterations until you have something you can call your own? What advice would you give to any fledgling producers out there just trying to get started?
If there's a vocal element normally I'll start with that and begin building a loop around it. Usually I don't listen to the original mix unless it's accidental. I try to use as many original parts as possible and program a whole new song or vibe. It's not exactly new advice, but for fledgling producers, putting bootlegs on Youtube and Soundcloud still garners huge attention, if the original rights holder doesn't ask you to take it down first..
I’ve noticed that you and Phonat have remixed each other’s work many times. Phonat is hands down one of Bright & Shiny’s favorite producers and I’d love to hear about your guys’ relationship and if we can expect any future collaborations.
I've known Michele (Phonat) since his first release. We shared the same label, Mofo Hifi, for many years and met through The Young Punx. He's probably my favourite artist in the world right now. I owe him a remix for Love Hits The Fan, which I didn't have time to do, so I'm itching for the opportunity to do something new for him. We actually did a co-write, alongside 5EYA, but the guys have been in Italy all year and we haven't had the chance yet to finish it. That could come out on La Bombe, so stay tuned!
You’ve done remixes for high profile names such as Robyn and Moby, in addition to many lesser known artists. Who has been your favorite artist to work with thus far and what other producers are you dying to get in the studio with?
I'm currently working on a remix for the French band Gush. I've been a massive fan for years. They blend Chanson with these amazingly intricate harmonies sung in English. It's been a real challenge as the original record is 98BPM but it's easily been my favourite track to work on in recent memory.
Your label, La Bombe, has a small roster of fantastic artists. What was your process for finding these producers and did you play an integral part in shaping their skills and sound?
La Bombe has a very simple philosophy in that I just cherry pick my favourite artists (new and old) from browsing Soundcloud, Beatport charts, Facebook etc. There are so many talented producers out there seeking an outlet for their work, who fall under the radar of many of the bigger labels. We literally listen to everything we're sent and aggressively pursue those artists we see as having potential for our label. Our Soundcloud dropbox is checked for demos almost daily.
3 pieces of musical equipment in your London studio that you could not live without.
SSL G-series hardware buss compressor
Prism Orpheus soundcard
Focal Twin 6 BE monitors
Lastly, what can we expect to see from Sharooz in 2011? Any up and coming remixes, collaborations, originals, tours, or new artists on the label?
I've just had approval on a remix of one of the biggest bands in the world. They've never been remixed so I can't give all details yet. But when it drops in March it'll be a very high profile release. I'm remixing Lazy Rich and Porter Robinson's new collab and also doing a 'Get Off' remix package with some of my favourite artists in tow. As far as La Bombe goes, we've just signed Opptimo for an album due for release in April and have new material from Swedish producer Blende and a second single from 5EYA in the works, all due in the next two months..
Time for more of that sensational tunage:
If you ever find yourself in a position where you need to make people dance, simply press the play button on this lethal remix. Dance they shall.
This next Sharooz remix is my absolutely favorite. The vocals are such an amazing compliment to the bass synth and the chord progression. I cannot get enough.
One of La Bombe's new recruits, 5EYA, has been featured here on Bright & Shiny before. I bring you Sharooz's sexy reinterpretation of an already intoxicating original.
Opptimo - Locate Peace Treaty - Cal State Anthem (Sharooz Remix) Boys Noize - Yeah Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work (The Twelves Remix) Treasure Fingers - It's Love Fred Falke & Burns - You've Stopped Loving Me (Treasure Fingers Remix) Tiga - You Gonna Want Me (Hey Today! Remix) Eemus - Bleak (Fuzzy Hair Rework)
Well it's been a long week, what with midterms and Augustus' harddrive being fried, leaving him out of the rotation temporarily. But, that's all behind us now; it's about time we get to enjoying ourselves.
Chaz Bundick is back as Toro Y Moi and this time instead of sounding like excited pop-soul, he has trimmed the fat, resulting in a more mature approach. "New Beat" sounds like future-disco in all the right ways. Toro Y Moi - New Beat
Bart B More's back at it again, manipulating classically house vocals and knowing exactly which synths to use to make the dance floor purr. Speaking of which, if you're in the Chicagoland area and are of 21 years of age (or have an impeccable fake ID), be sure to get to the Mid tonight to see Bart B More and Tinie Tempah! Skydrive ft. Linda Newman - I Know Better (Bart B More Remix)
I've got a little teaser of a new Fake Blood track for you all today. Not really sure what to make of it, though I think the title suits its quirky synth sound very well. Honestly, the bassline kind of remind me of "Mars", which remains as one of my favorite tracks of all time. Anyways, check it out and see what you think. Fake Blood - Medieval
UK radio smasher Herve is certainly a master of the artform that is the remix, churning out dance-floor bombs with seemingly little effort. This mix of Moonbootica's "Tonight" does well in illustrating my point, thumping along with some fat ass drums and well executed stutters and breaks. This is disco on steroids. Moonbootica - Tonight (Herve Voodoo Chilli Remix)
Everyone and his mother knows that Congorock has the ability to construct diabolical banger tracks that will simply make you lose your shit (...Babylon). He demonstrates his city-leveling prowess again in his remix of Benny Benassi's latest release, "Electroman". Points off for crazy ass T-Pain lyrics though. Benny Benassi feat. T-Pain - Electroman (Congorock Remix)
Style of Eye popped into my radar when I heard that strangely addicting goodness that was "Antidote". When I was checking out Harvard Bass's new EP and I saw he had taken a stab at "Pruno", naturally I had to take a listen. I was subsequently bombarded with noises I can only describe as scary and strange, but it made me dance like a crazed monkey. Absolutely check this one out, but you might want to keep the lights on. Harvard Bass - Pruno (Style of Eye Remix)
If this week's going as slow for you as it is for me, you're gonna neeeed the tunes I'm about to drop on your face.
