DEATH STROBE LIVES!

So we released a record today!! To save your eyes from bleeding I'll keep quiet on the promo front and just say you can listen to and buy the CD on our Bandcamp - it's certainly not disco but it's a very special EP indeed. Also check out our freshly launched Death Strobe website. It seems rather bizarre actually having a finished product out there after so many months of toiling and tooling around! Here's a little slice to sample - Rio Lobotomy's remix which had a bit of a Discodeine vibe going on and superbly rounds off the package. Their drum programming completely smooshes my head in, it's always fucking unreal. If you dig the release I'd be mega appreciative of anyone who picks up a copy!! MUCH LOVESIES

Domeyko/Gonzalez - Eschatol (Rio Lobotomy Remix) [BUY BUY BUY!]

And now to butter you up with some serious treats. Eric Duncan's Dolly Parton edit caused some serious murmur after monsieur Harvey debuted it on Beats in Space a few months back. Yes I'm the world's biggest sucker for anything Harvey related, but that's got nothing to do with me being in complete agreement when he so boldly proclaimed that Eric D is "pretty much the best editor on the planet right now." This is defs one of his more gently edited tunes but it's super sweet. The flip of this record is quite the opposite, a heavily chopped uplifting vocal house pumper that never resolves. One of those records that's gone in a flash, I know I'm posting it pretty late but get onto it as a matter of urgency.

Dr. Dunks - No P's [buy]

This Pablo Mandelbrot record intrigues me so much! I've listened to it so many times, not because I absolutely love it but because I find it really fascinating for some reason. Both sides are understated grooves that seem to hang back in the darkness a bit, shrouded in a bit of mystery and, I feel, harbouring sinister motives. This track is a slightly muffled funky vamp which gets interrupted by mildly uncomfortable dissonance every so often. Would really love to get some opinions on this track.

Pablo Mandelbrot - Hot Swap [buy]

Oh boy, this Kasper Bjorke remixes record is gorgeous! Prins Thomas, Muzzle Flash and Nicolas Jaar is a pretty bonerific lineup. The only surprise here is that Muzzle Flash trumps PT and NJ with a magical deep lounge groover. The dreamy vocals and sharp super-hip keys are just divine. If you're after a spectacular Sunday 12" this package is about as good as it gets.

Kasper Bjorke - Heaven (Muzzle Flash) [buy]

Still mourning over the loss of Moxie, easily one of the best edits labels of the past decade. This is off an absolutely classic release from 2008, Willie On Mars. Moon Made quite literally has got it all: a crazy-hot chunky bassline with matching bongos THEN weirdo deep space moog noises THEN epic soaring disco strings THEN a ripping, noodling jazz guitar solo with spicy backing band to top it off. Dunno what the original is but it must be something pretty special. Moxie, you will be missed!

Moxie - Moon Made [buy]

And to cap things off a short-and-deliciously-sweet numero. Remember that edit of Hang Together from the C.O.M.B.i. live CD that I was raving about? It's from a record by Keep Schtum, an obviously accomplished but anonymous Irish dude making truly sublime edits. Probably one of the best records I've picked up this year - this is the 3rd track, a brief percussive jazzy jam that funks hard. Buy on sight!

Keep Schtum - Roots [buy]

HAPPY DAYS!! Midnight Savari is up next as DSR002, get excited!

Call, Listen

Incredible weekend. Now to follow up with a new In Flagranti track which is equally incredible. Typically brilliant twisted thumping disco named after a German film from the 70s which sounds right up their alley. I'll never be able to get enough of their irresistible sleaze - the first minute is a symphony of moaning, it's fantastic!

In Flagranti - The Swinging Co-eds aka Madchen, Die Nach Munchen Kommen [buy]

Picked up one of Ray Mang's super cool Mangled records from July last year while I was in Auckland a couple of weeks ago. Reminds me a heap of Chaz Jankel's 'Glad To Know You' - just stretched over twice the distance. Anyway, it's a really nice edit of a Denroy Morgan tune that features some big-biceps bass which is nicely evened out by some light disco-gal vocals and, at one point, some cute synthesised steel drums. A great slow burning track.

Ray Mang - Prozac [buy]

Another from the archives, a fab old Moxie edit from the Run Disco Run record. In some ways similar to that Black Cow sound I posted a few weeks ago, tight funk with a nice acidic synth thrown in. Wonderful strings too, and the sneaky keys hanging back in the right channel are just beautiful once you notice their little hiding place in the corner. I'd love to know what the original is if anybody can spot it! I think it's about time Moxie released their first record for 2010, I'm getting seriously impatient.

Moxie - Loving It [buy]

Start preparing for a month-long onslaught of plugging our label launch. Death Strobe will be officially kicking off on April 9th at GoodGod and it will be nothing short of spectacular. Put it on your whiteboard kids!!

It Begins Again...

What a weekend coming up! Friday night (the 8th) is excursion time, popping down to Melbourne to see Special Disco Version and The Juan Maclean at the Royal Melbourne Hotel. There are few things I've been more excited about. Seriously, if you're in the area this is beyond essential. Inspect the flyer and make an easy decision. Up and Down - the flip side of Feels So Good which I still think was a kind of unnecessary edit - was totally one of my favourite tracks of last year and I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't think of it when doing my top 10. The bottom line is that James and Pat (for those who don't know, Special Disco Version is pretty much LCD Mobile Disco) are stupidly talented and have obscenely good record collections. Presumptuous as it may be this early in the game, I'm calling this one as gig of the decade.

Special Disco Version - Up and Down (Beep!) [buy]

Then a quick return to Sydney on the 9th for another Picnic (psychedelic) warehouse party with guest especial Lovefingers. Yes he's partly responsible for Blackdisco along with Lee Douglas and Nitedog. Yes he's the man who runs the aptly named lovefingers.org. Yes he's been on Beats In Space something like FIVE TIMES now. Yes yes yes, he's the man. This most recent mix of his is spectacular, a fab psychedelic jamming vibe to thrash on repeat throughout the summer. Details here.

Lovefingers - Lovefingers Xmas 2009

THEN, depending on whether I'm hospitalised by this stage or not, it's Days Like This on Sunday the 10th. Amongst a ridiculous lineup are people like Theo Parrish, Brennan Green, Lovefingers & Lee Douglas, Quantic, The Swiss, Pepe Bradock, Pivot, and so on and so on. Fuck I'm excited for Theo. I'm crazy for his Ugly Edits records which are reminiscent of Harvey's Black Cock series, although a bit less 'out there' and definitely more suited for the d-floor. Perhaps I just make that association since they both edited The Dells.. Whatever, I like the really classic super-extended approach both take. This festival will be a monster, highly recommended for capping off the weekend in a huge way!

Never Gonna Let U Go (Theo Parrish Re-Edit)

And just because I like posting four tracks at once, here's an old Moxie edit of Street Man which has crept up on my listening charts in the past couple of weeks. Powerful danceable disco. A really awesome record this!

Moxie - Run Disco Run

Commence dangerous intoxication. Happy new year people! 2010 is going to be super duper exciting :)

Recording Records

All 5 records that landed on my doorstep yesterday are total hits, so I'll share the lot. Seriously feels like Christmas every time an order arrives, an excitement that will never get old. Glory's 02 has, in the last couple of months, crept its way up to just about the very top of my favourite records of 2009 chart, so I've been really excited about Leo Zero's next move. Again, this is a really special one! Message Of Love, the A side, features a bold Freddie Mercury vocal and, SERIOUSLY, one of the catchiest basslines I've ever heard in my life. On first listen I literally could not stop singing along with it for the entire 8-odd minutes. Buy this record. Buy everything Leo has touched. Start a Leo Zero church in your neighbourhood, convert everyone on your street. This is excellent music.

Leo Zero - Message of Love (Leo Zero Re-Edit) [buy]

Been really keen to get my hands on this next Fitzcarraldo Variations release, it's so much fun. Cheeky, borderline silly rocky disco seems to be the general theme here. This song makes me picture a bunch of amateur theatre idiots dressed in full body nylon cat suits leaping about in a semi-retarded covert manner. Fantastic! History Clock is truly one of the most obscurely fun labels about.

The Fitzcarraldo Variations - Black Cat [buy]

At first I was a little unimpressed with this Chamboché record I've been reading about... But after a couple more listens I'm warming up to it. The original drags on a bit, but both remixes are quite nice. Going to go with the Pete Herbert mix as my tune of choice since I'm a bit of a sucker for his pleasant and accessible bright-but-not-blinding shimmering disco sound. If you're not looking for a challenge, go for this.

Chamboche - Ipso Facto (Pete Herbert Remix) [buy]

Feeling really lazy at the moment so will breeze through the rest of this. This 4 track Popular People's Front record (original by Rüf Dug + 3 remixes) is the one I was a little unsure about, and turns out it's probably my favourite of the bunch. All the tracks have a twisted kinda tribal feel, really percussive and primitive. The Unabombers remix is my fave, really works the big drum feel hard. A must buy!!

RüF Dug - Dirty (Unabombers Remix) [buy]

Moxie's tribute to MJ is a stunner. I was going to post the big party A side but this edit of Let Me Show You is incredibly beautiful. Probably my favourite memorial that's come out so far, this track is haunting yet soothing at the same time. Very nostalgic, very heartwarming.

High Five - Way To Go [buy]

Anybody in Sydney going to Mike Simonetti next saturday? You should be.

Balmy Days and Palmy Bays

A bit of a mixed bag here.

Tim Sweeney's RVNG mix, Mx3. Every few months I go back to it and go overboard with repeat playing it until I have to put it away again for a while. Really just way too good. Aphex Twin, Radiohead, Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, Zongamin... Spectacular. Anyway, I've always had a bit of a thing for this quirky Was (Not Was) tune. It's got an interesting dissonant mentality, a kinda bent sound. So here it is for your judgement. More importantly, though, if you don't have that mix cd of Tim's, GET IT NOW. And get Justine D's too. And get everything that's still available on the site while you still can. Fin.

Was (Not Was) - Wheel Me Out (Remix Version)

At last this Supermayer remix has been officially released on Kompakt's latest compilation, Total 10. Thank god, until now the only version I've had has been defective and cut out 2/3 of the way through. Heart's A Mess is one of my favourite songs of all time (I don't care if it's cliche) and this remix does everything it can to extend and embellish and enhance each heart wrenching moment. Why Gotye didn't want this released is on the single is beyond me. The track grooves and shuffles and swells for the first four minutes until rich velvety strings wash away the beat and open the song up for Gotye's delicate vocals and bone dry acoustic guitar. I could rant about this forever, it's just fucking spectacular. 10/10.

Gotye - Heart's A Mess (Supermayer Supermess Remix) [buy]

Have been hesitant with posting this next Downtown Party Network track for a month now, figured I'd just put it out there and not worry about it anymore. It doesn't completely seal the deal for me because, frankly, it's nothing even slightly new. That said, it's a top quality piece of production and, at the end of the day, it works. Just take it or leave it, maybe it's your thang. Dreamy cruisy synth-heavy nu disco you don't have to think about.

Downtown Party Network - Heart Break Dancing [buy]

This new Hotbath Re-Edits record is fantastic! Apparently the work of Crazy P, the 4 cuts on here are totally varied and totally hot. Quincy Jones and No Doubt on the same record. Strange but cool! And I have to admit, the No Doubt edit (Hella Good) is probably my favourite. It works out to be a bit of a dub version, just the groove smoldering away with minimal vocals. Lots of fun! If you do get a chance to snap this record up before it disappears, it's worth it.

Hotbath - Keep On Dancing [buy]

Who knows why I'm posting this. I guess I don't feel obscure enough sometimes. A Chow Daddy track from an old Moxie record, no clue what it's an edit of. Maybe you'll love it, maybe you'll hate it. Lucky dip!

Chow Daddy - Batman

Also, Juno has a new podcast series, the Juno Disco Series which is curated by Faze Action. Very exciting! Episode 1 has a nice variety of top disco tunes, so make sure you give it a whirl. Oh and it does this really cool thing I haven't seen before where with each different song the artwork and song info changes and it links to the record. Am I just becoming one of those old people who is fascinated by remote controls and voice activation, or is this actually some new funky thing? Yeah, good podcast series imminent. Get into it.

Oh ALSO, Sydneysiders swing by World Bar tomorrow night at 11:30, will play some fun tunes4u. Have a good weekend!!

Love Has Come Around

Sorry all, have had a pretty lazy week. Have found so many amazing tunes though! Feels so good to hit the jackpot every once in a while. I'm so glad I've found this music to share to you wonderful internet surfing people/robots. Still feeling lazy so wording will be kept to a minimum.

Moxie put out amazing records. They are amazing. Some of them are particularly amazing. This is one of them. Bassline bassline bassline. Really old school groove, lots of bass, hot percussion, wakka wakka guitar, super compressed girly vocal crooning her 'baby'. All the necessary elements for quality funky disco.

Moxie - Karnemelk

Picked up the latest Future Classic release the other day. I looove it when the B2 track ends up being my favourite! Azul Blue is so awesome.. A light jazzy vamp gets bitch slapped about by a thick throaty acid line. Also, djhistory's Tele Music Remixed compilation only came to my attention the other day after about a year of sneaking under my radar. Unbelievably quality release. This Toby Tobias mix is pretty galactic, fairly funky and a tad glammy. Groovy stuff.

Toby Tobias - Azul Blue

Tele Music - Phantom Rock (Toby Tobias Mix)

Also on that release are these two gems. Thank god Meteor One got edited into a playable song - have been waiting yonks for that. Beautifully done by Bonar Bradberry! And naturally the Prins Thomas edit is pure Norwegian gold. Go grab this release if you can, it's seriously packed with beautiful music.

Arpadys - Meteor One (Bonar Bradberry Edit)

Tele Music - Black Cars (Prins Thomas Edit)

I don't understand myself.. I don't understand why I never bothered to listen to the original of this song. I don't know why I assumed that the Special Disco Version edit had to be 10 times better and it wouldn't be worth my time hearing this. Late is marginally better than never though. Thank god I came to my senses because this is so so so much better.

Donald Byrd & 125th St, NYC - Love Has Come Around

So much more music to come! Excited!