Mindless

The latest Mindless Boogie release contains 3 edits done by Rove Dogs, who I'm excited to say is brand new to me. This first track is a bit more dance floor-ish than I'd expect to hear from something on MB, which is also a welcome surprise. A few sequencers fluttering around, some muted guitar and some deep, throaty (hehehe) bass really give this tune a big rhythmic boost and turn it into a bit of a party jam. Bonus points for vocals by Sting. You really can't expect anything less than total quality from Mindless Boogie and they've certainly delivered here. The rest of the record is more downtempo rocky, and equally good.

Rove Dogs - Why Don't You Dub [buy]

This isn't completely new but I only found out about it a week or two ago and nearly pissed my pants. How long is Mylo going to tease his anxious fans before another album drops? Much longer than I want to wait, I expect. This is just delightfully uplifting music, albeit too short. Tick tock, tick tock...

Mylo - Macrobiotic

Lindstrom has just released a two track 12", Leftovers EP, which is as solid as anything else he's done in my opinion. The Magnificent is more dancey and firey than usual - it's great to hear a different side of his production, with four to the floor beats and repetitive grooves being paired with his regular melodic style and bright sound. Would love to see how this one performs in the club!

Lindstrom - The Magnificent [buy]

Found these two tracks on a really nice compilation called Computer Incarnations for World Peace Vol. 2. It's mostly all very calming warm electronic music which, predictably, insues a feeling of peace and tranquility. Some of it is a bit cheesy, but all up it's a nice little album experience. This Maurice Fulton remix sticks out a bit from the rest as a chunky piece of funk bass exhibition which breaks out into a great cosmic intermission of dreamy synths. I'll admit the main reason I was drawn to the Al Usher track is through discovering that DJ Harvey plays it, but the more I try and get into it the more it opens up and becomes more beautiful. In a word, this song is remarkably pleasant.

Rollmottle - Take A Break (Maurice Fulton Remix) [buy]

Al Usher - Lullaby for Robert [buy]

Have been busy doing all sorts of cool things but I'll try to update a tiny bit more often than I have been.

Disco Delicious' Top 10 Delicacies of 2008

I didn't really do one of these last year, but figured i might as well keep going with the crowd and jump on the top 10 bandwagon. Love conforming. I know it's a little bit early but I wanted to get it out of the way before I skip the country in a week. Most of the tracks act more as representatives of a certain artist or label or album or whatever, so keep that in mind.

I've loved this year and the way it's panned out music-wise. My electro hangover began to creep up in earlier months and I was left in a bit of a 'what the fuck was I thinking' state for some of it. Oh the bangers... Listening to some stuff I used to post feels like witnessing a death metal band being murdered with chainsaws and cheap drum machines. As we know, what comes up must go down. I've since been drifting through phases of house, disco, nu disco and other stuff that's a bit more laid back. Perhaps senility and a sudden enthusiasm for playing bridge instead of going clubbing is just around the corner for me. We'll see. Anyway I feel like 08 has been great for me in terms of discovering new music that I really love. So without further ramblings, here are my 10 picks for two thousand and eight.

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#10 Heavinz - Ride (Matt Hughes Remix)

Matt Hughes has been a star this year. His gorgeous funky house music is just so refreshing and enjoyable in any situation. The same goes for everybody else on the exceptional Us Two Music label from the Netherlands. This song in particular really hits the spot for me. Uplifting spacey vibe with an irresistibly beautiful sounding bassline. Top notch production (I can even look past the blatant use of the drum line from Girl And The Sea) and just an all round nice feeling. Pleasant!

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#9 Mr. Oizo - Two Takes It feat. Carmen Castro

After a long wait between albums, Lambs Anger went above and beyond to meet every expectation I had of the genius Mr. Oizo. I don't like picking one song out since it's really all about the full album experience and the context the tracks provide one another, but this has to be my favourite. Such a super fun party mentality, and the production is ridiculously good. Nobody makes it seem as easy. An absolute must-own LP!

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#8 In Flagranti - Codependancy

Again I don't really want to just choose one In Flagranti song. And this one might have you cats scratching your heads (might) since it's probably not the most obvious pick. Regardless, this tune in particular really grabbed me. Such an insanely solid groove (hehe i said solid groove) all sitting on just about the one note. Pretty much. It just shows how magnificent they are at producing and the infinite levels of attention to detail that make their tracks extra special. They always stun me with their versatility and their ability to make it seem like they've been producing [insert genre here] forever and ever. Love it.

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#7 Ian Preece - Superfuzz (Disco Mix)

Ok so this wasn't originally released this year, but it does seem to have been re-released once or twice in 08 since its conception last year so WHATEVER. This is dazzling lounge disco at its finest. Such a sensationally smooth bassline groove with beautiful creamy synths, funky strutting guitar, melting horns and fiery percussion. Every detail is well thought out and perfectly matched. Gorgeous stuff! This kind of thing can surely never get old. Moral of the story: Ian Preece rocks.

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#6 The Whitest Boy Alive vs Mylo vs Cut Copy - Otto's Golden Journey

Alright, I really want to stress that this isn't some kind of self-indulgent wankery. I'm posting this because it's a good way to combine my heavy obsession in 2008 with Mylo, Fred Falke and, to a lesser extent, Cut Copy. It's also a way of including all three without addressing the fact that none of the songs involved were actually released this year, unless you count Hearts on Fire's re-release. Otto's Journey was undoubtedly one of my most listened-to songs this year. The Whitest Boy Alive remix is a dead set classic. Hearts on Fire, despite being one of the most overplayed songs of the year, is still a work of sheer brilliance and has to be recognised for that. Together I think they go quite nicely and allow me to squeeze all three infatuations into one space-saving slot here. I hope you, my dear friends, can accept my justification!

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#5 The Juan Maclean - Happy House

I live for summer! I pretty much spend the other 9 months of the year checking my watch, tapping my feet, generally looking very impatient. And cold. For me, this tune is a stunning musical representation of summer. 12 minutes of tropical jam! I just float away and imagine drinking all kinds of delicious alcohol out of coconuts while riding dolphins and having my back scratched by beautiful women in straw skirts who I can't understand. Usually the reality is more like 15 tonnes of meat on a bbq with a beer in one hand and a sweat rag in the other complaining about my 3rd degree sunburn, but I'm fine with that. The fact of the matter is that The Juan Maclean has summed it all up with Happy House, one of the most fun and enjoyable tunes to surface this year, from its bouncy beach start to its firey club end.

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#4 Syclops - The Fly

Syclops' album I've Got My Eye On You is my album of the year. A crazy genre-spicing experiment gone horribly right, the band pull together jazz, electronica, nu disco, indie, avant-garde wackiness and a whole bunch of other fancy categories in an amazing way. This is awesomely eclectic music. This song in particular just blows me away. You'll need to properly listen and pay attention to it to reap the rich rewards it offers, but it's well worth it. It really is just genius. The Soulwax-esque mono synth darts around for the first half of the song building up plenty of anxiety and then BAM - but a really gentle kind of BAM - a delightfully mellow synth comes out of nowhere and the song is immediately transformed into a dazzling lake of musical sex. The addition of one simple instrument is like a sudden injection of intense emotion, and from here the track just spreads out over a colourful psychedelic jam landscape. These guys are just too good - get their album!!

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#3 Hercules and Love Affair - Blind (Serge Santiago Version)

Yep, a terribly obvious selection. Seriously, who didn't Hercules & Love Affair impress this year? Aside from people who just couldn't get their head around Antony's unique and perhaps gender confused gorgeous voice (I'm not saying I don't love it! I do!), did the album actually disappoint anybody? I can't see how it would have. The simple and superfresh nu disco vibes certainly had an influence on our little corner of music this year, and I expect will continue to inspire in years to come. Yes, the Frankie Knuckles mix is just the epitome of exquisite, but I reckon the Serge Santiago version is just as special. So deep and brooding, and a perfect match for the vocals. The sheer weight of it always leaves an impact on me. Can't wait for more H&LA in years to come, if we're lucky enough!

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#2 Holy Ghost! - Hold On (Mock & Toof Remix)

Holy Ghost! have to be the most consistently brilliant act of the year for me. Yes they've been blogged like crazy and in a lot of cases that would turn me off a bit, but these guys are simply too good to let that worry me. If they reached Daft Punk stupidfame status I'd still openly admit to listening to them non stop. Once again being a bit of a sneak, this fantastic Mock & Toof remix means I can post this track as a tune which was released in 08. And oh my god I've been loving Mock & Toof this year too. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Hold On appearing on a bunch of 'best of 09' charts too - it seems ridiculous that they haven't exploded by now even with just that track. Their upcoming debut LP is my most anticipated release right now, bar none. Enjoy these peachy plodding summer sounds.

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#1 The Laughing Light of Plenty - The Rose

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you Tim Sweeney - if not for going to see his brilliant set in Sydney I would probably not have known of this perfect track. To be totally honest, upon first listening to this after hearing Tim was punishing it as a set opener, I was a little underwhelmed. I guess listening to so much 'dance' music in the last few years has made me a bit impatient. I kind of wanted some crazy explosion after the build up and didn't feel properly satisfied. Five listens later I was nearly in tears over the unparallelled concentration of joy pumping through my body. The amount of energy this song manages to ever so sneakily cook up is just absurd. I think it might one day be used as a healthy alternative to caffeine. Perhaps it will eliminate the need to give adrenaline shots to people having bad allergic reactions. Listen to this AS LOUD AS YOU CAN. For me it still gets better with every listen, which must be defying some sort of scientific laws of existence... I can only hope that The Laughing Light of Plenty will release more.

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What do you guys think? I know top tens are always a bit controversial, but I tried to really just represent as a whole everything I've loved about this year. It really has been a great one: one in which I feel like music has really moved forward in. Maybe that's true, maybe it isn't, but that's how it's been for me. Hope you're all still enjoying the stuff I'm putting up here! Keep reading! Kisses.

Remember the Remixes

Today's post is all about remix artists. Too often, we only look at an artist's original productions and miss out on their remixes. Let's get started:

New York's Masters At Work puts a stylish, lounge-friendly touch to the tracks they remix.

Daft Punk - Around The World (Masters At Work Mix)

AtmOsfear - Dancing In Outer Space (Masters At Work Remix)

Norway's Röyksopp beefs up other people's tracks with their enchanting melodies, transforming an otherwise traditional song into electronica.

Spiller - Cry Baby (Röyksopp's Malselves Memorabilia Mix)

Coldplay - Clocks (Röyksopp Mix)

France's Anoraak reworks tracks into new wave synth masterpieces. Although a bit slow for some, this is an emerging style of music that takes the production elements of Lifelike remixes and blends them with the spacey, retro sound heralded by the incredible Valerie blog. Anoraak remixes are poster children for this type of sound.

College - Teenage Color (Anoraak Remix)

The Outrunners - Cool Feeling (Anoraak Remix)

England's Mylo has an inventive approach to remixing songs, turning pop songs into something more danceable by playing with bass lines and adding a little something to make sure it has a consistent beat (usually).

Annie - Chewing Gum (Mylo Remix)

Flat Pack - Sweet Child of Mine (Mylo Edit)

America's (I KNOW, I WAS SURPRISED, TOO) Thin White Duke (also known as Stuart Price, Jacques Lu Cont, Pour Homme, Man With Guitar, Les Rythmes Digitales, and a member of Zoot Woman and Paper Faces!) really knows how to work his magic when it comes to remixes. Often extending the original track to 7 or 8 minutes, Price changes a track into something much more engrossing, often adding a darker, epic feeling.

Röyksopp - What Else Is There? (Thin White Duke Mix)

Starsailor - Four To The Floor (Thin White Duke Remix)

Although I'm not a fan of his original productions, I really enjoy remixes done by Serge Santiágo. Oddly, his work on the remix of "I Like 2 Funk" is amazingly different from his other remixes - it's funky and groovy, whilst his other remixes are typically a bit more linear and deeper. I highly recommend "I Like 2 Funk," with its insatiable, choppy bass and tinge of disco-era instruments.

Goldfrapp - Ride A White Horse (Serge Santiágo Re-Edit)

Blackjax & Void - I Like 2 Funk (Ben Burns & Serge Santiágo Remix)

Okay, these next two remixes are shamelessly disco house - because that's a genre both you and I adore, right? Ian Carey, an American (SERIOUSLY?), gives tracks an extra boost by injecting flanger effects and warm, rubbery bass lines. Of all the tracks on this post, these two are by far the most danceable - good for you DJs out there. Enjoy!

Noir - My MTV (Ian Carey Remix)

Belle Epoque - Miss Broadway (Ian Carey Mix)

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by Kiyoshi - www.myspace.com/kiyoshi

More Gimmicks: COMPETITION TIME!

That's right loyal readers, in order to boost the gimmicky appeal of this 'ere blog, we're going to hold our very first competition! Skipping right to the business end of things, here is what you have to do: you may choose between Rikki and Otto's Journey - two sensational Mylo tracks - and typesing the tune for me. Which is literally what it sounds like. Points will be awarded for those who can accurately do it (ie. if it actually conveys the song, in which case you are brilliant) and, falling short of that, for anyone who can entertain me. Here are the tracks:

Mylo - Rikki

Mylo - Otto's Journey

As far as prizes go, you also have a choice! Since everybody loves The Presets, and the collectors edition of Apocalypso just popped its head out, the winner can pick between (a) the collectors edition of said album, featuring bonus remixes disc, scarf and poster; (b) their stunning debut Beams in 2x12" vinyl glory; or (c) the always tempting and excitingly risky Mystery Prize!

The Presets - Anywhere (Still Going Remix)

The Presets - Kitty In The Middle

Email your entries to discodelicious@gmail.com - the compy closes on the 20th of October, so quick sticks. I'll post anywhere in the world so don't be shy. Give me some creativity! I'll contact the winner to arrange some kind of award ceremony or something.

In other news, Mr. Oizo's latest offering, Lambs Anger (due out November 17th) is nothing short of spectacular and I can't keep myself from posting a taste. I'm going to go all the way and say it's my number 1 electronic album for 2008, hands down. Serrrriously, this is one album you NEED to buy. Go get a tent and start camping outside your local record store so you can be the first one to get your hands on one of those bad boys. These are a couple of the more upbeat tracks on the album, and certainly two of my favourites. GET EXCITED!

Mr. Oizo - Two Takes It (feat. Carmen Castro)

Mr. Oizo - Gay Dentists

I guess since I've just posted Otto's Journey for the 15th time, or something, I'd better put up the final version in 320 of Otto's Golden Journey. A lot of people have been asking me for it, so I guess i don't feel too bad.

The Whitest Boy Alive vs Mylo vs Cut Copy - Otto's Golden Journey (Andy Webb's Dreamy Blend)

Get those entries in! Danana nanana-na nahhhhh

Ohh My Head.. (Part 2)

Happy new year all! Hope you're enjoying the staggering hangover and worrying memory loss as I am. Har har. Cutting to the chase, I've heard very little in the last few months that's excited me and have spent a lot of time listening to older stuff. Above fresh and exclusive tracks, my highest priority for DD is posting tracks I consider to be quality tunes, so that's going to be the focus with whatever I can find to post. I'm both concerned and intrigued about where dance music is headed in 2008, though I'm sure things will pick up again soon one way or another.

OK, I am totally in love with the SebastiAn mix Trent posted the other week. Totally. Just to show that I mean business with this whole not being concerned with exclusives thing, here are a couple of quite old SebastiAn remixes, perhaps not as well known as some of his other stuff, which still really float my boat. Both are quite dark and dirty - I love the haunting strings and piano in the Mylo remix, shrouded with a layer of grimy distorted fuzz, and the overly butchered vocals in Walking Machine. Both are vinyl rips, I hope you don't mind.

Mylo - Paris Four Hundred (SebastiAn Remix)

Revl9n - Walking Machine (SebastiAn Remix)

Admittedly I'm really enjoying the remixes of My People, in particular the D.I.M. mix. He seems to be one producer who has consistently pushed out quality tracks for quite a while now, and this is no exception. Certainly the most club-friendly of the three remixes on the 12", it builds nicely into a mean rhythmic banger. And I guess it can't hurt to throw in an old groovy B-side and a repost of the super fun Hung Up / Down Down Down mash.

The Presets - My People (D.I.M Remix)

The Presets - Truth and Lies

The Presets - Hung Down

To take a momentary breather from glitchy electro, here are a couple of classic housey tunes which I've always had a soft spot for. Check out the very danceable Eric Prydz remix of A Bit Patchy and the uplifting and dazzling Axwell mix of 2 Million Ways. Both tracks I feel are quite well put together and have a really funky summery vibe. Just a bit of fun..

Switch - A Bit Patchy (Eric Prydz Remix)

C-Mos - 2 Million Ways (Axwell Remix)

So I guess this has been a sort of filler post, just to make sure the ball keeps rolling, but there's some stuff on the way that's really worth checking out so don't worry.