WAVE MACHINES // KEEP THE LIGHTS ON RAY MANG REMIX

Photo by Rob Ball

We must admit these guys know how to put the rock back in roll. After stealing the show last night at The Joiners in Southampton, the Wave Machines had to contend with a disgruntled south coast audience when main headliner, one Pete Doherty, unsurprisingly failed to turn up for his scheduled set. But these boys cranked the Liverpudlian mojo to the max and won over even the most cynical of gig goers. They are the real deal, honestly.

Their new album rocks. Their new video rocks. And their live show rocks. London based disco-centric production whizz kid, Ray Mang's remix of 'Keep The Lights On' rocks as well. Check it out here and see why this dude got snapped up by DFA.

ENZO ELIA // TOUCH // HELL YEAH

Still reeling from the mind boggling premier of Flash Forward last night. This shit rocks. Existential commentary aside, we get hi grade car explosions, mass hysteria and boozy leading actors. If there was ever a film made about me, John Cho would play it. This guy kick's ass. Too bad he's doomed though, or is he? Another 6 day wait to find out. Damn.

Well one thing we do not have to wait or flash forward (crap pun, I know) for is, 'Touch', the latest deep, minimal tinged offering from the extremely talented Bologna bred DJ/producer, Enzo Elia. Having churned out a slew of off beat remixes for the likes of Oliver Koletzki, Crimea X and Martin Patino, this Berlin based Italian looks set to bring a little Bolognese flavour to the table. Tasty stuff.

Check out the original and Afrologic remixes here.

MUNK // BACK DOWN REMIXES // GOMMA

Mondays. The start of the new working week, inbox choc a bloc full of unanswered emails. Delete.

What we didn't thankfully delete was the new remix offering, 'Back Down', from Gomma Records loyal stalwart and label owner, Mathias Modica AKA, Munk. Munich's favourite alt disco label has once again come up with a funked up solution for the Monday lunchtime hangover. Crank this up and it's like Friday in the office again.

This sweet little package comes with excellent remixes from Cut Copy, L.U.C.A and Migumatix. Check out Cut Copy's Jackmaster Remix for some crazy ass, wonky effects.

FENECH SOLER // LIES // MODA MUSIC

TGIF! Suddenly everyone's a little happier. Even Chris our building supe shook my hand this morning and called me, "Sir". My feel good moment of the day.  And nothing can be GAYER than fantasy poppers, Fenech Soler. Now these guys are on the happy pills 24/7. Their flashy, glammed up little electro pop ditties can attest to that. AND the chicks love em. Young, good looking, talented. We really should hate em but we can't when they make our Fridays seem so worthwhile.

Fenech Soler's latest single, 'Lies', looks set to tear it up this autumn. Already a staple fixture in the record boxes of Erol Alkan, Tiga, Kissy Sellout, Jaymo & Annie Mac, we know what to expect. A huge peak time record even Pritesh the newsagent will love. So will you.

Test drive the original mix here.

UMEK // DEMENTIA // HELL YEAH

It's going all techno KRAZZZYYY here at the office with the impending build up to m_nus' CONTAKT party @ Brixton Academy on Saturday. We're certainly feeling the techno urge and a constant, head thumping fix is very much in order. Even though it's 11AM and we're rummaging through the sports section of the morning paper, wondering why decaf coffee tastes like sh*t.

What certainly does not taste like dog crap is Slovenian techno grand wizard, Umek's latest single, 'Dementia', out on the ever affable Hell Yeah Recordings later this autumn. For those familiar with the man's work, Umek's productions are a straight up, rocket up your arse techno masterclass. This time round he adds a bit of pan Euro female vocals to the mix and funks it up for a swift, dirty ride.

Fresh off their Stateside tour with Steve Aoki and The Bloody Beetroots lot, Fidget Housers, Blatta & Inesha crank it up and drill it home with this bowel moving remix of 'Dementia'. Will definitely drive you stark raving mad but in a good way.

SONNY // READY SALTED REMIXES // MIGHTY RUMBLE

We <3 love a good techno workout. 24 hours in Berghain is a truly cathartic experience. A real head cleansing affair. It takes a special type of person to man up to the aural onslaught, your senses get battered, your body taxed to the limit. Some might call it a rite of passage. Or you just like getting absolutely wasted.

London based Singaporean techno expat, Sonny, has been to hell and back (well, not really...) and managed to rope in a couple of his DJ mates to remix his rather brilliant 'Ready Salted' track, which came out earlier this year on his own Mighty Rumble label.

Check out Tim Cook's (Kismet, Fade, Railyard Records) and Tokyo based, Discoscience's top notch remixes here.
ReadySalted TimCook Remix SC192K by mightyrumble
ReadySalted DiscoScience NoCheeseRemix SC192K by mightyrumble

CRIMEA X // CHORNE MORE EP // HELL YEAH

'Chorne More' or better know as 'Black Sea' for us non Slavic inclined, is a large inland body of water situated at the southeastern extremity of Europe, bordered by Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey & Romania. That my friends is a helluva lot of peeps sharing one God damn pool. Bound to be some aggro going down for space and umbrellas etc. I can't even leave my towel at the local lido without some prick nicking my place when I decide to jump in. Private pools are the way forward.

Sea resort loving disco space rockers, Crimea X, have put together an EP of finely crafted electro pop bliss that pays homage to a bunch of their Slavic mates with songs named after folks they know like 'Jurij', 'Vavara' & 'Liubov' out on Italy's finest, Hell Yeah Recordings later this year.

We say, get some Ukrainian buddies now and start making pop music.

Catch Crimea X's spaced out live set on Friday, October 30th over at Cargo, London.

Download 'Liubov' here.

LUCKY ELEPHANT // REVEREND TISLEY & HIS MAGIC LANTERN // SUNDAY BEST

We <3 Monday morning cartoons, especially from psychedelic Anglo-French popsters, Lucky Elephant.

The Lucky E's round off the festival season in true Sunday Best fashion with a rather cool animated music video of their latest single, 'Reverend Tisley & His Magic Lantern', taken of the debut album, 'Starsign Trampoline', which NME calls, "A celestial debut, brooding with integrity and creativity."

Well, we just think it's a f***in ace video. Go for 'Neptune (Sunday Best Remix)' on the flipside, which reminds you of a more innocent, happier time. Might have just been the poppers.

Download 'Neptune (Sunday Best Remix)' for free here.

THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND // YOU'LL DISAPPEAR // GOMMA

Off beat NYC collective, The Phenomenal Handclap Band, spearheaded by boho arthouse types, Daniel Collas and Sean Marquand, have in effect produced a record so wholeheartedly GAY, in the happy sense that it makes you wanna just rip your clothes off and run in circles, screaming, "I'm free!". Well, maybe only us but it is still one damn fine record.

Forward thinking German label, Gomma have slated 'You'll Disappear' for an early October release. We say go out and get it. Absolutely rollicking psychedelic, nu disco, cosmic rock ass electro fun. Killer remixes come courtesy of Prins Thomas, Munk, Ilya Santana and London's own Horse Meat Disco. Catch them live at Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on September 22 and pretend it's 76 all over again.

NME's all over these guys like a sticky rash, whether that's a good thing or not.

'You'll Disappear (Original)'

'You'll Disappear (Horse Meat Disco Remix)'

GUCCI VUMP // SHA! SHTIL! // INSTITUBES

We all love a little mystery. Secret identities and guessing games. No one really cared anymore once Matt Murdock got outed as Daredevil. Sales plummeted and the movie was crap. I mean, Ben Stiller?! Come on. Well, I digress.

Lo and behold, Institubes, yes, them again. Purveyors of all things chic and wonderful have put out this brilliant EP, 'Sha! Shtil!' by the extremely mysterious, Gucci Vump. Little is known of this individual/s but there have been rumours abound on the interweb suggesting someone rather familiar, someone we might even know. Fakeblood? Brodinski? It's anyone's guess. There goes the rumor mill.

But honestly, who gives a sh*t when GV tunes are this damn good! He could be Luke f***in Cage circa Power Man era for all we care. Crazy samples galore, bopping basslines and avant garde weirdness make this cerebral electronica for the clued up set. And we don't mean us. Erm, yes we do.

Check this out before they do.

ROB // DODECALOGUE VOL III // INSTITUBES

Parisian hipster label, Institubes, continue to stump us with the bizarre and unconventional. Still achingly cool, their releases often confound, entertain and are extremely sought after.

Very little is known of the Institubes veteran and Phoenix's BFF except that he's called, Rob.

Rob has put together a series of musical productions under the 'Dodecalogue' title. For 12 consecutive months, Rob will release a record each month with a theme based around the gospel and 12 apostles. Sounds more Pope than Pop but we gave it a rinse and instead of the voice of God, we got a bunch of tracks oozing pure, unadulterated leftfield electro bliss.

All this theological mumbo jumbo should sit well with the Dan Brown set. But who gives a rat's a** when Rob's tunes sounds this good. It's like God himself laying the smack down on a pair of Pioneer CDJs.

'Dodecalogue Vol III: Jacques Le Majeur' will be out later this year. 'Vol I: Pierre/Peter' and 'Vol II: John/Jean' are out now.

'Dodecalogue Vol I - Talking To God'

'Dodecalogue Vol III - Voyage En Barque'

MARTIN PATINO // SUNRISE IN LA SERENA // FLASH RECORDS

Certain little discoveries often provoke an immense sense of accomplishment even though what you find hardly seems like anything at all. Ever waited till the end of a film's credits to see those secret extra scenes? Or found two green M&Ms spliced together and couldn't wait to tell your mates? No? Well, this may not cause scenes of mass hysteria but certainly deserves a pat on the back or repeated listens on the ipod.

We recently picked up this rather cool EP, 'Sunrise In La Serena' by new Italian talent, Martin Patino. Berlin based minimal whiz kid, Florian Meindl, saw the potential and snapped him up for his Flash Records label and will be putting this out very soon.

'Sunrise In La Serena' is an uplifting slice of melodic minimal techno that sits perfectly in the Sunday afternoon sets at Badeschiff or Club De Visionaire. We love it.

Martin Patino - Sunrise in La Serena by luciusdigital

PASSARELLA DEATH SQUAD // THOSE ARE SIRENS // REPUBLIC OF DESIRE

Sometimes, two things come together and you realise, 'Damn, this is actually quite f***in cool'. Cult London fashion label, Passarella Death Squad, have made a name for themselves with their sought after T shirts emblazoned with stylised interpretations on pop culture and cheeky innuendos.

Not content with filling column inches in the style press, PDS have also released a rather tasty single called, 'Those Are Sirens' on Republic Of Desire out later this year. At once haunting, hypnotic and mysterious, the sound very much represents the image. An album is due out early next year, so definitely one to watch. Fashion & music, who said it wouldn't work?

PDS have roped in Lisbon's techno/new wave duo, Photonz for a dark, brooding remix of 'Those Are Sirens'.

BESTIVAL 2009 // ISLE OF WIGHT

Rob Da Bank and his buddies have pulled off yet another sensational end of summer coup with a 2009 Bestival that rocked hard and reminded us yet again why we do it every year. Even the Weather Gods didn't piss down on us mere mortals. It was a scorcher.

From Major Lazer and Boy 8 Bit blowing the Big Top roof off it's hinges and Lilly Allen barely keeping her nipples in place, we suffered the severe post 'cosmic/space' comedown in spectacular fashion. Ringing ears, pounding hangover, sun burnt noses and an oddly shaped conehead latex mask glued to our legs.

Bring on next year we say! Just don't charge us a fiver for taking a shower. 3 days of grime build up was all we could take.

Download Rob Da Bank's 'Bestival 2009: Lost In Space' mix here.

MEMORY TAPES // SEEK MAGIC

Damn, this guy is good.

Press shy Memory Tapes, aka Davey Hawke, aka Weird Tapes, aka Memory Cassette, has effectively released the blog album of the season, if not the year. This is a digital artist's wet dream. News and reviews of the album, 'Seek Magic', have spread like wild fire across the online sphere with not even a print review in sight. Thus begins the timely demise of the hard copy magazine. NME? MIXMAG? MOJO?

Memory Tapes' tripped out space pop lulls you in with it's exotic chimes, which has led to the term, 'Dreamwave'. We say it's like dipping your spliff in liquid MDMA and smoking it. Nice.

Download 'Bicycle (The Horrors Remix)' here.

SEBROK // THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME // PASO

Berlin's minimal master and all round fashionista, Sebrok, has been putting out high end techno cuts on Dubfire's Sci+Tec, Minisketch and now on his very own Paso label. His previous two EPs, 'The X (Sci+Tec)' & 'Vision (Minisketch)', were clinical lessons in techno masterclass. Championed by the likes of Hawtin, Villalobos, Marcel Dettman, this man knows the score.

Seb's new EP on Paso, 'The Most Dangerous Game', out later this year is his finest to date. Polished, brooding, almost mechanical like, this is techno for the dark caverns of Tresor and corners of Berghain. Not for the faint hearted.

Also check out his German Garment fashion label, which is the definitive garb for any aspiring Berlin hipster.

Sebrok - The Most Dangerous Game (Pan-Pot Remix) by luciusdigital

AIR FRANCE // GOTHENBURG BELONGS TO ME

Download only single taken from Air France's 'Love Affair In 3 Parts' to Gothenburg. Out on 19.10.09 on Something In Construction.

Locked away in their Gothenburg studio making their debut album with a newly minted publishing deal from XL Recordings under their arm, AIR FRANCE offer fans an autumnal gift to tide them over the seasonal come down.

A website, a video, a free download, a tourist guide, a love letter to their Swedish hometown.

Oh yes, and it's a tantalisingly brilliant POP song too.

Download it here.

HEADMAN // RELISH EP SAMPLER

New wave / No Disco anti hero, Headman (Robi Insinna), rounds off the summer season with a sweet little EP sampler from his ever in demand label, Relish. With a keen ear for the next big tune, Robi's Relish has brought us the likes of Riot In Belgium's, 'La Musique', Italian electro-punks, Franz & Shape and a whole bunch of other misfits.

So for those of you who know your old school from nu school, this is one for the record box.

Tracklist:
A1. Headman 'Random Disco'
A2. David Gilmour Girls 'One For The Gipper'
B. The C90S '10:01'

Headman - Random Disco by luciusdigital

DUB PISTOLS // I'M IN LOVE // MARTEN HORGER REMIX

German new kid, Marten Horger, jacks up the bassline to the max with this reworking of the new Dub Pistols single, 'I'm In Love'. BIG on effects and wobbly basslines, we like it when it hits you hard. Watch out.

Download the remix here.

UMEK? HELL YEAH

Slovenian techno master and all round bad ass, Umek, has teamed up with Italy's premier label, Hell Yeah, for a special 2 disc compilation that i-DJ descirbes as 'a rocket up your arse'. And this certainly does not to disappoint. It lunges forward like a super charged pitbull on speed as Umek tweaks and slices 24 tracks of the finest techno cuts out there. From his own productions to up & coming new boys like Dyno & Sinisa Lukic, this is one helluva ride.

Our friends over at Hell Yeah have so kindly given us a track off the mix as a free download. Check out Umek's latest prodigy. Sinisa Lukic with his thumping production, 'Frka Frka'. Download it here.

'Umek? Hell Yeah' will be out 28 September on Hell Yeah.

www.hellyeahrec.com